Tag Archives: award

Jamie Goodwin Recognized as HLA Lawyer of the Month

Jennifer Smith July 15, 2014

Sandulli Grace, PC is very proud to announce that Jamie Goodwin was recognized as the Health Law Advocates’ “Lawyer of the Month” for the outstanding representation he has provided through the HLA’s pro bono legal network.

Health Law Advocates is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm whose mission is to provide pro bono legal representation to low-income residents experiencing difficulty accessing or paying for needed medical services. The work Jamie does for the HLA provides life-sustaining assistance to vulnerable clients to help them avoid financial catastrophe.

If you would like to learn more about the HLA, and their immeasurably critical work, please visit their website, here: http://www.healthlawadvocates.org/. Below, you can learn more about Jamie’s efforts for the HLA, as described in the July 14, 2014 HLA Legal Network Update.

Attorney Goodwin of Sandulli Grace, P.C. has been an All-Star since joining HLA’s Pro Bono Legal Network in 2012. Over the past few years Jamie has continuously taken on referrals and is currently working on his fifth matter from HLA.

A specialist in Labor Law, Jamie’s efforts have helped clients with both public and private insurance to breakdown barriers from employers, insurers and providers, and get his clients the services they deserve.

In 2013, Attorney Goodwin was successful in restoring full nursing services for KB, a severely disabled 17-year-old girl, after her state subsidized insurance reduced both the hours and level of her care.

His dedication to helping the community goes beyond his work with HLA’s Legal Network. Attorney Goodwin also volunteers several nights a week teaching English at Rosie’s Place. Thank you for your outstanding support and contribution to the Legal Network, and most importantly to our clients. Congratulations on being named this month’s Lawyer of the Month!

Sandulli Grace In The News

Sandulli Grace and MassCOP win arbitration awarding officer c. 41 Section 111F benefits based on injury that occurred while training for an upcoming physical fitness assessment

Leigh Panettiere September 27, 2010

In November 2009, Sudbury Police Officer Ryan Boyd tore a muscle in his chest while lifting weights. Although he was working out at a private gym on his own time, he was doing so in preparation for an upcoming physical fitness assessment that was a mandatory part of his role on the METRO-LEC METRO-STAR “Regional Response Team.” The Town refused to grant Boyd Injured on Duty Leave, arguing that the injury was sustained while Boyd was “taking part in a personal hobby that had no connection to his job as a Sudbury Police Officer.”

The Sudbury Police Association, MCOP Local 370, AFL-CIO, arbitrated the case, represented by Attorney Leigh Panettiere of Sandulli Grace, P.C. The Arbitrator agreed with the Union’s argument and found that Boyd’s injury “arose out of and in the course of his employment” because the Town required Officer Boyd to be in “excellent physical condition” and participate in an “ongoing physical fitness program” while not providing him paid time to exercise nor a facility in which to do so. The Arbitrator also noted that Boyd’s commanding officer had advised him and his fellow RRT members to keep training for the upcoming assessment.

The arbitrator rejected the Town’s argument that Boyd was engaged in a hobby that had no connection to his employment. The fact that Officer Boyd enjoyed weight lifting and had a long history of regular fitness training was irrelevant. The heightened physical requirements of Boyd’s specialized team meant that he did not have the option to stop training. Also, the arbitrator noted that officers already committed to physical fitness are more likely to serve on a team that requires a high level of fitness.

The Town was ordered to restore Boyd’s wages and benefits to the level they would have been set at had his request for §111F benefits been originally granted. The town will also have to restore all of the paid leave time Boyd was required to use during his recovery.

This is an important decision for Massachusetts police officers and fire fighters. It is not uncommon for injuries to occur while training to meet required physical fitness standards, and this award provides strong support for the argument that those injuries are compensable.

Read the Arbitrator’s Award…

Sandulli Grace In The News

Joe Sandulli Receives Cushing-Gavin Award, The Highest Honor For Mass. Labor Lawyer

Sandulli Grace Staff October 8, 2008

Sandulli Grace, PC founder Joe Sandulli has been awarded the 2008 Cushing-Gavin Award for Union Attorneys, the highest honor bestowed upon members of the New England labor management community. He will receive the award at the Labor Guild’s 42^nd Annual Awards dinner on November 20 at the Sheraton Boston.

Since 1946, the Labor Guild has advanced the interests of Massachusetts workers and strengthened bonds between representatives of labor and management. In 1952, the Guild started offering classes to workers through its School of Industrial Relations. In 1967, the Guild established the Cushing Awards Dinner to honor achievement in the field of labor management. The Dinner has grown to be the largest annual event in the Boston labor management community and provides financial support to its School.

Joe has actively supported the Labor Guild since he began his career in the Boston labor community more than 35 years ago. He has served as a Faculty member of the Labor Guild’s School for many years, teaching courses ranging from “Law and Labor Relations” to “Labor Strategies,” his current course offering. His selection as a Cushing-Gavin Awardee highlights not only his standing in the community, but also his commitment to labor education and to the Labor Guild.

Upon learning of his selection, Joe was, as usual, quick to credit the whole team at Sandulli Grace. “While it’s a great personal honor to be selected for this award, what it shows is the standing that Sandulli Grace has in the labor management community,” Sandulli stated. “The legacy of quality representation that Sandulli Grace provides to labor unions and their members is the proudest achievement of my legal career.”

Thanks Joe, but why don’t you take a while to let us all be proud of you for a change.

Labor, The Law & Social Justice