SCAS was founded in 1973 as a subcommittee of the Phillips Brooks House Legal Committee. The first SCAS volunteers worked out of the Roxbury Courthouse, helping clients prepare for their cases by informing them of their rights. Originally, SCAS was no more than six students. Since that time, SCAS has grown considerably. We now have over 100 active volunteers helping the citizens of Massachusetts navigate the small claims system directly by phone and by appointment, and indirectly by advocating structural (i.e. legislative) change.
The Small Claims Advisory Service is the only organization in Massachusetts that focuses primarily on helping individuals navigate the small claims court system in the Commonwealth. Our mission is to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged people in order for them to seek legal redress effectively through the small claims system, and to protect their rights as consumers, tenants, and members of our community. Often, these individuals are unaware of their options without our help. We provide citizens with information on Massachusetts law, small claims procedure, and effective court presentations.
Volunteers spend one semester studying Massachusetts small claims law and working alongside a more experienced member on cases. Then, once they have gained some experience working on real cases, they become full SCAS volunteers who may help members of the community with what they have learned.
Charlotte Baker
Christina Thomas
Elizabeth Gellert
Hope Ha
Joanna Choi
Justin Xu
Yusuf Mian
Lauren Perl
Bella Souza
Danielle Novak
Jorge Ruiz
Leo Barrera
Kaela Ellis
Peter Jin
Kaela Ellis
Nicole Fintel
Shira Hoffer
Alex Carlin
Brooke Newbury
Daniel Lee
Emily Arbuiso
Jeslyn Liu
Joyce Kim
Oluchi Amadife
Saul Arnow
Yosely Jimenez
Lauren Kirkpatrick
Dylan Phan
Daniel Bittner
Mayasa Sikder
Isabela De los Rios Hernández
Daniel Wang
Mariam Kish
Lindsay Bernard
Katia Soares dos Santos
Stella Lei
Aurelia Elliott
LeMonie Hutt
Alex Guh-Siesel
Jonathan Fu
Olivia Larsen
Jina Choe
Veronica Ruiz
Michelle Jiang
Makayla Gathers
Isabela Gonzalez-Lawand
Jack Martin
Raghav Chopra
Johnny Miri
Omenma Abengowe
Here are the profiles of the 2023 board
About Edona
Edona Cosovic is a sophomore in Eliot House studying Government with a secondary in Economics. Outside of the work she does with SCAS, she writes for the Crimson, and works at a not-for-profit Democratic political consulting firm. She helps to help flip seats in pink and purple congressional districts. She’s so excited to work with SCAS this upcoming semester!