Volunteer Attorney Eleanor Newhoff Receives Prestigious Adams Pro Bono Publico Award

Attorney Newhoff pictured with De Novo staff. From left: Immigration Attorney Nicole Murray, Deputy Director John Froio, Volunteer Coordinator Nora Sears, and Executive Director Mojdeh Rohani.

In a ceremony at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston on October 26, long-time De Novo volunteer attorney Eleanor Newhoff was honored with the 2022 Adams Pro Bono Publico Award. Attorney Newhoff was recognized by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services for her extraordinary dedication to pro bono work throughout her career, especially on behalf of immigrants and victims of crime and domestic violence, and to mentoring other pro bono attorneys.

Eleanor Newhoff first came to De Novo as a volunteer immigration attorney in 1977. Over the years, she has provided pro bono legal representation to over 165 asylum seekers, victims of crime, special immigrant juveniles, and survivors of domestic violence. Eleanor has also been instrumental in the success of De Novo's monthly Immigration Legal Screening Clinic, having dedicated 300 hours of service to the clinic since its launch in 2017.

“Of the pro bono work I have done, I have been particularly inspired by the generosity, strength, and resoluteness of asylum seekers, who have suffered a loss of place in their culture and country, and yet continue to struggle for their beliefs, their identities, and their right to live their lives as the people they are.” - Eleanor Newhoff

In addition to her pro bono cases, Eleanor has given her time to advise other attorney volunteers who are less experienced in immigration law. She has provided mentoring for two staff attorneys and a legal assistant on De Novo’s immigration team as well as consulted with experienced attorneys on difficult cases. Her willingness to share her knowledge with other volunteers, attorneys, and paralegals demonstrates her passion for increasing immigrant supports at every level, not just through those who she can individually help.

“I have learned from my clients on so many occasions that where there is a bridge that has collapsed in their lives, leaving them stranded and without legal support, or they found themselves alone and without a way to confront the challenges they are facing, that reaching out a hand as a pro bono attorney helped them, yes, but also opened a window for me into their lives," Eleanor remarked. "As I learn more about my clients’ worlds and life experiences, both my understanding and my ability to help has increased."

Eleanor has a long career of serving immigrants through her private practice, Newhoff Law Office, as well as in the roles of immigration supervisor at De Novo (then Community Legal Services and Counseling Center), immigration attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, and clinical instructor at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic.