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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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

BOSTON – 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 28, 2026.  This amazing evening of entertainment and laughter raises critical funds for the Women’s Bar Foundation.

The WBF will present one law firm and one volunteer attorney with the Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award for their outstanding service to the WBF’s low-income clients.

The law firm of Hinckley Allen has been a strong partner and generous supporter of the Women’s Bar Foundation and its mission.  Hinckley Allen attorneys have represented survivors of domestic abuse through the WBF’s Family Law Project for Survivors of Domestic Abuse in a variety of legal proceedings, including 209A Abuse Prevention Proceedings (often referred to as restraining orders), Limited Assistance Representation and full family law matters. Most recently, the firm hosted virtual trainings in 2023 and 2024 and generously hosted our day-long in-person Comprehensive Family Law Training in 2025.

Hinckley Allen attorneys have been fiercely committed to ensuring our clients are heard in court, taking cases to full trial when needed, even though over 90% of family court cases settle.  This steadfast advocacy lets our clients know, and feel, that after years of abuse and neglect, they are finally seen and believed. We are grateful to Hinckley Allen for many years of partnership and are thrilled to honor them with the Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award at this year’s Whoop It Up for Women! Comedy Night.

Since 1906, Hinckley Allen has played a vital role in shaping the landscape of law, business, government, and community engagement. The firm’s affiliations with USLAW and Globalaw extend their reach across the United States and globally.  Hinckley Allen has been recognized as a top law firm across these areas by various rankings and publications, including Chambers & Partners and Best Lawyers. With more than 170 attorneys across offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island, the firm represents leading regional, national, and global businesses in their most critical legal and business matters.
 

The WBF will also honor Amanda C. Hsiao, an estate planning attorney at the Law Office of Kimberly L. Kelly LLC.  Amanda started volunteering with WBF’s Elder Law Project (ELP) in 2020. During that time, Amanda advised and drafted important legal documents for low-income elders, including Wills, Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Proxies. In 2023, Amanda asked how she could be more supportive of the project as a member of the Massachusetts Chapter of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (MassNAELA).  Since then, Amanda has stepped into a mentorship role in the project. She has served as a mentor in dozens of ELP cases, providing invaluable guidance and reviewing documents prepared by less experienced volunteer attorneys.  Her mentees have described Amanda as patient, thoughtful, approachable, and “awesome!” 

Amanda focuses her practice on estate planning, including special needs planning and long-term care planning, as well as estate and trust administration. She began her legal career as a legal services attorney in rural western New York, representing low-income clients in SSI and SSDI cases before the Social Security Administration. She is a volunteer commissioner for the Natick Commission on Disability.

“The WBF is thrilled to honor Hinckley Allen and attorney Amanda Hsiao for their dedication to providing critical legal assistance to low-income survivors of domestic abuse and low-income elders.  Our dynamic honorees bring enthusiasm to this important work and we are so grateful for their pro bono contributions to our clients and the greater legal community.”  Lizzie Pignatelli, Women’s Bar Foundation President.

We are excited to announce that this year’s Whoop It Up for Women! Comedy Night will feature some local legal talent on stage as featured improv players alongside Boston’s premier improv troupe: Improv Asylum. Four local phenomenal attorneys and legal professionals will join the Improv Asylum players for a round of hilarious improv sketches.  We’re proud to feature the trio of Cara Dawson, Frankie Householder & Caitlin Schneider from Wolf Greenfield & Sacks, PC and Mike Molloy of Marcotte Law Firm!

The generous Whoop It Up for Women! 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 Survivors of Domestic Abuse, the Elder Law Project, the Women’s Prison and Re-Entry Project’s interactive legal presentations to incarcerated women awaiting re-entry into society and its 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/.