Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Sep. 20, 2012
Chief Justice Ireland speaks at the 2011 MBA Bench-Bar Symposium.
PHOTO © MIKE RITTER 2011Bench-Bar Symposium to feature Chief Justice Ireland’s Annual Address
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. Ireland's 2012
address will be his second, following his inaugural State of the
Judiciary delivered in fall 2011. Ireland was sworn-in as chief
justice in December 2010.
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.