e-Journal
10-04
MBA News
MBA launches online drug lab crisis resource center
The Massachusetts Bar Association has been actively working and
meeting with state officials from the Gov. Deval L. Patrick
Administration, Attorney General's Office, courts and the Committee
for Public Counsel Services to address the ongoing issues
surrounding the Department of Public Health Drug Lab Scandal.
Providing access for defense counsel, who are representing
clients in thousands of cases affected, has been the main priority
of the MBA.
Click here for the MBA's Drug Lab Crisis
Resource Center.
Chief Justice Ireland speaks at the 2011 MBA Bench-Bar Symposium.
PHOTO © MIKE RITTER 2011R.S.V.P. for the Oct. 17 MBA Bench-Bar Symposium
Event to feature Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland's Annual Address to the Legal Community
The Massachusetts Bar Association's Annual Bench-Bar Symposium
will feature Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick L.
Ireland's Annual Address to the Legal Community. The event will
take place on Wednesday, Oct. 17, beginning at 4 p.m. at the John
Adams Courthouse.
"We are delighted to once again provide the stage for Chief
Justice Ireland's much anticipated annual remarks," said MBA
President Robert L. Holloway Jr., who will provide welcome remarks
and introduce Ireland at the annual event.
Trial Court Administrator Lewis H. "Harry" Spence will serve as
another featured speaker at the Oct. 17 event. This will be
Spence's first public address since historic court reform led to
his hiring in April 2012 as the first non-judicial professional to
the Trial Court Department's business operations. Spence's most
immediate focus has been on a comprehensive strategic planning
process for the Trial Court launched earlier this year, work toward
updating the Trial Court's personnel policies and practices and the
development of a new capital plan for court buildings, in
coordination with the state's Division of Capital Asset
Management.
The 2011 court reform legislation split the management of the
Trial Courts between judicial and business operations, "a move that
had been championed by the Massachusetts Bar Association for
decades," said Holloway. He explained that MBA Past President and
former member of the Court Management Advisory Board Leo V. Boyle
will also provide remarks at the Oct. 17 symposium. Boyle was
instrumental in launching MBA's advocacy on court reform when he
served as president in 1990-91.
The event is FREE to attend for members of the Massachusetts
judiciary and bar; however, those interested in attending should
register as space is limited.
The speaking program will be followed by a networking
reception to begin at 4:45 p.m.
New issue of Lawyers Journal available
The October issue of Lawyers Journal has been mailed
and is available online.
It features information on the Oct. 17 MBA Bench-Bar Symposium,
which will include Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland's Annual
Address to the legal community.
Additional highlights include:
- Coverage of the first 2012-13 MBA House of Delegates
meeting;
- A practice alert for criminal justice practitioners in the wake
of wrongdoing at DPH Drug Lab; and
- An overview of what to expect at the Oct. 26-27 Annual Family
Law Conference, which will be held in Lenox.
Click here to read the
October issue.
News from the courts
Trial Court designates judges to manage drug lab cases; MBA leader to help lead search for probation commissioner
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Trial Court designates judges to
manage drug lab cases
The trial court has established
designated sessions for the purpose of assigning counsel and
addressing the immediate liberty interests of the incarcerated
defendants serving time in connection with a drug conviction
stemming from a questionable drug analysis at the Hinton State
Lab.
In each county the departmental chief justices have designated the
these judges to oversee that
department's cases and ensure expeditious processing. Approximately
three-quarters of these initial cases are in the superior court and
the remaining cases are split between the Boston Municipal Court
and the district court. The information available indicates
that there are no juveniles presently committed to DYS on a drug
offense.
Meetings continue with the district attorneys and defense bar in
each county to establish court dates for these cases in the next
several weeks. The dates will vary county to county. The trial
court is ready and available to handle cases immediately. Suffolk
Superior Court has scheduled cases for the weeks of Oct. 15 and
Oct. 22. Court locations have been determined based on proximity to
their county House of Correction to facilitate processing.
Videoconferencing will be used wherever possible.
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MBA leader to help lead search for
probation commissioner
Massachusetts Bar Association Executive Management
Board member Lee Gartenberg will sit on a recently
formed committee to assist the trial court with the selection of a
new Commissioner of Probation for Massachusetts. The committee was
convened by Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert
A. Mulligan and Court Administrator Lewis H. "Harry" Spence. Acting
commissioner Ronald P. Corbett Jr. will retire in January 2013.
Committee members include officials
from within and external to the court system who are familiar with
the role and services provided by probation, as a critical
component of the criminal justice system. The committee will work
with executive search firm Isaacson Miller, which was selected
through an RFP process to assist with recruiting and screening
candidates. The committee will conduct interviews and recommend
finalists for consideration. The trial court's human resources
staff will support the committee during the process.
Isaacson Miller has initiated a data collection process to enable
preparation of a challenge document for dissemination to criminal
justice professionals across the country. Those with information on
potential candidates or sources for potential candidates are
encouraged to forward recommendations to the Isaacson Miller search
team at [e-mail 4661].
