Note from leadership
Welcome to the January Individual Rights & Responsibilities
Section newsletter, containing information about CLE programs,
meetings, hot legal developments and other section news.
The Individual Rights & Responsibilities Section has scheduled
a free panel discussion on the Anti-Bullying Law in February and
you, as a section member, are invited to attend. The date, speakers
and topics are listed below and we urge you to take this
opportunity to meet with the panelists and discuss this relevant
issue. We also ask that you to pass this information along to your
colleagues and encourage them to attend.
As a member of the Individual Rights & Responsibilities
Section, feel free to communicate with us, or with any members of
the section council, to give us your ideas as to programs which
would be of interest to you, and to bring to our attention any
proposed or pending legislation or administrative regulations that
you believe we should consider.
Laurence M. Johnson, chair (left)
Frank A. Smith III, vice chair (right)
Individual Rights & Responsibilities Section
Upcoming Individual Rights & Responsibilities Section Council open meeting
All MBA members are invited to attend the Individual Rights
& Responsibilities Section Council open meeting on bullying
on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the MBA, 20
West St., Boston. What's Bullying? Emerging Trends in
Civil And Criminal Law as to the Anti-Bullying Law is designed
to educate lawyers on the recently passed anti-bullying legislation
and how it will affect victims and potential clients, including
individuals, schools and municipalities. Attendees will learn how
individuals and others are affected. Frank A. Smith III, Individual
Rights & Responsibilities Section vice chair, will moderate the
discussion. Guest speakers include: Hon. Bettina Borders, first
justice, Bristol County Juvenile Court, Hon. Mary Dacey White,
associate justice, Lynn District Court, attorney Richard Cole,
attorney John Davis and Arline Isaacson, co-chairwoman of the
Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus.
Discussion topics will include:
- Model bullying prevention and intervention plans;
- Academic and non-academic activities and who is affected;
- Practices and procedures for reporting and responding to
bullying and retaliation; and
- Role of the court and lawyer.
Interested in learning more about another MBA section?
Check out upcoming section open meetings
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Law Practice Management Section
open meeting
Fee Agreements
Thursday, Feb. 3, 5:30-7
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Audrey Heidt, a co-chair of the Solo & Small Firm Committee of
the Women's Bar Association will moderate a discussion on fee
agreements. The Women's Bar Association recently hosted a number of
fee "circles" and Heidt will be providing us with the results. All
section members are invited to attend, bring copies of their fee
agreements and participate in this informal discussion of fee
agreements and fee structures.
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Juvenile &Child Welfare Section
Council Bench-Bar meeting
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 4-6
p.m.
Massachusetts School of Law, 500 Federal St., Andover
Postponed from Jan. 12 due to inclement weather
The MBA's Juvenile and Child Welfare
Section Council is sponsoring this Bench-Bar Presentation at the
Massachusetts School of Law in Andover. This meeting is free to all
attorneys interested in the practice of Juvenile & Child
Welfare law. The program will be moderated by Peter A. Hahn, chair,
Juvenile and Child Welfare Section Council. Panelists include: Hon.
Jay David Blitzman, first justice, Middlesex County Division,
Juvenile Court; Hon. Sally F. Padden, first justice, Essex County
Division, Juvenile Court; and James Morton, case manager, Juvenile
Court Department.
This second presentation will focus on the Standing Order for
Care and Protection Trials, implementation of new law for
young adults (ages 18-22) in DCF custody, and the Youth Advocacy
Department's expansion in Somerville, Lowel and Salem.
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Young Lawyers Division Career
Panel
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 6-7 p.m.
(reception from 7-9 p.m.)
Boston University-School of Law, 765 Commonwealth Ave.,
Boston
You are invited to attend the MBA's Young Lawyers Division for a
career panel and networking event hosted by the Boston University
School of Law. The career panel will take place on Wednesday, Feb.
9 in Barrister's Hall, located in the lobby of the BU Law School,
from 6 to 7 p.m. Following the panel discussion, attendees will
have the opportunity to network with fellow legal professionals
over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in Room 1270 from from 7 to 9
p.m.
Join us and hear diverse advice from young lawyers about finding
and keeping a job in this challenging economy, career choices and
paths, transitioning from law student to lawyer and other practical
career and job searching guidance.
A partial list of faculty includes:
- Kyle R. Guelcher, moderator, chair of the MBA's Young Lawyers
Division
- Brian Bialas, Foley Hoag LLP (big firm perspective)
- Gabriel Cheong, Infinity Law Group, Solo/Small Firm (solo/small
firm perspective)
- Scott Heidorn, Campbell, Campbell, Edwards & Conroy, PC,
(medium firm perspective)
- Brigid E. Mitchell, Denise Squillante PC, (small, boutique firm
perspective)
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Save the date: Immigration Section
Council open meeting
Ask the Experts: Legal Ethics For
Immigration Practitioners
Thursday, Feb. 10, 5:15-6:45
p.m.
MBA, 20 West St., Boston
Tentative speakers: Anne S.J. Kaufman,
Esq., director of the Attorney Client Assistance Program and Stacey
Best, assistant Bar Counsel of the BBO.
The topics will include: Who is the client? Issues and cautions in
joint representations in family and business matters; Use of IOLTA
for costs and filing fees due to the Immigration Service,
retainers, co-mingling funds for fees and costs; Mandatory
reporting of alleged ethical violations; Any other matters that the
BBO sees as an issue; and Current cases regarding issues in
immigration practice.
The MBA is on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Join the conversation today
The Massachusetts Bar Association now has a presence on three
social networking platforms, including Facebook, launched in October 2010, LinkedIn, launched in January 2010, and Twitter,
launched in July 2009. All three social media platforms feature
information about the MBA including CLE, events and news.
As an MBA member, we encourage you to both post items of
interest to you, and the greater legal community, on these pages
and comment on items already posted.
Put your name out there
The goal of section councils is to offer members opportunities
for professional growth and development through participation in
section activities. One opportunity available to section members is
publishing articles which are of interest to fellow practitioners.
The MBA provides several forums for articles by section members -
Lawyers Journal and the Massachusetts Law Review.
If you are interested in writing an article for any of these
publications or if you have seen articles which you think may be of
interest to other IRR Section members, please contact Jean Stevens for more information regarding this
opportunity.
Save the date: 2011 MBA Centennial Conference
Mark your calendars to join us on May 18-19
The Massachusetts Bar Association's 2011 Centennial Conference
will be held at the Boston Sheraton on Wednesday, May 18 and
Thursday, May 19 and will feature:
- House of Delegates meeting;
- Access to Justice Luncheon;
- Centennial Ball;
- Continuing Legal Education programming; and
- Bench/Bar panel and more.
Look for additional information in e-Journal, eBlasts,
Lawyers Journal and on the MBA's Web site.