Roderick "Eric" MacLeish (born October 31, 1952) is a lawyer known for representing hundreds of sexual abuse victims in the Boston area during the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal while he was a Boston-based partner of

Greenberg Traurig Greenberg Traurig is a multinational law firm founded in Miami in 1967. As of 2022, the Greenberg Traurig is the 9th largest law firm in the United States. The firm has 43 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and ...

, a Miami-based law firm. His clients included those abused by Paul Shanley.

Abuse cases

MacLeish started representing victims of clergy abuse in 1992 in a case involving former Fall River Priest James Porter, who was accused of molesting 68 children in southeastern Massachusetts and ultimately sent to prison. After the priest abuse cases, MacLeish stopped practicing law. He returned in 2011 and took on cases involving inadequate patient care at Bridgewater State Hospital where patients had been sent to prolonged solitary confinement in violation of state law. MacLeish won a preliminary injunction in 2014 and went on to settle a class action lawsuit in 2014. In 2015, MacLeish reconnected with a former sex abuse client who had been sexually abused at St. George's School, which MacLeish had attended. MacLeish and his client attempted to have the school name the abuser, former athletic trainer Al Gibbs, and send a letter to alumni. When the school resisted, the client went public in ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. More victims came forward and the school ultimately agreed to a well-publicized settlement. MacLeish has continued to represent victims of sexual abuse at private schools, camps and other institutions since the St. George's case. Commencing in 2019, MacLeish began representing victims of domestic violence in restraining order cases without charging a fee. In January 2002, MacLeish started the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, the only charity in New England to assist those who had lost loved ones in the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. Under MacLeish's leadership, the Fund raised millions of dollars for families, arranged social events for families, and provided programs ranging from grief counseling to financial planning. The Fund still exists as of 2016, and MacLeish spoke at the Massachusetts State House on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.

Education

A graduate of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...

, he went on to graduate cum laude from the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an el ...

in 1978.,

Career

MacLeish clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro. From 2002 to 2004, he was the lead counsel when his law firm represented over 300 people in the Boston priest scandal. He also represented a claimant that they were sexually abused by a

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, University-preparatory school, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lowe ...

teacher. He has been representing people who allege sexual abuse at St. George's School in

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown". History Vario ...

. The ''National Law Journal'' once name him one of the top trial attorneys in the US. In 2016, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named MacLeish a "Lawyer of the Year" for his work on behalf of sexual abuse victims in private schools. He began teaching at

Plymouth State University Plymouth State University (PSU), formerly Plymouth State College, is a public university in the towns of Plymouth and Holderness, New Hampshire. As of fall 2020, Plymouth State University enrolls 4,491 students (3,739 undergraduate students ...

in 2006 before returning to the practice of law in 2011.

Personal life

His father was political commentator

Roderick MacLeish Roderick MacLeish (January 15, 1926 – July 1, 2006) was an American journalist and writer. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he grew up in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from the University of Chicago. MacLeish was news director for W ...

and he has a sister, Sumner MacLeish. His grandmother was opera singer and translator

Rosamond Young Chapin Rosamond Young Chapin (July 17, 1895 – July 30, 1984) was an American singer, theatrical producer and arts administrator. Her personal relationship with Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Karl Muck drew her into scandal during World War I. L ...

. His former psychologist lost her professional license after having a sexual relationship with him.

Popular culture

In the movie '' Spotlight'', MacLeish was portrayed by

Billy Crudup William Gaither Crudup (; born July 8, 1968) is an American actor. He is a four-time Tony Award nominee, winning once for his performance in Tom Stoppard's play '' The Coast of Utopia'' in 2007. He has starred in numerous high-profile films, in ...

. He has claimed he was portrayed inaccurately.

External links

Massfund.org

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacLeish, Eric 1952 births Living people Vassar College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Plymouth State University people Lawyers from Cambridge, Massachusetts Lawyers from Boston Sexual abuse cover-ups Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals