2008–09
Section Council Chairs
Access to Justice
James T. Van Buren
James T. Van Buren has been a solo practitioner for 28 years, and has practiced in Fitchburg for 33 years. In 2005, Van Buren was one of 21 statewide representatives appointed to the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission, which works to assure access to civil justice for low-income families and individuals in the state. He is now vice chair of the committee. He has also been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Service for 25 years and currently serves on the Boston Bar Association’s Task Force on Civil Right to Counsel.
Business Law
Stephen Y. Chow
Steven Y. Chow is a partner with Burns & Levinson LLP in Boston, and has developed numerous patent portfolios and strategies for chemical, electronics, financial, information technology and life sciences enterprises. He has served on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws drafting committees on the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (formerly UCC 2B) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and its study committees on Internet taxation, on misuse of genetic information, and on discovery of electronic evidence. This year, he will also serve as a regional delegate in the MBA House of Delegates for Suffolk County.
Business Law
Robert J. Kerwin
Robert J. Kerwin practices at Boston law firm
Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers PC, where he focuses on business litigation, representing corporate, municipal and financial institutions in a variety of forums. He serves as a member of the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments and is a frequent lecturer and participant in continuing legal education programs. He currently serves on the executive board of the City Solicitor/Town Counsel Association of Massachusetts and has served as president of the Friends of Brandeis Athletics for four years.
Civil Litigation
Kimberly Y. Jones
Kimberly Y. Jones is an employment and labor attorney in the Boston office of Foley Hoag, LLP. Jones counsels, represents and defends employers, senior executives and human resource professionals on employment-related and personnel management matters. Jones is a member of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Advisory Board, is on the Boston Bar Journal board of editors and is a former vice president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.
Criminal Justice
Gloria Y. Tan
Gloria Tan is a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute. Beyond her current job as a clinical instructor at Harvard, Tan lectures and teaches Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education courses and has served as a panelist at juvenile law conferences. She also serves as a member of the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts.
Family Law
Veronica J. Fenton
Veronica J. Fenton is a solo practitioner with an office in Lenox, who concentrates her practice on family law matters, including divorce, custody, modification, paternity and adoption. She previously handled criminal matters in the district and juvenile courts. Fenton has been an active member of the MBA Family Law Section for seven years, and will also serve her sixth year on the association’s Executive Management Board. Fenton has also been on the faculty for many MBA CLE programs and has been on the planning committee for the MBA’s popular Family Law Conference for the last several years.
Family Law
Thomas J. Barbar
Thomas J. Barbar is a principal with the family law department at Deutsch Williams, Brooks, DeRensis & Holland PC in Boston, where he concentrates in the fields of probate and domestic relations. Before joining his current firm, Barbar was a solo practitioner in West Roxbury, where he grew up. Barbar has testified at the Statehouse on behalf of the MBA regarding family law bills. He has also been a panel participant and chair for probate and family law issues for the Boston Bar Association and the MBA.
General Practice, Solo & Small Firm
Kevin P. Scanlon
Kevin P. Scanlon is an attorney and shareholder with Barron & Stadfeld in Boston, focuses his practice on business litigation, professional malpractice, personal injury and probate litigation. Prior to joining Barron & Stadfeld, Scanlon served as a law clerk for the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. While attending law school, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the New England Law Review. He is also a trustee at the Wakefield Public Library and a member of the Human Rights Committee at the Barry Price Center in Newton.
General Practice, Solo & Small Firm
Neil Kumar Sherring
Neil Sherring, managing partner of Dakoyannis & Sherring in Westwood, focuses his practice in the areas of civil and business litigation and also represents multinational clients relative to international business and financial disputes in a broad range of jurisdictions. Before founding his firm, Sherring clerked for the Massachusetts Superior Court, and served as both an assistant district attorney and an assistant attorney general. He served as a member of the Hate Crimes Task Force for the Attorney General of Massachusetts and co-founded the South Asian Domestic Violence Task Force.
Health Law
George M. Thompson Jr.
George M. Thompson Jr. is partner at the Law Firm of George Thompson in Westborough, which specializes in civil litigation. Thompson was a member of the Westborough School Committee from 2000 to 2006 and is the current chairman of the Westborough Board of Selectmen. He is an adjunct professor of insurance law at Southern New England School of Law in Dartmouth and is currently on the Advisory Board of Health Law Advocates.
