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Anderson, Loew, White honored with Volunteer Recognition Awards

Issue August 2014 By Mike Vigneux

Three Massachusetts Bar Association members were recognized for their outstanding service at the MBA Volunteer Recognition Dinner on July 10 at Lombardo's in Randolph. Susan G. Anderson, Elliott M. Loew and Paul E. White were each presented with the Volunteer Recognition Award, which salutes members who volunteer substantial time and effort to the mission, program and/or publications of the MBA or otherwise enhance the organization in a significant way.

Nominations for the awards were made to the MBA's Volunteer Recognition Committee who provided recommendations to MBA officers. The officers voted on the award recipients based on the committee's recommendations.

For additional photos of the dinner, see related story, page 12.

Susan G. Anderson, hearing officer,  Office of the State Treasurer
Anderson has been an MBA volunteer for more than 20 years, serving on various committees and section councils since 1992. She currently serves as the vice chair of the Access to Justice Committee and was previously the chair of the Health Law Section. Throughout her many years of service to the MBA, Anderson has been a member of the MBA's Policy and Governance Committee, the Terrorism Task Force, the House of Delegates, the Definition of the Practice of Law Task Force and the Media Committee. She has also planned education programs that have brought several MBA sections together. Most recently, she helped plan and bring faculty to the Public Law Conference.

"I'm so deeply honored by this award, but more than that, I'm truly grateful for all the opportunities the MBA has given me," said Anderson. "It's a joy and a privilege to work with inspiring leaders and wonderful lawyers who are so fully committed to improving our legal system, fostering access to justice, and bringing to our communities a greater understanding of the law."

Elliott M. Loew, Law Offices of Elliott M. Loew PC
Loew has been a member of the MBA's Mock Trial Committee for 16 years, serving as chairman in 1998, 2007 and 2008. He has been a special instructor of law at Newton North High School since 1980 and was the lawyer/coach of the school's mock trial team for 14 years (1990-2004). In 2006, Loew became the lawyer/coach of the Newton South High School mock trial team, which won the MBA's state championship in 2008.

"This award is a wonderful tribute because it's for spending time doing things I find to be fun, useful and important," said Loew. "The mock trial program touches a lot of people. Several people have told me how much they loved the case we wrote or about students that continue to be involved in mock trial when they go to college. Where else do you get to do that as a lawyer, with that kind of impact?"

Paul E. White, Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen PC
White was recognized for his tireless work as the chair of the MBA's Marathon Bombing Victims Legal Assistance Program. Since April 2013, he has spent an enormous amount of time organizing, training and recruiting lawyers to provide pro bono assistance to survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings.

"It was enormously rewarding both personally and professionally," said White. "We were totally helping people. In the end, we all felt that we had achieved something truly significant."

In addition to his work with the survivors of the Boston Marathon tragedy, Paul serves as chair of the MBA's new Complex Commercial Litigation Section Council and previously served as co-chair of the MBA's Civil Litigation Section Council. White has also served on the MBA's House of Delegates and as a member of the Task Force on Law, the Economy & Underemployment.

"To be recognized by your peers and colleagues with this kind of award means a great deal to me," said White. "Our job as lawyers is demanding and time consuming and isn't always necessarily professionally fulfilling. Volunteering provides a sense of fulfillment that sometimes eludes people in our profession."