e-Journal
09-13
Join the MBA at next week's Sept. 20 "Welcome Back" Member Reception
Kick-off the new association year by networking within the legal community
Join the Massachusetts Bar Association for a 2012-13 "Welcome
Back" Member Reception on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at
the Back Deck, 2 West St., Boston.
Don't miss this opportunity to kick-off the new association year
and create invaluable relationships within the legal community, by
relaxing and mingling with fellow MBA members.
Complimentary beer/wine and hors d'oeuvres
available.
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.
Save the date: Family Law Conference Oct. 26-27
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.
Commonwealth seeks BMC clerk-magistrate for West Roxbury
Review the MBA's Guide to the Massachusetts Judicial Selection Process
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is seeking a person to serve
as clerk-magistrate of the Boston Municipal Court's West Roxbury
Division with a vacancy created by the Hon. Richard L. Walsh. The
application deadline is Oct. 25, 2012. For additional
information and vacancies,
click here.
The path to judicial selection can be arduous. Candidates are
vetted through both public and private bodies including: the
Judicial Nomination Commission, the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial
Appointments and the Governor's Council.
MBA's A Guide to the Massachusetts Judicial Selection
Process gives a step-by-step account of how the process works.
This second edition covers the most recent Executive Order filed by
Governor Deval L. Patrick, which established the current Judicial
Nomination Commission.
Click
here to view the Guide to the Massachusetts Judicial
Selection Process.
Hon. Timothy S. Hillman, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
News from the courts
Hillman honored at public ceremony
On Nov. 30, 2011, President Barack H. Obama nominated Timothy S.
Hillman to the United States District Court for the District of
Massachusetts as the successor to Judge Nancy Gertner upon her
retirement. Hillman was confirmed by the Senate on June 4, 2012 and
received his commission on June 6, 2012. The Oath of Office was
administered initially by Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf on June 7,
2012.
A public ceremony in honor of Hillman, during which the Oath of
Office was again administered, was held on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the
Hanover Theatre, 554 Main St., in Worcester. Senator
Scott Brown and Congressman James McGovern participated
in the ceremony.
Since February 2006, Hillman has served as a
U.S. Magistrate Judge for the
District of Massachusetts. He was
instrumental in establishing the court's RESTART program for
high risk offenders, with a goal
of reducing recidivism and reintegrating ex-offenders
into the community with an emphasis on employment skills. Hillman
has also served as a justice for the Massachusetts
Superior Court and as presiding justice in both the Worcester
District Court and the Gardner District Court.
LPM Tip
Getting started with social media without getting consumed by it
If you haven't started using social media and you are wondering
whether you should be, the simple answer is an unequivocal YES! If
you are not using it at all or only minimally, you're missing
valuable opportunities to stay connected with your network and to
learn more about prospective clients and referral sources. You are
missing opportunities to get introductions to the influencers you
want to meet (i.e. the connections of your connections).
Social media is not a substitute for in-person marketing. It is
not where you should be spending the majority of your marketing
time. But it is an important complement to all the other things you
do to build your reputation and build your relationships.
If you are holding back because you don't know where to start,
here are six steps you can take:
1. Join LinkedIn. While there are many other popular social
networks including Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is a great place
to start and LinkedIn is the one network where you want to make
sure you are present. The free version is perfectly adequate for
most users.
2. Create a detailed profile which includes a nice photo and all
of your contact information. Once you join, LinkedIn will prompt
you for educational and other biographical information (essentially
helping you create a very detailed resume). Make sure you
create a profile which includes:
- A descriptive headline (e.g. rather than "Partner at Smith and
Jones," "Personal Injury Law Attorney, Partner at Smith and
Jones").
- A one to two paragraph summary of who you serve, what you do,
what you have done and what differentiates you from other lawyers.
Try to write it in a way that will make you memorable. Focus on no
more than three types of problems you solve. If you try to list the
20 things you actually do, it will be harder for the reader to tell
you apart from other lawyers.
- An entry for everywhere you have worked and more importantly,
examples of the types of problems you have solved in each of these
positions (i.e. representative matters which highlight your
accomplishments).
3. Other activities and professional accomplishments,
particularly those that reinforce your competence to handle the
types of legal services you are trying to sell and your experience
in helping the kinds of clients you want to serve.
4. Start sending out invitations to connect once you are
satisfied with your profile and start accepting the invitations to
connect that have been accumulating in your in-box. Try to connect
with at least 50 individuals you know (law school and college
classmates, former co-workers, past and present clients and
referral sources). Review their LinkedIn profiles to get more ideas
about what you might want to include in your own profile. In
addition, take note if you learn something that would be useful to
know about that person (e.g. they like golf, they are interested in
classical music, they attended the same college, they share your
political beliefs, they are active in their church or synagogue,
they started out as a litigator, they had a first career in social
work). For three weeks, make a point of going to your LinkedIn page
daily and skimming through the "updates" that your contacts have
posted. Don't pay too much attention to who they have connected
with (i.e. pay more attention to the substantive updates they have
posted). This means you'll have to skim past a lot of updates. You
will also receive a weekly newsletter (unless you change the
setting) which gives you a summary of all the updates your contacts
have posted since the last newsletter.
