February
Download Issue PDFHeadlines
- Filing of the Alimony Reform Act of 2011
- Protecting courthouses’ ‘lifeblood
- Clerks and bail hearings
- Large class of freshman legislators to tackle budget, probation, alimony in 2011-12
- Freshmen legislators welcomed, urged to support legal service
- In memoriam: Chief judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
- News from the courts
- MBA Centennial Profile: Newcomer Mayo A. Shattuck leads MBA’s rebirth
- President-elect Campbell speaks about social host law
- MBF seeks IOLTA grants proposals; plans to award $3 million for legal aid
- MBF offers grants to law students
- Answering the call
- For Jim McGuire, Mock Trial has always mixed family and business
- More than 120 high schools competing in 2011 Mock Trial
- Give two hours, volunteer as a Mock Trial judge
- Member Spotlight
- AG Coakley, honored by MBF, highlights shared goals
- Retired Massachusetts judge revisits early fight for black voting rights
- MBA seeks nominations for 2011-12 officers, delegates
- From IP to family law: Professional reinvention during a down economy
- Law Practice Management Tip: Say ‘goodbye’ to typewriter, thanks to Adobe
- SJC rules private nuisance claims against government are subject to Massachusetts Tort Claims Act
- Pair of Appeals Court decisions leave questions on 93A damages analysis
- How to get past hourly billing, and maintain a profitable practice
- A change of pace: An earnings improvement strategy for your practice
Lawyers Journal
By Denise Squillante
The end of this year will mark my 28th year of practicing law in
the Probate and Family Court. Family law is one of the most dynamic
areas of practice, with major changes in the law seen in the last
three decades.
Family law involves some of the most emotional and difficult cases
for practitioners to work on, as they involve assisting families in
crisis to move forward in their lives. These cases often deal with
the sensitive issues of how to share children, how to protect
someone from domestic violence and how to have two families come
from one and financially survive, often when the family had
financial difficulty living under one roof.
By Kelsey Sadoff
On average, 45,000 people enter the Massachusetts courts each
day, starting and ending their court visits in the office of the
clerk-magistrate.
For members of the public visiting the Boston Municipal Court,
that usually means they will run into Daniel J. Hogan, who has
served as the court's clerk-magistrate for 11 years and manages the
largest clerks' office in the commonwealth.
"The clerk-magistrate is an integral cog in the wheels of
justice," said Hogan. "Every piece of paper in the courthouse
begins with a clerk - small claims, search warrants, making
determinations of probable cause - we perform every function that a
judge does with the exception of saying 'Guilty.'"
By Lee Constantine
The 187th General Court was sworn in on Jan. 5, including an
unusually large group of 47 freshman legislators.
The coming months will indicate how the turnover of nearly
one-quarter of the Legislature will impact the composition of
legislative committees. These committees are charged with reviewing
the approximately 6,000 bills that will be filed during the 2011-12
session. It is likely that a significant amount of committees will
be infused with new blood, which could mean a new start for
legislation that has languished for years.