Health Law
Frank J. Riccio
Frank J. Riccio practices at the Law Office of Frank J. Riccio in Braintree, where he concentrates on civil litigation. He is also a clinical instructor in oral medicine at Harvard Dental School. Riccio is a Norfolk County Regional Governor as well as the chair of the Medical Negligence Committee at the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, his D.M.D. from Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Immigration Law
Marc D. Freiberger
Marc D. Freiberger is a founding partner of Yarashus, Wagner, Cook, Freiberger & Washienko LLC in Boston, and specializes in employment law focusing on contract negotiation, litigation and corporate immigration law. He has spoken at various MCLE Inc. employment law seminars and authored several articles on employment law issues. A member of the Labor & Employment Section of the Boston Bar Association and Croation American Bar Association, Freiberger is proficient in Croatian and Danish.
Immigration Law
Roy Jack Watson Jr.
Roy J. Watson, Jr., of Watson Law Offices in Bedford, has represented companies throughout the United States in visa applications for talented foreign nationals. For over 30 years, Watson has dedicated his practice exclusively to immigration law. He has authored numerous articles on a variety of immigration law topics and is a frequent lecturer on business-relevant immigration law issues. A past president of the New England chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Watson has served on numerous AILA national committees during his decades of immigration law practice.
Individual Rights & Responsibilities
Steven L. Wollman
Steven L. Wollman is a partner at Davids & Wollman in Swampscott, where he concentrates his practice in domestic relations and cases with the Department of Children and Families (formerly DSS). He works specifically on issues regarding mental health and the treatment of children and adults with antipsychotic medication. The first Massachusetts Bar Foundation Fellow to become an Oliver Wendal Holmes Fellow, Wollman’s work within the Foundation has also earned him the MBF’s
Great Friend of Justice Award and the
Ronan Award for Jurisprudence from the Essex County Bar Association.
Judicial Administration
James C. Donnelly Jr.
James C. Donnelly Jr. is a partner at Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie and Lougee LLP in Worcester, where he concentrates his practice on complex civil litigation and business disputes. Donnelly has more than 30 years of experience in trial and appellate courts in Massachusetts, and was recently appointed the chief justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court to the Business Litigation Session Advisory Committee. Donnelly also served two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.
Juvenile and Child Welfare
Michael E. Donnelly
Michael E. Donnelly served as an assistant district attorney in Worcester County for more than 25 years, and is currently the director of the Masters in Public Administration program and an assistant professor of business, law and public policy at Anna Maria College in Paxton. Donnelly was the founding manager of the Child Abuse Unit at the Worcester County District Attorney’s office and supervised the Juvenile Prosecution Unit. He has taught juvenile law courses at Western New England College School of Law, instructed medical students at UMass Medical School about child abuse, youth violence and teen pregnancy; and also worked with undergraduate engineering students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on researching ways to improve the use of forensic evidence in child abuse.
Juvenile and Child Welfare
Wendy Wolf
Wendy Wolf is the coordinator of the Committee for Public Counsel Services’ (CPCS) Juvenile Defense Network, a training and support project established to meet the needs of juvenile defense lawyers who represent children in delinquency and youthful offender cases. Wolf joined CPCS in 1985 and joined the Youth Advocacy Project as the supervising attorney in 1996. In 2007, Wolf was honored with the MBA’s Access to Justice Defender Award in recognition of her commitment to providing criminal legal services to low-income clients.
Labor & Employment
David E. Belfort
David E. Belfort is a partner at Corrigan, Bennett & Belfort PC in Cambridge, where he concentrates on employment and business litigation, including discrimination claims, whistleblower litigation, restrictive covenants, wage/hour claims and shareholder/partnership disputes. Belfort is also a member of the Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association and Health Law Advocates, a pro bono advocacy organization aimed at improving access to health care.
Labor & Employment
Catherine E. Reuben
Catherine E. Reuben is a partner at Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP in Boston, where she concentrates on labor and employment law. She is a Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination certified trainer in discrimination, harassment and reasonable accommodation. She is a frequent speaker on labor and employment issues, providing interactive and comprehensive programs to managers, human resources professionals, business owners and associations. Reuben earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College. She went on to earn her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Law Practice Management
Rodney Dowell
Rodney S. Dowell is director of the new Law Office Management Assistance Program, which assists Massachusetts attorneys in establishing and institutionalizing professional office practices and procedures in order to increase their ability to deliver high quality legal services, strengthen client services and enhance their quality of life. Prior to starting LOMAP, he was a founding partner at the litigation firm of Berman & Dowell, where he focused on employment law, tort defense and insurance coverage from 1998 to 2007.