5. After three weeks, start posting your own updates once a
week. Try to include links. Possible updates include: linking to an
interesting article; linking to some content you have on your
website or to an article you have published somewhere; mentioning
one of your successes or one of your partner's successes; posing a
question you think your network might be able to answer; flagging a
recent court decision or a new statute and summarizing in a
sentence or two why it might be important; congratulating someone;
letting your network know about an event they may want to
attend.
6. Continue to connect with additional professionals who are
already in your network (and professionals you meet at networking
functions). After two months, identify some companies or
institutions that you would like to represent or some types of
professionals who you think might be good potential referral
sources. Conduct a search in LinkedIn to see if any of your
contacts know someone at that company and might be willing to make
an introduction on your behalf.
Tip courtesy of Stephen Seckler, president, Seckler Legal
Consulting and Coaching.
Published September 13, 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.
Updated Pro Bono Opportunities Guide available online
For many years, the Massachusetts Bar Association has offered to
its members an opportunity to access statewide and local
organizations that are in need of pro bono services from attorneys,
law students and paralegals. These services can range from actual
client representation to the training of staff. The MBA supports
attorneys in the commonwealth in their efforts to provide pro bono
services to those of limited means. A recently updated list of more
than 100 agencies, with a wide range of legal needs, is available
online.
To identify a volunteer opportunity that meets your needs, you
may search by keyword, category and/or county. To access
the guide,
click here. Be sure to check back throughout the year
to stay aware of seasonal opportunities or late additions to the
guide.
Help
us expand the Pro Bono Opportunities Guide
If you currently volunteer for an organization which is not listed
in the guide, or are aware of other organizations in need of pro
bono assistance, please let us know so that we may offer them an
opportunity to be listed in the guide.
Additionally, if you have found a pro bono opportunity through the
guide, we'd like to hear from you. Contact the Community Services
Department at (617) 338-0695 or [e-mail communityservices].
Upcoming CLE seminar and program schedule
Get expert advice at the Sept. 19 "Trust Administration for Disabled Minors and Adults" 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 FALL PROGRAMS
Trust
Administration for Disabled Minors and Adults 
Wednesday, Sept. 19, noon-4 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
How to Start and Build a Successful Immigration Law
Practice
Friday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
iPad for
Litigators 
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 4-6:30 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Representing the OUI
Client
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4-7 p.m.
Massachusetts School of Law, 500 Federal St., Andover
SAVE THE DATE
22nd Annual Family Law Conference
Friday, Oct. 26-Saturday, Oct. 27
Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club, 55 Lee Road, Lenox
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Unable to attend these seminars? Purchase the recorded session
available after the live program through
MBA On Demand and watch the presentation from the comfort of
your home or office.
To view a listing of current programs offered on MBA On Demand, click here.
Section News: Upcoming meetings and special section events
Attend the Sept. 18 Civil Litigation and General Practice section council meetings. Join in the Sept. 19 Judicial Administration, Probate Law, Taxation Law and Public Law section council meetings. Register for the Sept. 27 Labor & Employment Section open meeting on MCAD's new ADR initiative.
Civil Litigation Section Council
meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 18, 5-6:30
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13 Civil
Litigation Section Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 18 from
5 to 6:30 p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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General Practice, Solo &
Small-Firm Section Council meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 18, 5:30-7
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13
General Practice, Solo & Small-Firm Section Council is
scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 18 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All section
members are invited to attend.
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Judicial Administration Section
Council meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 4:30-6
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13
Judicial Administration Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday,
Sept. 19 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. All section members are invited to
attend.
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Probate Law Section Council
meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 5-6:30
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13
Probate Law Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19
from 5 to 6:30 p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Taxation Law Section Council
meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 5-6:30
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13
Taxation Law Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19
from 5 to 6:30 p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Public Law Section Council
meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 5:30-7
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The first meeting of the 2012-13
Public Law Section Council is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19
from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All section members are invited to attend.
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Labor & Employment Section open
meeting
MCAD announces new ADR
initiative -- keeping your options open
Thursday, Sept. 27, noon-2 p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
The Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination has announced a new alternative dispute resolution
initiative which will impact all practitioners who appear before
the commission. You are cordially invited to attend the Labor &
Employment Section open meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27 regarding the
commission's Collaborative Law Pilot Project. The panel will
include:
- Moderator John F. Tocci, Tocci Goss & Lee PC;
- Commissioner Sunila Thomas-George, MCAD;
- Linda Cohan, MSW, CSC; and
- Michael A. Zeytoonian, Esq., Zeytoonian Center for Dispute
Resolution LLC.