Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010
MBA section news
Access to Justice and General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section seminar; Individual Rights & Responsibilities open meeting; How to Represent Claimants (employees) at Unemployment Insurance Hearings; Juvenile & Child Welfare Section Council April open meeting; Municipal Tax and State Tax Practice Groups open meeting
Access to Justice and General
Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section seminar
Earning Attorney Fee Awards
for Helping Low and Middle Income Clients
Wednesday, March 31, 4-7 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Are you looking to earn additional
income? Attend this seminar and learn how to expand your practice
to include statutory fee awards for resolving legal problems for
low and middle income clients. Topics include:
- Federal: How to claim and collect attorneys'
fees in civil rights litigation and under the Equal Access to
Justice Act. Fees may be available in areas including civil rights,
Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare benefits,
HUD, EPA, INS, OSHA and NLRB; and
- State: More than 40 state statutes have an
attorneys' fee provision. Learn how to compute fees, costs and
expenses.
Faculty: James
Breslauer, Esq., program chair, Neighborhood Legal Services,
Lawrence; Hon. Bonnie H. MacLeod-Mancuso, Superior Court, Boston;
Patti A. Prunhuber, Esq., Legal Assistance Corp. of Central
Massachusetts, Worcester
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Individual Rights &
Responsibilities open meeting
Guantanamo Bay: Opened -
Closed, Why and When
Thursday, April 8, 4-6 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
This open meeting presentation will
explore the legal issues relating to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as well
as legal, ethical and political principles relating to detainees. A
panel comprised of Frank A. Smith, III, Esq.,
program co-chair, Law Office of Frank A. Smith III, Boston;
Jonathan Mannina, Esq., program co-chair, Legal
Assistance Corp. of Central Massachusetts, Worcester;
Fausto Da Rocha, executive director, Brazilian
Immigrant Center, Allston; Kevin Powers, Esq.,
Rodgers Powers & Schwartz LLP, Boston; and Shiva
Karimi, Esq., Law Office of Shiva Karimi, Boston will
explore whether and to what extent Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be
opened or closed, and the faculty will suggest what role citizens
and legal practitioners can have as to the legal and political
process. This meeting is free. Topics include:
- Representation of detainees;
- The legal, ethical and political issues involved in
representation of detainees;
- The role of citizens and lawyers as to Guantanamo Bay;
- Selected syllabus of Supreme Court decisions regarding
detainees;
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How to Represent Claimants
(employees) at Unemployment Insurance Hearings
Thursday, April 8, noon-3
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The Labor & Employment, Civil
Litigation and Access to Justice sections and Young Lawyers
Division are proud to co-sponsor a training seminar on How to
Represent Claimants (employees) at Unemployment Insurance
Hearings. This seminar will be provided by Greater Boston
Legal Service's Employment Law Unit and the Volunteer Lawyers
Project.
The program is free of charge, however, all attendees are strongly
encouraged to become a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Project pro
bono panel and agree to take one pro bono unemployment insurance
case over the next year. Given the current economic climate, there
is an enormous need for claimant representation at unemployment
hearings. Legal Services, however, cannot not meet the demand for
representation therefore we urge all attendees to volunteer to be
part of VLP's pro-bono panel. All volunteers must be licensed to
practice law in Massachusetts. Training topics will include:
- How to represent a claimant at an unemployment hearing;
- Basic procedures for initial unemployment determinations;
and
- Practical information about conducting direct and cross
examination and witness preparation.
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Juvenile & Child Welfare
Section Council April open meeting
Featuring Chief Justice
Michael F. Edgerton
Wednesday, April 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The Juvenile & Child Welfare
Section Council will host an open meeting on Wednesday, April 14
from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m at the MBA, 20 West St., Boston. The guest
speaker will be Chief Justice Michael F. Edgerton
of the Juvenile Court Department. This meeting is free. All section
members are invited to attend.
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Municipal Tax and State Tax
Practice Groups open meeting
Thursday, May 6, 5-6:30 pm
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The Taxation Law Section's Municipal
Tax Practice Group and State Tax Practice Group will host a joint
open meeting on Tuesday, May 6. The business meeting will begin at
5 p.m. and the guest speaker at 5:30 p.m. will be Mark
Defrancisco, chief counsel to the Appellate Tax Board's
legal department. Defrancisco advises the board on legal,
evidentiary and related issues; reviews and advises the board on
motions heard before the board; and drafts, edits and approves the
board's findings of fact and reports. With experience in state and
local taxation, in both the public and private sector, Defrancisco
has spoken frequently on matters relating to Massachusetts taxation
at conferences sponsored by MCLE, Massachusetts Associaton of
Assessing Offices, county assessors associations, Lincoln Institute
of Land Policy and the MBA and Boston Bar Assocation's taxation
committes. This meeting is free.