Foley Hoag partner Madeleine Rodriguez has been selected to receive a 2025 Supreme Judicial Court Adams Pro Bono Publico Award. The award, which is presented annually by the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, honors those in the legal profession who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to providing unpaid legal services to those in need.
Rodriguez has devoted thousands of hours to a wide range of pro bono activities over the last dozen years. This includes representing more than 25 survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and harassment in abuse prevention hearings; and representing more than 40 clients in immigration proceedings, principally unaccompanied refugee children seeking special immigrant juvenile status and legal permanent resident status.
“I’ve known Maddy Rodriguez since her summer associate days, and even then, she was fearless about using the law to open doors for people who’d been historically excluded or underserved," said Managing Partner Hathaway Russell. "Today, she’s a force—turning empathy into outcomes, driving impact work, and mentoring the next generation—while redefining what bold, values driven leadership by a woman lawyer looks like.The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s pro bono award recognizes what we see every day: Maddy raises the bar for all of us, and we couldn’t be prouder to call her our colleague.”
In addition to her pro bono work, Rodriguez serves on several non-profit boards, including as vice president of the ACLU of Massachusetts, Apprentice Learning, the Boston Debate League, and the Victim Rights Law Center. She is also the executive director of the Foley Hoag Foundation, which has awarded more than $4,500,000 in grants to over 500 organizations guided by principles of social justice since its inception.
Rodriguez will be recognized during an awards ceremony on October 28 before Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elizabeth N. Dewar at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.