Law Practice Management
Alan J. Klevan
Alan J. Klevan is a managing partner at Klevan & Klevan LLP in Wellesley, where he concentrates on workers' compensation, general negligence and music law, while also counseling sole practitioners and law firms with their law practice management needs.. He is currently serving on the MBA’s Long Range Strategic Planning Committee and is a member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group. Klevan was also the recipient of the 1989 American Jurisprudence Award for Professional Responsibility.
Probate Law
John G. Dugan
John G. Dugan is a partner at Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon PC, in Franklin, where he concentrates his practice on trusts and estates, probate practice and family law. Dugan is a former vice president of the MBA and is a past president of both the Bar Association of Norfolk County and the Western Norfolk County Bar Association. In 1999, he was awarded the Outstanding Service Award by South Middlesex Legal Services Inc.
Property Law
E. Christopher Kehoe
E. Christopher Kehoe is the chair of Robinson & Cole’s Real Estate Practice Group, in Boston. He concentrates on real estate and finance law and the representation of national and local developers in the acquisition, financing, and development of a variety of projects. Kehoe is a past president and a current member of the board of directors of the Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts and the current chair of its Legislative Committee. He is a past president of the Massachusetts Association of Bank Counsel and a frequent speaker before legal, professional, and community groups on issues related to real estate law, financing, title insurance, and title issues.
Property Law
Josephine A. McNeil
Josephine A. McNeil is the executive director of CAN-DO, Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization, a community-based non-profit developer of affordable housing for individuals and families with low and moderate incomes. She received the Human Rights Award from the Newton Human Rights Commission in 2001. McNeil also serves on the board of several regional and national organizations including the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the Lawyers Clearinghouse for Affordable Housing and Homelessness and the National Housing Conference. She currently serves as a delegate to the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and was recently appointed to the Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.
Public Law
Mary T. Feeney
Mary T. Feeney is a partner at Bowditch & Dewey in Framingham, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate development and land use, construction services, commercial and retail leasing, facilities-related regulatory, code and licensing matters, and higher education transactions. Before joining Bowditch & Dewey, Feeney practiced for more than 10 years as a university attorney at the Office of the General Counsel at Harvard University in Cambridge. She is also chair of the Board of Metro South/West Regional Employment Board and a trustee at the Applewild School in Fitchburg.
Public Law
Margaret J. Hurley
Margaret J. Hurley is Chief of the Attorney General’s Central Massachusetts Regional Office and Director of the Attorney General’s Municipal Law Unit in Worcester. In her position with MLU, Hurley works to help local officials craft laws that comply with the Constitution and laws of the commonwealth. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office in 2006, Hurley worked in private practice with the firms of Morrison, Mahoney & Miller in Boston and Mirick, O’Connell in Worcester, representing various cities and towns as special litigation counsel and acting town counsel. She serves on the Executive Committees of both the City Solicitor and Town Counsel Association and the Worcester County Bar Association.
Taxation Law
Brian D. Bixby
Brian D. Bixby is co-chair of the Private Client Group at Burns & Levinson LLP in Boston, where he concentrates on estate and tax planning, fiduciary administration and probate court litigation. Bixby has received the “AV” Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest professional excellence rating category awarded based upon opinions solicited from members of the bar. This rating is given only to lawyers who have Very High to Preeminent Legal Ability and who embrace Very High Professional Standards. Since 2007, Bixby has been on the Board of Directors for the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates. He also works with Senior Partners for Justice, a program where lawyers offer legal assistance to low-income Massachusetts residents in family law matters.
Division Chair
Mike Broderick
Michael D. Broderick is assistant regional counsel for the Department of Children and Families, where he represents the department in all aspects of litigation before the Juvenile Courts. Broderick has been an active member of the MBA’s Young Lawyers Division, serving as the Essex County Regional Director since 2006, and as chair of the nominating committee from Sept. 2006 until April 2007. Before working for the Department of Children and Families, he was a litigation attorney for DeBruyckere, Petrillo & Fulton PLLC in Dracut.