WBF Announces Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award Honorees

Women's Bar Foundation to Honor

Christine Kingston of Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP and

Destini M. Agüero of Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School

with its Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award 

BOSTON – March 30, 2023 – The Women’s Bar Foundation (WBF) looks forward to hosting its signature fundraiser, Whoop it Up for Women! Comedy Night at the Boston Harbor Hotel on May 4, 2023. The WBF celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year - this will be an evening of entertainment and laughter which will raise critical funds for the Women’s Bar Foundation.

The WBF will present two volunteer attorneys with the Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award for their outstanding service to the WBF’s low-income clients. Christine Kingston of Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP will be recognized for her work representing low-income survivors of domestic abuse in difficult, challenging cases through the WBF’s Family Law Project for Domestic Abuse Survivors (FLP). Christine has consistently reached out to take new FLP cases, in addition to recruiting other attorneys to take cases. She also volunteers in the WBF’s Clemency Project.  

The WBF will also honor Destini M. Agüero of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. Destini has been volunteering with the WBF since 2016. Destini will be recognized for her dedication as a volunteer attorney in the Elder Law Project, advising low-income seniors and preparing wills, powers of attorney and other essential documents, as well as serving as a mentor and trainer to new volunteer attorneys. Destini also served as an FLP volunteer attorney.

 “The WBF is thrilled to honor Christine Kingston and Destini Agüero’s commitment to providing effective legal assistance to our low-income clients, and for sharing their enthusiasm for pro bono work with the greater legal community.” Uzma Saghir, Women’s Bar Foundation President

For our 30th Anniversary, the WBF is excited to feature comedian Judy Gold! Judy has had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO. She was a part of Netflix's Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Tonight Show.

The generous Whoop It Up Comedy Night sponsors, numerous law firms and companies, as well as the proceeds from the live auction and raffle, help to raise nearly half of the WBF’s annual budget. These funds make possible the vital work of the WBF’s pro bono projects: the Family Law Project for Domestic Abuse Survivors, the Elder Law Project, the Women’s Prison and Re-Entry Project and Clemency Project. These projects provide low-income individuals, primarily women and their families, with desperately needed legal assistance on critical legal issues.

To learn more and sponsor this exciting event, please visit https://www.wbfcomedy.org/.

For more information contact: 

Margaret E. Talmers, Executive Director MTalmers@womensbar.org
W. Lola Remy, Director of Pro Bono Programs LRemy@womensbar.org
Women’s Bar Foundation of Massachusetts (617) 973-6666

About the Women’s Bar Foundation

Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1993 by the Women’s Bar Association, the WBF is dedicated to ensuring access to justice for low-income individuals, by creating a community dedicated to providing free legal assistance to those individuals and their families. The WBF recruits and trains volunteer attorneys to address legal issues that disproportionately affect low- income women and their children. To date, the WBF has served thousands of low-income domestic violence survivors, incarcerated women, and elderly women and men. For more information, please visit www.womensbar.org.