Holland & Knight LLP elected 25 attorneys to the partnership, including two lawyers from the firm's Boston office. They are:
Diane R. Rubin, a member of the Litigation Section, practices in the areas of construction and real estate. She was previously senior counsel.
Damon M. Seligson, a member of the Litigation Section, focuses his practice in commercial and business litigation, real estate and land use disputes. He was previously an associate.
OcÈ, a global leader in digital document management and delivery solutions, promoted Michael A. Sciordino to senior vice presidents. He is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of OcÈ-USA Holding. He is also secretary and counsel to the boards of directors of all operating companies in North America.
Sciordino is in charge of all corporate legal functions of the holding company as well as the day-to-day legal activities within the North American subsidiaries. He joined OcÈ with the Siemens Nixdorf Printing Systems acquisition in September 1996. He began his career with Nixdorf Computer Corporation in 1980.
Sandra Shapiro, a partner in the Boston-based law firm Foley Hoag LLP, was recently elected for a four-year term to Lex Mundi's Board of Directors. Shapiro also serves as chair-emeritus of the organization's Real Estate Practice Group.
Shapiro, a senior partner at Foley Hoag, was the first woman to be elected to partnership at the firm. Her practice concentrates in real estate financing, leasing, and zoning, and she represents numerous development and real estate clients. Her professional involvement includes leadership positions with the Massachusetts Government Land Bank (now Mass. Development Finance Agency), the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and other organizations.
Foley Hoag is the exclusive member firm for Massachusetts of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms.
Dennis Febles has opened Febles Law Offices in downtown Haverhill at 359 Main St. Febles Law Offices concentrates primarily on immigration law, but also offers general law services, including family law, contract law and personal injury. Febles speaks fluent Spanish and is one of a few attorneys concentrating on immigration law in the Merrimack Valley. He has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and extensive military experience. He is also a member of the American Immigration Law Association and the ABA.
Several individuals recently were appointed as officers and directors for 2005 of the Boston Patent Law Association. They include: Doreen M. Hogle of Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds of Concord, president; Ingrid A. Beattie of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC of Boston, president-elect; Lee Carl Bromberg of Bromberg & Sunstein, LLP of Boston, vice president; and Leslie Meyer-Leon of IP Legal Strategies Group, PC of Centerville, treasurer.
Other individuals elected as officers or directors include Mark B. Solomon of Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds of Concord; Peter F. Corless of Edwards & Angell, LLP of Boston, member, Board of Governors; Lisa J. Michaud of Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP of Boston, member, Board of Governors; J. Grant Houston of Houston Eliseeva, LLP of Lexington, member, Board of Governors; and Neil P. Ferraro of Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, PC of Boston, member, Board of Governors.
David W. Ostrander, of Ostrander Law Office in Northampton, has successfully completed the requirements for recertification in business and consumer bankruptcy law. Ostrander was originally certified in 1994 after he satisfied requirements and passed two lengthy examinations by the American Board of Certification, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and improving the quality of bankruptcy and creditors' rights bars. Requirements include: full-time law practice for at least five years; good standing; at least 30 percent of practice devoted to bankruptcy work; documented involvement in business and consumer bankruptcy; and commitment to continuing legal education by attending at least 60 hours of bankruptcy education in the past three years.
Christopher J. Petrini recently opened Petrini & Associates, PC, in Framingham. Petrini is town counsel to the town of Framingham and serves as special counsel to various municipalities in the area of public construction law. His practice focuses on municipal law, construction law, professional liability defense and general civil litigation. Petrini previously was a partner in the Boston law firm of Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP.
He is joined by two associates, Timothy J. Harrington and Glenna J. Sheveland. Harrington's practice focuses on municipal law, construction law and general civil litigation. Sheveland's practice focuses on municipal law, land use and zoning and real estate.
The Supreme Judicial Court appointed attorney Francis J. Russell of Shrewsbury to the Board of Bar Overseers for a four-year term, which expires Dec. 31, 2008. Others appointed to the board include attorneys Marguerite T. Grant of Cambridge and J. Charles Mokriski of Newton and lay members James P. Carey of Belmont and Linda R. McKenzie of Burlington. They fill the positions formerly held by attorneys M. Ellen Carpenter, who served as chair; Thomas E. Peisch, who served as vice-chair; Janet Kenton-Walker; and lay members Maryanne Frangules and Robert J. Guttentag. Attorney Alan D. Rose of Wellesley was appointed the new BBO chair and attorney Constance L. Rudnick of Marblehead is the new vice-chair.
A partner in the Worcester law firm of Mountain, Dearborn & Whiting, Russell concentrates on probate matters. He was president of the Worcester County Bar Association from 1997 to 1998. In 1999, he was the recipient of their Distinguished Attorney Award. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the ABA, and is a life member of the Worcester County Bar Foundation and a life member and trustee of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.
Judge John C. Stevens III of Newburyport, first justice of the Essex County Division of the Probate and Family Court Dept., participated in a professional education conference on trial procedures and management offered by the American Academy of Judicial Education held in South Carolina this fall. The conference aimed to assist trial court judges in preparing for and managing trials, with emphasis on pretrial motions and hearings, voir dire, opening/closing statements, handling objections and ruling upon evidentiary issues, courtroom management, judicial demeanor and decision making.