Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Lubell.
Ellen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in New York City at a time of painful racial and economic turmoil. That experience, combined with my father had escaped from Belgium just before the Nazis invaded, instilled in me a desire to help people less privileged than I was. It was kind of in my DNA.
From tutoring underserved children in Harlem during high school volunteering in a refugee camp in Thailand after college, I was determined to make a difference.
I decided on law school and was fortunate to attend Harvard Law School, but it was not an easy place at that time to pursue an interest in social justice. However, I applied for and received a human rights fellowship to work on international labor issues in Geneva, Switzerland.
The following year, I worked for the Dukakis administration on child welfare policies and wrote a “friend of the court” brief on an LGBT parenting rights case in Massachusetts. After graduation, I worked as “in-house” counsel for many years—first at a medical center, and then as General Counsel at a nonprofit educational organization.
Eventually, I left and decided to form a small firm to provide legal assistance to leaders of a wide range of nonprofit organizations.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like many women, I found it difficult to find part-time work and flexibility when my children were young. I managed to find a position, but I passed up many opportunities for career advancement as compared to other lawyers who did not have or choose to have childcare responsibilities.
I faced sexual harassment in one of my jobs and had to leave when my employer refused to do anything about it. I’ve been lucky, though, to have a wonderful husband to keep me sane and to have found supportive colleagues wherever I’ve worked.
Please tell us about Tennant Lubell.
As a lawyer for nonprofit organizations, I have amazing clients who inspire me every day. They work on racial justice, reduction of gun violence, programs for trauma survivors, rare disease research, and many other critical issues.
They produce radio programming, publish journals, and develop educational textbooks and curricula. They are creative and courageous, and I love helping them flourish. I work with some of my clients on a pro bono basis (at no charge).
Whether I charge or not, I feel most gratified when I can help my clients feel empowered in their work. Someone who is great at running a religious school or managing a library shouldn’t also have to be great at deciphering legal documents and regulations.
If I can help them feel less overwhelmed, set up internal systems to avoid risk, and understand how to maintain and keep their “501(c)(3)” status, they can get back to focusing on their mission. It’s a partnership.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m not so good on “what would I have done differently” questions. I made the best decisions I could along the way. I might have spent more time with my children when they were young. I might have specialized in immigration law so that I could help families who are now so desperately in need of immigration assistance.
I might have specialized in criminal law so that I could help current criminal law reform efforts. I might have faced challenges without worrying so much about what other people thought. The list could go on, but I’ve tried at every step to learn something about myself and how best to go forward.
Contact Info:
- Address: 288 Walnut St., Suite 500 Newton, MA 02460
- Website: www.tllawgroup.com
- Phone: 617-969-9610
- Email: elubell@tllawgroup.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenlubell/
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