Legal Resources
Tenant’s Rights Organizations
Cambridge Human Rights Commission
51 Inman Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 349-4396
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
One Ashburton Place - Room 601
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 994-6000
Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
50 Evergreen Ave
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 625-6600 ext 2564
Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
Boston Regional Office, O’Neil Federal Building, Room 321
10 Causeway Street
Boston, MA 02222-1092
(617) 994-8300
Boston Center for Independent Living
60 Temple Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
(617) 338-6665
Boston Mayor’s Office for Fair Housing
1 City Hall Square, Room 966
Boston, MA 02201
(617) 635-3290
Disability Law Center
11 Beacon Street #925
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 723-8455
National Consumer Law Center
7 Winthrop Sq
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 542-8010
Legal Agencies
A number of agencies in the Cambridge/Boston area provide free or affordable legal assistance to individuals with low incomes.
Boston Rental Housing Resource Center
(617) 635-RENT
Cambridge Consumers Council
(617) 349-6150
Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer Referral Program
(617) 654-0400
Cambridge/Somerville Legal Services
432 Columbia Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 494-1800
Community Legal Services and Counseling Center
1 West Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 661-1010
Greater Boston Legal Services
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 371-1234, (800) 323-3205
60 Gore Street #3
Cambridge MA 02141
(617) 603-2700
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
1151 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-4408
Volunteer Lawyers Project
29 Temple Place
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 423-0648
Cambridge Dispute Settlement Center
872 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 876-5376
Lawyer Referrals
The Boston Bar Association
Lawyer Referral Service
16 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-0625
The National Lawyers Guild Referral Service
14 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 227-7008
Online Legal Resources
- Tenants’ Rights in Massachusetts
- ME REFS (Contact by email at mediation@mit.edu)
- NoLo—Your Legal Companion
- Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs
- Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
- U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
- Mass Legal Services
- Law Guru
- Boston Bar Association
- Citizen Information Service
Small Claims Court
Small Claims Court is a “people's court” designed to settle everyday consumer disputes in Massachusetts. Small Claims Court is intended to be informal and inexpensive, a court where the average citizen can present his or her case and receive a fast and fair hearing. In Small Claims Court, you do not have to have a lawyer to file a lawsuit.
Once the claim is filed, the Clerk of Courts will notify the defending party of the hearing date. In Cambridge, there is usually a five- to six-week wait between the filing of the claim and the scheduling of the hearing. In Boston, this could take up to one year.
Contact the District Court in your community for further information on your local Small Claims Court.
- Boston (617) 725-8000
- Brighton/Allston (617) 782-6521 ext. 208
- Brookline (617) 232- 4660 ext. 12
- Cambridge/Arlington/Belmont (617) 494-4315 ext. 4315
- Malden/Medford (781) 322-7500 ext. 119, 120
- Newton (617) 244-3600 ext. 315
- Somerville (617) 666-8000 ext. 748, 768, 770
- Waltham/Watertown (781) 894-4500 ext. 251