SJC honors attorneys with Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards
Supreme Judicial Court Justice Francis X. Spina presented the seventh annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to five recipients at a special ceremony in the John Adams Courthouse June 4.
The awards, presented on behalf of the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, were given in recognition of an outstanding commitment to providing volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged in Massachusetts.
Past MBA Vice President John G. Dugan and MBA Probate Law Section Council Chair Edward Notis-McConarty were recognized for their extraordinary efforts to address the needs of litigants who represent themselves in court. For more than six years, Dugan and Notis-McConarty have served as co-chairs of a working group established by the Supreme Judicial Court Steering Committee on Self-Represented Litigants, which is devoted to expanding access to the Massachusetts courts. The group is working to achieve this goal by developing and implementing Limited Assistance Representation pilot projects in Probate and Family Courts in Suffolk, Hampden and Norfolk counties. These projects permit attorneys to assist pro se litigants on a limited basis without undertaking full legal representation.
Francis J. (Jay) Lynch III managing partner at Lynch & Lynch Attorneys of Boston and South Easton, was recognized for his 17-year involvement on the board of directors of the Brockton Coalition for the Homeless, known as MainSpring.
Established in 1982, this community-based, charitable organization serves the homeless by providing shelter, food, education, job training, support services and housing. Lynch has also volunteered countless hours of legal services to homeless and low-income individuals and served as a pro bono legal resource in the recent merger of MainSpring and Father Bill’s. Through his dedication, residences for homeless families were established in Middleboro and Stoughton, and 400 families have received emergency shelter and stabilization services at those facilities.
Other attorneys were also recognized with awards for their efforts to legal services.
"The field of nominees this year demonstrates the exceptionally wide spectrum of opportunities for lawyers to render pro bono legal services." said Justice Spina. "I was truly moved by the depth of sacrifice, the remarkable achievements, and the ingenuity of the legal profession when called upon to address difficult problems in hard times. I applaud the 2008 award recipients for their inspirational work."
SJC Justice Botsford receives honorary doctorate from Northeastern School of Law
Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Margot Botsford received an honorary doctorate of public service at the recent Northeastern School of Law commencement ceremony. Botsford, who received her juris doctor from Northeastern School of Law, now serves on Northeastern’s Board of Trustees.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer delivered the commencement address and received the honorary doctorate of laws during the ceremony.
Keating elected to National Employment Law Institute advisory board
Littler Mendelson PC recently announced that Greg Keating, shareholder in the firm’s Boston office and co-chair of the National Health Care Practice Group, has been elected to the advisory board of the National Employment Law Institute. The advisory board is made up of some of the most influential employment and labor attorneys in the country.
Founded in 1976, NELI is a nonprofit educational organization that strives to effectively educate professionals who manage employment and labor issues. Keating was elected to the advisory board due to his extensive experience in labor and employment law and his dedication to providing clients nationwide with legal services of the highest quality in the area of labor and employment.
"NELI is the gold standard for continuing education in the employment and labor law domain. Its speakers and the materials provided are consistently first-rate. I have enormous respect for the organization and look forward to working with them to continue delivering such high quality programs," said Keating.
Haggerty, Pomarole, Coffey and Ruffo named to Jury Management Advisory Committee
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall recently appointed Superior Court Judge S. Jane Haggerty and Dedham District Court Judge Michael J. Pomarole to the Jury Management Advisory Committee with terms ending on May 1, 2011. First Justice Kathleen E. Coffey of the West Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court Department was reappointed with a term that will expire on May 1, 2010.
Superior Court Judge Robert C. Rufo was named as chair and fills the position previously held by Superior Court Judge Peter M. Lauriat, who had been serving as acting chair. Rufo, whose term expires on May 1, 2010, was appointed to the bench in 1996. He has also served as a district court judge.
The Jury Management Advisory Committee consists of six justices charged with assisting the chief justice in supervising the Office of Jury Commissioner.
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts’ Massachusetts chapter elects Jones president
Alexander D. Jones, Esq., recently assumed the role as president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an international interdisciplinary organization of lawyers, judges and mental health professionals dedicated to improving the court process for children. Jones was elected in 2007 and has been an active board member of the Massachusetts chapter since 2004.
An associate with Looney & Grossman’s Domestic Relations Practice Area, Jones specializes in all areas of domestic relations, ranging from negotiating divorce agreements outside of court to the litigation of domestic relations proceedings at both the trial and appellate levels.
Greenberg elected president of REBA dispute resolution
Retired Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Mel L. Greenberg, currently of counsel with Seder & Chandler LLP in Worcester, was recently elected president of Real Estate Bar Association Dispute Resolution.
A subsidiary of the Real Estate Bar Association, REBA/DR was founded in 1995 to meet the alternative dispute resolution needs of the business and real estate communities.
"We are delighted that Greenberg has stepped up as president," said REBA/DR Past-President Robert J. Hoffman. "His considerable experience on the appellate and trial court bench will be a great asset to the REBA Dispute Resolution."
Greenberg served on the Appeals Court bench from 1990 to 2007 after many years of experience on the trial court bench. In 2007, he received a certificate from Harvard Law School in mediation and arbitration.
Mooney named a Nantucket Senior Citizen of the Year
The Nantucket Council on Aging recently chose islander Robert F. Mooney as one of its 2008 Senior Citizens of the Year. Recipients must be 60 years of older, exemplify the spirit of positive aging, have enthusiastic community involvement, cheerfully help others, serve as a role model to peers and be a reflection of the community’s outstanding seniors.
Mooney is now in his 50th year as a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant from 1952-55. Mooney is the author of seven books on Nantucket history and is an incorporator of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation and Nantucket Life Saving Museum.
Krokidas and Bluestein, cofounders of Krokidas & Bluestein, receive two awards for dedication to their clients and community
Maria Krokidas and Dick Bluestein, of Krokidas & Bluestein in Boston, received separate awards honoring their dedication to their clients and community.
Bluestein was named the 2008 Advocate for Justice by the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action. Each year, JALSA honors individuals for their outstanding commitment to civil rights.
Krokidas was honored at Advocates Inc.’s 2008 fundraising gala, "Bringing Abilities to Light," for the firm’s steadfast commitment to social justice for people with disabilities. Each year, Advocates Inc. honors those whose dedication and support have been extraordinarily meaningful to the agency in carrying out its mission as a Massachusetts human services provider.