Dealer Law

To give back, get organized, lawyer says.

Leonard Bellavia decided to get organized.

His firm, Bellavia Gentile & Associates in Mineola, last week formed an official in-house pro bono program and even gave the group a catchy name: “Balancing the Scales on Long Island.”

Bellavia is not new to the practice of charitable lawyering, having won the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award in 1998 for his pro bono work. But Bellavia thought the firm could do more good by providing structure and eliminating the previously ad-hoc approach to pro bono service.
“We want to start, affirmatively, with an intention and an agenda, giving back to the community,” said Bellavia, whose firm specializes in representing franchise auto and boat dealers. “I thought that if it were more formally organized, it would be implemented on a more regular basis. In the past, I’ve done it in a more helter-skelter fashion.”

It begins by staffing the program properly, he said. The firm has assigned one of its 12 lawyers to screen applications, making sure that Bellavia Gentile focuses on the right kinds of cases and the right kind of people – meaning those most in need. Bellavia said the firm wants to concentrate on helping the “oppressed and destitute” reclaim some justice by, for instance, ensuring poor Long Islanders receive the health-insurance coverage they’re entitled to.

“We want to work on the things that really go to the core of people’s well being,” Bellavia said.

The urge to form the “Balancing the Scales” program came into focus recently for Bellavia, when he attended a function at his alma mater, Boston College, where his daughter is now a student. Speakers at the college event told the students that in 30 years, it would be time to start giving back.

The message resonated for Bellavia because he’s just about 30 years out of Boston College. “It’s time to start giving back,” he said. “Fortunately, we have some resources to commit to it.”