Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009
MBA's new officers to begin terms Sept. 1
The Massachusetts Bar Association
slate of officers for the 2009-10 term has officially been set.
Valerie A. Yarashus, the 2008-09 president-elect, automatically
succeeds to the office of the president on Sept. 1.
Here is the list of the officers and
some of their achievements.
Valerie
A. Yarashus
President
Yarashus is a principal with Meehan, Boyle, Black and Bogdanow PC,
where she concentrates in plaintiff's trial practice and a wide
variety of other general liability cases. Prior to serving as MBA
president-elect in the 2008-09 association year, Yarashus served as
treasurer following two consecutive terms as vice president. She
co-founded the MBA Monthly Leadership Roundtables, spearheaded the
MBA Diversity Task Force from 2005-07 and is a past president of
the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. She was awarded the
prestigious Wiedemann-Wysocki "Citation of Excellence" from the
American Association for Justice for her commitment to the civil
justice system and was named one of Massachusetts Lawyers
Weekly's Hall of Fame for Up and Coming Lawyers. Yarashus has
been named in every edition of Best Lawyers in America
since 2004, has been listed by Boston Magazine as a "Super
Lawyer" in the field of personal injury every year since 2004, and
as one of the top 50 female attorneys in Massachusetts (including
every practice area) annually since 2005. She lives in
Holliston.
Denise
Squillante
President-elect
Squillante is a solo practitioner in Fall River who concentrates
in family law, corporate law, injury and estates, and also provides
business and legal consulting services to corporations. Long active
in the MBA's Family Law Section and its associated committees,
Squillante has also lent her energy to the MBA's Presidential Task
Force on Terrorism, and the Amicus and the Joint Bar committees. A
former recipient of the MBA's Pro Bono Publico Award, she is a
longtime member of the House of Delegates and a Massachusetts Bar
Foundation Fellow. Instrumental in establishing the MBA's General
Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section, as well as leading its
efforts to assist lawyers who are transitioning in or out of the
practice of law, this will be her fifth term as an MBA officer. She
is also the Massachusetts delegate to the American Bar
Association's House of Delegates. In addition, she is co-chair of
the joint MBA/Boston Bar Association Alimony Task Force, a member
of the Probate Court Scheduling Task Force and the MBA
representative on the Equality Commission. A former president of
the Fall River Bar Association, Squillante is currently on the
board of the New England Bar Association and is a member of the
Bristol County Bar Association Executive Board.
Richard P. Campbell
Vice president
Campbell is the founder and chairman of Campbell, Campbell,
Edwards & Conroy PC, which specializes in trial practice with
offices in Boston and Philadelphia. Campbell represents individuals
and corporations in personal injury matters, commercial disputes,
multi-district litigation, class actions, aviation disasters, toxic
tort and products liability disputes. In addition, he organizes and
leads his firm's pro bono project, educating parents, students and
school administrators about civil and criminal social host
liability laws. A past MBA secretary, Campbell has served on the
MBA's governing body, the House of Delegates, for more than five
years, the Criminal Justice Section Council for four years and
currently serves as a trustee for the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.
Campbell is a past chair of the 34,000-member Tort Trial &
Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association.
Campbell was honored by Boston College Law School with its highest
award for dedication to the law - the Founder's Medal. Campbell was
the 2009 recipient of the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice
Section Andrew C. Hecker Memorial Award, in recognition for his
leadership, outreach, enthusiasm, professionalism and pride. He
lives in Cohassett.
Douglas K. Sheff
Vice president
Sheff is senior partner at Sheff Law Offices in Boston, where he
specializes in all aspects of personal injury law and is considered
an expert in brain injury law. A past president of the
Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Sheff has been appointed
Trustee of the National College of Advocacy, which provides
superior education and training for trial lawyers across the United
States. Sheff is also a director of the Belli Society, an
international group of distinguished trial attorneys and he has
been awarded the ORT Award for integrity in the law. A five-time
recipient of the American Association for Justice's prestigious
Wiedemann-Wysocki Award, Sheff serves on the AAJ's Board of
Governors, its Leaders Forum and its Traumatic Brain Injury
Litigation Group. In addition, Sheff has been awarded the AAJ's New
Generation Award and has been elected by his peers nationally to
chair the AAJ's 100 State Delegates. Sheff also served as chair to
the AAJ's Council of Presidents, representing 50,000 attorneys
nationwide. A Boston Magazine "Super Lawyer," Sheff has
also been recognized in Lifesavers, for preventing injury through
aggressive representation of victims of defective products. He
resides in Boston's North End.
Robert L.
Holloway Jr.
Treasurer
Holloway is a shareholder and president of MacLean, Holloway,
Doherty, Ardiff & Morse PC in Peabody. He is a long-term member
of the MBA's Ethics Committee, a member and past chair of the MBA's
Civil Litigation Section Council and a former regional delegate to
the MBA House of Delegates. Holloway received the MBA's Community
Service Award in 1993 and served on the Joint Bar Committee on
Judicial Nominations for six years. In August, Holloway began a
three-year appointment to the Supreme Judicial Court's Standing
Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services and is a regular panelist for
continuing legal education programs. An emeritus member of the
Board of Editors of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Holloway
has served on that board since 1981. Recognized by Boston
Magazine as a "Super Lawyer" in the area of business
litigation, Holloway is also a past president of the Essex County
Bar Association. A Topsfield resident, Holloway has served as a
member of the Board of Health and as an elected representative to
the Masconomet Regional School Committee from 1990 to 1999. In
addition, he was a founding member of Hospice of the North Shore
and served for many years as a corporator of Beverly
Hospital.
Jeffrey N. Catalano
Secretary
Catalano is a partner at Todd & Weld LLP in Boston, where he
specializes in representing victims of catastrophic injuries in the
areas of medical negligence, product liability, auto accident,
class action and other personal injury cases. A past chair of the
MBA's Civil Litigation Section, Catalano has served on the MBA's
governing board, the House of Delegates, since 2006 and is a member
of its Executive Management Board. A Massachusetts Bar Foundation
Fellow, Catalano is also a member of the executive committee for
the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. Catalano is on the
board of directors for the non-profit law firm Health Law Advocates
Inc., where his pro bono work includes patient advocacy and
representing chronically ill and impoverished people who are denied
access to health care services. In 2008, he was recognized by
Health Law Advocates for his exceptional pro bono representation.
Catalano was selected as a New England "Super Lawyer" in 2009 and a
"Rising Star" by Boston Magazine in 2005. He lives in West
Roxbury.