Committee members include:
- Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert
A. Mulligan;
- Court Administrator Lewis H. "Harry"
Spence;
- Mass. Sentencing Commission Executive Director Francis
J. Carney, Ph.D.;
- Acting Commissioner of Probation Ronald
Corbett, Ed. D.;
- Chief Probation Officer Sophia O'Brien
(ret.);
- Hon. Stacey Fortes-White, district court;
- Hon. John Lu, superior court probation
committee chair;
- Hon. Edward Redd, Boston Municipal Court
(ret.);
- Secretary Mary E. Heffernan, Executive Office
of Public Safety and Security;
- Parole Board Chair Josh Wall;
- Executive Director Christine Cole, Harvard JFK
School Program in Criminal Justice; chair, Advisory Committee on
Probation; and
- Attorney Lee Gartenberg, director of Inmate
Legal Services, Middlesex Sheriff's Office; Executive Management
Board, Massachusetts Bar Association.
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Register for the Oct. 26-27 Annual Family Law Conference in Lenox
Conference to feature alimony reform discussion, more judges than ever before and legal experts in a board range of specialties
The Massachusetts Bar Association's Family Law Section Council
invites you to its 22nd Annual Family Law Conference at
the Cranwell Resort in Lenox -- featuring more judges than ever
before as well as a discussion on the new alimony reform bill, six
months after its enactment.
This conference will provide you with a unique opportunity
to meet judges, socialize with colleagues and update your skills as
you learn techniques and gain insights from our distinguished panel
members consisting of judges and legal experts from a broad range
of specialties. Learn more about conference programming from Family
Law Conference Co-Chairs Marc E. Fitzgerald and Michael I. Flores
in a recent Lawyers Journal article.
Friday, Oct.
26
- 3 p.m. -- Registration
- 4 p.m. -- Child Support Guidelines Task Force
Review and Recent Case Update
- 6 p.m. -- Welcome Reception
Saturday, Oct
27
- 7:30 a.m. -- Breakfast and
Registration
- 8:30 a.m. -- Welcome and State of the Trial
Court
- 9 a.m. Session I: The New Era of Alimony
-- Alimony One Year After the Alimony Reform Act
10:30 a.m. -- Break
- 10:45 a.m. Session II: Demystifying the GAL
Process -- Explanation and Preparation for your Client
- Noon -- Lunch
- 1 p.m. Session III: Parenting Plans Focusing
on the Best Interests of the Children
- 3 p.m. -- Closing Remarks
Click here to
register.
Click here for a full conference schedule and faculty
list.
Featured member benefit: Clio
Belong to the MBA and receive a 10 percent lifetime discount on the #1 cloud-based legal practice management system for solos and small firms
Clio is a 100 percent web-based legal practice management system
optimized to meet the needs of sole practitioners and small firms.
Web-based, secure and easy-to-use, Clio overcomes many of the
technical hurdles offered by conventional practice management
solutions. Clio allows lawyers to simplify their workflow, thus
freeing up valuable time to build their practice.
A NEW MBA member benefit, Clio is regularly
$49/month for attorneys and $25/month for non-attorney support
staff. Massachusetts Bar Association members receive a 10 percent
lifetime discount on their Clio subscription, bringing the monthly
cost to $44.10 for attorneys and $22.50 for non-attorney support
staff. Sign up today.
** Valid MBA membership required.
Tell us why you belong to the MBA
Christa Arcos feels her MBA involvement has been a personally rewarding experience that has also enhanced her career. Share your story.
Engaging conferences. Inspiring pro bono work. Welcoming
networking events. You belong here, at the Massachusetts Bar
Association.
Tell us why YOU belong. E-mail us at
ibelong to share your story and be entered to win a FREE
2013-2014 MBA membership. E-mails must be received by Dec. 31,
2012. A winner will be selected on Jan. 14,
2013.
The MBA offers the legal community a wide array of professional
development and volunteer opportunities.See why others belong.
NOTE: All testimonials shared by
e-mail, mail and phone may be published in various MBA
publications, posted on the MBA web site and its social media
platforms, printed on marketing materials and used in advertising
or for other related endeavors.
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Join the conversation to keep up to
date on the
latest iBelong news and offers:
Facebook
Twitter: Follow hashtag
#iBelong2MassBar
LinkedIn
Attorney vacancies at the U.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice has numerous attorney vacancies.
All interested applicants are encouraged to apply, but due to
temporary funding restrictions, the department may not be able to
fill all of the currently advertised positions.
Click here to view a current list of available
positions.
To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice and its
legal careers, click here.
In addition, every year over 1,800 volunteer legal interns serve
in DOJ components and U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the
country. Law students interested in a DOJ volunteer internship,
should click here for opportunities.
LPM Tip
Communication breakdown: The two things you can do on twitter
Everybody's telling you to 'engage' on social media, I'm sure.
