Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission announces seven new members and release of 2020–21 Annual Report
The Supreme Judicial Court has announced the appointments of seven new members to the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and the release of the commission's 2020-21 Annual Report.
First established by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2005, the Access to Justice Commission seeks to improve access to justice for people who are unable to afford an attorney for essential civil legal needs, such as cases involving housing, consumer debt, and family law.
"We are delighted to welcome these new members to the Commission," said Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges, Jr., who co-chairs the commission. "With representation from legal aid offices throughout the Commonwealth, the attorney general’s office, a law school, and the private sector, these new Commissioners will bring a range of critical perspectives to the Commission's ongoing efforts to ensure equal access to justice."
The new Access to Justice Commission members are:
- Rachel Biscardi, Esq. is the supervising attorney with the Family Law Unit at Northeast Legal Aid. Previously, Biscardi was in private practice after serving as the Deputy Director of the Women's Bar Association and Foundation for 12 years. She has taught at Northeastern Law School and New England School of Law. Among her bar association activities, Biscardi has served on the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee. She is a member of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission’s Family Law Committee.
- Ariel Clemmer, Esq. is the director for the Center for Social Justice at Western New England School of Law. Before this role, Clemmer was the pro bono director with the Hampden County Bar Association. She has also served as a public defender and worked for the firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Clemmer is the incoming chair of the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services and will serve as an ex officio member of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. She is also the co-chair of the commission’s Consumer Debt Committee.
- Leticia Medina-Richman, Esq. is the director of the Central West Justice Center. Medina-Richman has overseen this Worcester and Western Mass. area legal aid organization, a subsidiary of Community Legal Aid (CLA), since 2014. She previously served as a staff attorney at CLA and its predecessor, focusing primarily on landlord-tenant, foreclosure and housing discrimination work.
- Lynne M. Parker, Esq. is the executive director for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) which is the largest funding source for civil legal organizations in Massachusetts. Previously, she served as executive director, deputy director and staff attorney at New Hampshire Legal Assistance. Parker served as a member of the NH Access to Justice Commission and was a member of the Judicial Selection Committee. Parker has also represented migrant farmworkers and served as a housing attorney for many years in several legal aid organizations. She is a member of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission’s Revenue Enhancement Committee and the Boston Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee.
- Victoria Santoro Mair, Esq. is a shareholder at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow PC where she primarily focuses on civil litigation. Santoro Mair has been an active member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, serving as its Treasurer and on the Executive Management Board, House of Delegates, Board of Directors, Young Lawyers’ Division, Membership Committee and the Oliver Wendell Holmes Scholarship Committee. She is also involved with the Boston Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association.
- Mychii Snape, Esq. is a managing attorney in the Consumer Protection Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Snape was an associate in the litigation department at Ropes & Gray LLP. She has also served as a board member of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and continues to serve as co-chair of the pro bono subcommittee of the Boston Bar Association’s Veterans and Servicemembers Forum, among other bar and community activities.
- Elizabeth A. Soulé, Esq. is the executive director of MetroWest Legal Services, an office that provides legal services to persons in 36 towns in south and central Middlesex and south Norfolk counties. Previously, Soulé was a supervising attorney, focusing on elder law and domestic violence cases, for South Middlesex Legal Services. She also serves as chair of the Access to Justice Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association and formerly served on the council of the Boston Bar Association.
Among other activities, the Access to Justice Commission coordinates with civil legal aid organizations to support their activities and develop new initiatives to address unmet needs. The commission also works to increase the number of attorneys able to provide pro bono or limited assistance civil legal services and coordinates with the court system on initiatives that assist individuals to better understand and navigate civil legal proceedings. The commission's members include representatives from the court system, legal aid organizations, social service organizations, bar associations, law schools, businesses, and other stakeholders in the access to justice community.
More information about the commission and its activities is available in its recently released Annual Report for 2020-21, which is available here.
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Job Openings
Assistant administrator for attorney services and technology in Suffolk Clerk's Office
The Supreme Judicial Court is seeking applications for the position of assistant administrator for attorney services and technology in the Office of the Clerk for Suffolk County.
The assistant administrator assists the head administrator for attorney services and technology in the administrative and technological management of matters related to admission to the bar, court certification of law student practitioners, and licensing of foreign legal consultants. Responsibilities include the performance of a broad range of administrative duties to ensure the proper processing, e-filing and management of electronic court documents and case information, and to provide bar admission IT development support.
The position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, a minimum of five years’ experience with case and document management software programs, and a minimum of five years of administrative experience that included an extensive use of office technology.
Applications are due by the close of business on Friday, Nov. 5.
Click here for more information.
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Attorney position at Department of Energy Resources
The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is accepting applications for an attorney position responsible for providing counsel with respect to various energy matters at the DOER, including administrative proceedings before the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and other matters involving the energy industry in the commonwealth.
The counsel II position will work on a variety of complex regulatory matters, including but not limited to energy efficiency, solar, renewable and alternative energy, Massachusetts green communities and alternative transportation, as part of a team with other attorneys and policy and technical staff. Proceedings may include adjudications, rulemakings and other proceedings, which may have multiple parties and involve complex legal and policy/technical issues (e.g., rate-setting for public utilities, energy policy and legislation).
This position involves a substantial emphasis on legal analysis and writing, and requires a juris doctor and a minimum of three years of legal experience.
Click here for more information and to apply.