Celebrating Legacy Gifts
Hon. Rudolph Kass and Attorney Larry Ruttman chose to make a lasting impact with the MBF
By Michele Chausse, Above the Fold Communications: mcabovethefold@gmail.com
The Massachusetts Bar Foundation (MBF) recently completed it’s annual grant review, which provides funding to legal aid organizations across the state whose programs either provide civil legal services to low-income clients or improve the administration of justice. These grants are made possible through the Massachusetts Interest on Lawyers' Trust Account (IOLTA) Program, and the individual contributions of lawyers and judges who are members of the MBF Society of Fellows. Still, almost half of all eligible legal aid cases have to be turned away each year due to a lack of resources. To help close this justice gap, the MBF encourages its donors to consider planned giving and bequests as a way to have a meaningful impact in expanding access to justice in Massachusetts.
“By making a planned gift to the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, our donors can combine their desire to support equal access to justice with their overall financial, tax, and estate planning goals,” notes MBF President Angela C. McConney. “These gifts also enable donors to make significant contributions that may not have been possible during their lifetime.”
In recent months, the MBF has been fortunate to receive notice of bequests from the estates of two long-time MBF Fellows, the late Honorable Rudolph Kass and Lawrence Ruttman, Esq. Below, read about both of their distinguished careers in the law, their passion for the written word, and their decisions to make legacy gifts to the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, which will create a lasting impact for years to come.
After an early foray into journalism, Rudolph Kass, finding at the time of his 1952 college graduation that there were no journalism schools available, was advised that to hone and polish his writing skills he should go to law school. He practiced real estate and urban development law with distinction for more than two decades with the firm formerly known as Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesner and, in 1979, was appointed to the Massachusetts Appeals Court. He sat on the court until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2000, and then was recalled to serve until 2003.
During his term as one of the most respected associate justices in the history of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, Kass authored opinions that still resonate today. He was also admired for brilliantly written rulings, which demonstrated his wisdom, talent, and dry wit. “The Appeals Court was his dream job,” said a daughter, Elizabeth Kass, M.D. “He retained an interest in educating people about law…in making the law and the legal profession comprehensible to people. And, he said, ‘Finally, everything I write gets published.’” She added that her dad also “loved working with the clerks in the Appeals Court and loved teaching young lawyers and providing mentorship to them.”
As originally hoped, many former interns have gone on to launch very successful careers in the public service arena. For most, the internship supported by the MBF helped to direct their professional paths.
Kass remained an active volunteer with a number of nonprofit groups well into his eighties and had a longstanding commitment to social justice issues such as affordable housing, reproductive rights, and civil rights. A gift of $20,000 from the Kass Family Trust will help the MBF sustain this vital work.
Writing is also a central force in Attorney Larry Ruttman’s life, but unlike Judge Kass, he came to the work in his later years. He labels it “a life lived backwards,” also the title of his recent memoir, Larry Ruttman: A Life Lived Backwards, An Existential Triad of Friendship, Maturation, and Inquisitiveness. It’s just one of four books Ruttman, 92, has published since his retirement in 2000.
According to Ruttman, an aptitude test he took as a youth indicated he should become either a rabbi or a lawyer. He chose the legal path, graduating from Boston College Law School in 1958 (gaining a close friendship with dean and future U.S. Representative Father Robert Drinan) and opening a general practice in Brookline, where he still lives. He was invited to become an MBF fellow in 1981 by another lifelong friend, Boston attorney Paul Sugarman, and has appreciated the organization’s work over the decades. Ruttman said, “I do believe that lawyers are so important to the protection of our freedom and democracy; the best lawyers are really great American citizens.”
Nearing retirement, Ruttman began interviewing Brookline residents on local cable, which led to a newspaper column and then his first book, Voices of Brookline. Positive reviews convinced him to fully devote himself to writing. “How could I know the best part of my life would begin at age seventy?” he asked. “That then I would become an interviewer, an author, a storyteller…and for the first time ever become so immersed in what I was doing…nothing else seemed to matter. What a feeling! That gives meaning to my life.” His award-winning book, American Jews and America’s Game followed; a passion for classical music informs his latest, Intimate Conversations: Face to Face with Matchless Musicians.
Recently, Ruttman and his wife of 60 years, Lois, created a plan to leave their entire estate to charity, as they have no living relatives or heirs. They have committed $10,000 from the Lois and Larry Ruttman Bequest for the Upkeep of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation in accordance with the guiding principles of the Jewish concepts of Tzedakah (making the world a fair and more just place) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). “As I got older, I wanted to do the right thing more and more,” Ruttman said.
The Foundation is honored to be the beneficiary of these two thoughtful legacy gifts. To learn more about how you can create a lasting impact through planned giving with the MBF, click here or contact Development Director Allie Ford by phone at 617-338-0647 or by email at aford@massbar.org.