Our focus
The Legal Food Hub provides pro bono legal assistance by matching qualified attorneys in our network with…
Farmers
Food Entrepreneurs
& the Organizations that Support Them
Our Work
Since our launch in June 2014, we've placed 230 cases and leveraged more than $1.5 million in pro bono legal services. Here are just a few highlights of the farmers, food entrepreneurs, and organizations who have been helped by the Legal Food Hub. Hover over each photo and then click to read more.
-
Waltham Fields Community Farm Prepares for New Overtime Law
-
Lost Art Obtains Trademark and Ensures Business Structure is Complete
-
Nomad Cheese Company Seeks Help with Contract and Entity Formation
-
Earth Care Farm Transitions to Next Generation
-
The Whole Almond Receives Assistance with Trademark and LLC
-
Neighborhood Farm Forms LLC and Signs Lease
-
Wolf Meadow Farm Contracts for Local Milk
-
Pumpkin Vine Family Farm Prepares to Grow
-
Newton Community Farm Seeks Solar Panels
-
Farm Fresh Rhode Island Gets Help with Labor and Employment Policies
-
Cassie Seawell Secures Lease for 200 Acres
-
Simmons Farm Expands Offerings and Limits Liability
We're Growing!
The Legal Food Hub is so successful in New England that we are now planning to replicate this model nationwide.
The Legal Food Hubs in Massachusetts and Maine have continued to grow. We’ve placed 84 cases over the previous year and have also expanded geographically. In November, we launched our third Legal Food Hub in Rhode Island and we will be kicking off our fourth in Connecticut in collaboration with Yale Law School this winter.
With New England at the core of our program, we intend to work with local partners around the country to establish a national alliance of legal food hubs to support small farmers and food businesses. In this way, we will help build a sustainable food system across the country from the ground up.
FIRMS in our network
HOURS donated by volunteer attorneys
CASES placed since June 2014
MILLION dollars leveraged
what our participants say
The Legal Food Hub Team
Jennifer Rushlow
Senior Attorney, Director, Farm & Food
As a Senior Attorney for CLF Massachusetts and Director of CLF’s regionwide Farm & Food program, Jenny directs CLF’s food and agriculture advocacy.
Annie Lemelin
Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice Legal Fellow
Annie joined CLF as a legal fellow in the Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice program. She is working with the Legal Food Hub to help it grow.
Sumana Chintapalli
Legal Fellow/Attorney
Sumana coordinates the Legal Food Hub in Rhode Island. Her background includes food systems work with the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, teaching a graduate Food Policy course, and health services research at the intersection of food systems and public health.
Susan Tamoney
Outreach Assistant
As CLF’s Legal Food Hub Outreach Assistant, Susan talks with farmers and owners of fledgling food businesses to make them aware of the Hub’s pro bono legal services. Susan has a professional background in brand marketing at Ogilvy and Mather Advertising in New York City. She graduated from Fairfield University with a B.S. in Economics.
Phelps Turner
Staff Attorney
Phelps Turner is a Staff Attorney for CLF Maine, where he works in the Clean Energy & Climate Change and Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice programs. Before joining CLF, Phelps was an environmental litigation associate at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen in Boston. Phelps holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Bachelor of Common Law and a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University. In his free time, Phelps enjoys running, skiing, hiking and canoeing.
Steve Melzter
Senior Fellow
Steve Meltzer recently joined CLF as a Senior Fellow. Steve has significant experience in real estate, zoning and business law representing clients in the private, government, for-profit and non-profit sectors.
Sara Dewey
Legal Fellow/Regional Legal Food Hub Coordinator
Sara Dewey is an incoming legal fellow with CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. She is excited to join the Legal Food Hub team.
Rafael Mares
Vice President and Director, Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice
Rafael Mares is Vice President and Director, Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice. He joined CLF in 2009. For 10 years, prior to joining CLF, Rafael served as a clinical instructor and lecturer on law at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School, where he founded the Healthy Homes and Environmental Justice Project. Before and during law school, Rafael worked on environmental justice issues in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Boston. Rafael holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.S. in Integrated Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. He is admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.