Photo Credit: Jason Scally
MBA President Marsha V. Kazarosian (at podium) speaks about her newly created Voir Dire Task Force at the MBA's first 2014-15 House of Delegates meeting.
The Massachusetts Bar Association's House of Delegates (HOD) met
for the first time under current MBA President Marsha V. Kazarosian
earlier this week at the inaugural meeting of the 2014-15
association year.
Kazarosian kicked off the Sept. 30 meeting by congratulating
President-Elect Robert W. Harnais and Secretary Christopher P.
Sullivan on their recent awards from the Quincy Bar Association and
Federal Bar Association, respectively. The MBA president also
announced that she has been appointed by Governor Deval L. Patrick
to serve on his Commission to Study the Compensations of assistant
district attorneys and Commission for Public Counsel Services
(CPCS) staff attorneys.
In addition to discussing her newly created Voir Dire
Task Force and the MBA's role in discussions over voir
dire implementation and education, Kazarosian highlighted
several important dates for the 2014-15 year, including the Annual
Bench-Bar Symposium on Oct. 16, and the MBA's Annual Dinner, which
will be held May 7, 2015.
Following reports from other MBA officers and Chief Legal
Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy, the HOD took
action on several agenda items, voting to:
- Elect Walter Costello, Gavin Reardon and Paul White to three
year appointments on the MBA's Executive Management Board and to
elect Martha Rush O'Mara to fill the vacancy created by Veronica
Fenton;
- Elect Richard P. Campbell, William Hogan III, Joseph McNeil and
Brigid Mitchell each to a two-year term as MBA Delegates to the ABA
House of Delegates;
- Support the recommendation of the Probate Law Section Council
that SCJ Rule 1:14 be deleted altogether since Section 3-904 of the
MUPC makes such Rule unnecessary; and
- Authorize the MBA to engage the SJC to hold a more detailed
review of Rule 45 prior to any amendments being adopted.