And, that's good advice. Marketing a small business, like a law
practice, is different now than it used to be. It's no longer just
about publication anymore; it's more about engaging over your
published matter, and others'. But, then, I haven't told you what I
think engagement means, either. At least, not yet . . .
At least on Twitter, I think that 'engagement' falls into
one of two, admittedly broad, categories: Aggregation and
Collaboration. When you're churning out microblog posts through Twitter, you're
generally corralling your own or others' content (tags and linked
blog posts, useful articles, events of interest, etc.; even
statements, thought leadership-style posts and tips can be
classified under this head) or you're directly or indirectly
engaging another user/other users via conversations (through
replies or mentions). @ Replies and @ Mentions are the engines of
conversations on Twitter; and, RTs (retweets) are generally the mode by which
others' content may be repurposed = forwarded. But, those are
simple tools to learn; the theory is the more important
takeaway.
Many lawyers and law firms are reticent to use Twitter, because
they think it takes up too much time and/or because they have no
idea what to post. Thinking in terms of this double-barreled
approach makes it easier to formulate a plan (you can generally
identify the two sorts of posts you're going to be making, and can
line up those types easily enough = your own content pipelines, candidates for
retweet and direct post) and to save time (if you can conceive of
lining up your posts, you can use scheduling tools (like those
available through HootSuite) to release them; and, you can block
periods throughout the day, or even once a day, when you engage
directly or indirectly within the construct of Twitter conversations). Furthermore, when you
recognize the value inherent in content aggregation, where you are
also viewed as the expert because you're passing along a running
collection of vetted tips in certain categories, the idea of
'content production' becomes less daunting, because it's no longer
all on you. Twitter, then, becomes the perfect venue for promoting
your expertise (and so marketing yourself effectively), whether
through the reproduction of your own content or through the
warehousing/cataloguing of others'. And, ideally, you'll use both
methods in combination.
For more Twitter tips, you can now purchase my new American
Bar Association book, 'Twitter in One Hour for Lawyers,' at a 15
percent discount.
Tip courtesy of Jared Correia, Law Office Management Assistance
Program.
Published October 4, 2012
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To learn more about the Law Practice Management
Section, which is complimentary for all MBA members,
contact LPM Section Chair Thomas J. Barbar or Vice
Chair Cynthia E.
MacCausland.
Upcoming CLE seminar and program schedule
Learn intellectual property law basics at the Oct. 9 "Intellectual Property Basics for the Non-Specialist" seminar.
To register for the following
programs, call MBA Member Services at (617) 338-0530,
[e-mail membership] or visit the
CLE Web site. Scroll down for program
details, including dates and registration details.
Recorded session available for purchase
after live program through MBA On Demand.
Real-time webcast available for purchase
through MBA On Demand.
UPCOMING OCTOBER PROGRAMS
Making Your Job
Easier with ADR
Thursday, Oct. 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Boston College Law School, 885 Centre St., Newton
Intellectual Property Basics for the Non-Specialist
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 4-7 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Training Related to Dookhan and Other DPH
Cases
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 4-6 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Juvenile
& Child Welfare Legal Chat Series
Friday, Oct. 19, 1-2 p.m.
NOTE: There is no on-site attendance for Legal Chats.
The New
Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code
Wednesday, Oct. 24, noon-4 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
22nd Annual Family Law Conference 
Friday, Oct. 26-Saturday, Oct. 27
Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club, 55 Lee Road, Lenox
SAVE THE DATE
Sixth Annual Public Law
Conference
Thursday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
11th
Annual Western Massachusetts Bankruptcy
Conference
Thursday, Nov. 8, 4-7 p.m.
Western New England University School of Law, 1215 Wilbraham Road,
Springfield
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Unable to attend September seminars? Practitioners who were not
able to attend MBA CLE programs in September can now view select
programs on MBA On Demand. MBA On Demand is an innovative MBA
member benefit that offers you the opportunity to watch an MBA
program from the comfort of your home or office, at a time that
suits your schedule.
In addition, watching an MBA seminar or conference just got
easier. All previously recorded MBA On Demand programs are now
available anytime, anywhere on your mobile device.
September CLE programming now available includes:
To view a listing of current programs offered on MBA On
Demand, click here.
Section News: Upcoming meetings and special section events
Attend the Oct. 9 Family Law and Health Law section council meetings. Join in the Oct. 10 Immigration Law and Juvenile & Child Welfare section council meetings.
Family Law Section Council
meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 5:30-7
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The next meeting of the Family Law
Section Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 5:30 to 7
p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Health Law Section Council
meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 5:15-6:45
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The next meeting of the Health Law
Section Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 5:15 to 6:45
p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Immigration Law Section Council
meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 4:30-6
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The next meeting of the Immigration
Law Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 4:30
to 6 p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Juvenile & Child Welfare Law
Section Council Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5:30-7
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The next meeting of the Juvenile &
Child Welfare Law Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct.
10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All section members are invited to
attend.