2018 Family Law Spring Symposium Reception.
The MBA’s 2018 Family Law Spring Symposium was held May 18 at the Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort in Lenox, attended by a network of experts ranging from Probate and Family Court judges to sole and large-firm practitioners.
Probate and Family Court Chief Justice Angela M. Ordoñez kicked off the conference with an overview of recent court-related developments, leading into a series of four panels geared toward practicing law in the current political and judicial climate. Panels focused on the most commonly exercised protections against disclosure, the need to resolve cases through a mixture of therapeutic and advocacy approaches, how to help Muslim and immigrant families navigate judicial systems, and the implications of tax reform on domestic relations cases.
The symposium was keynoted by retired Supreme Judicial Court Justice Margot Botsford, who has undertaken a special assignment to investigate the high number of early judicial retirements in the Probate and Family Court. In addition to sharing some of her findings, Botsford recommended possible solutions to reverse this trend going forward.
The event was co-sponsored by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts; the Massachusetts Association of Guardians ad Litem; and the Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire county bar associations.