UMass Law Adjunct Professor Patrick Francomano was honored with the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Volunteer Recognition Award. Francomano’s decades of service evidence his belief that lawyers are called to public service as well and that education and social justice are essential to a healthy democracy.
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UMass Law Adjunct Professor Patrick Francomano received the Mass. Bar Association’s Volunteer Recognition Award. The award honors members who volunteer substantial time and efforts to the MBA’s mission.
Professor Francomano has served the MBA in a host of capacities. He currently serves as Chair of the Mock Trial Committee and as a member of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, and Membership Committee. His past service includes positions on the Law-Related Education Committee, Lawyer Referral Service, and Terrorism Task Force. Francomano’s record of services evidences his belief that community service is a fundamental calling of the legal profession.
Francomano’s service reaches beyond the legal profession. He has served for decades on local school committees and has been a board member and past president of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. Francomano draws inspiration from John Adams’ efforts to establish Massachusetts as one of the first states to grant a constitutional right to education. He believes that public education and the legal system rest on many of the same tenets, and that “education and social justice are very difficult to disconnect.” As Francomano explained, “If you have a well-educated society, that is going to be the foundation of a good republic and democracy.”
The full Mass. Bar Association article summarizing the service of Francomano and the other recipients appears at https://www.massbar.org/publications/ejournal/ejournal-article/ejournal-2019-august-08-01/August-1-volunteer-awards.