Lawyers Journal
Court funding may be slashed again this year, and employees and
resources are already stretched thin at overcrowded courthouses,
but an intensive effort is underway to improve access to justice in
Massachusetts.
The courts' commitment is reflected in a two-pronged approach,
with the creation of the Access to Justice Initiative last year and
the recent expansion of the Access to Justice Commission.
The Winsor School, an all-girls high school in Boston, won the
Massachusetts Bar Association's 2010 Mock Trial State Championship,
advancing to the national competition in Philadelphia May 6-9.
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the competition, the Winsor
School team bested Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public
School of South Hadley by a 2-1 vote after a two-hour mock trial on
March 26.
Despite 20 years of experience in securities litigation, it took
two high school Mock Trial competitions for Kevin J. Diamond to
realize he needed to reevaluate his approach in the courtroom.
"I found that my style should be tempered. That was probably the
greatest lesson," said Diamond, a member of the Massachusetts Bar
Association's Executive Management Board. "What I learned is
subtleness is probably heard better."