Top (from left): 2015 MBF President Robert J. Ambrogi and MBF's 2014 Great Friend of Justice Award recipient Michael E. Mone
Second from top (from left): 2015 MBF officers: Secretary Richard J. Gahn, Treasurer Harvey Weiner, Past President Jerry Cohen, Vice President Janet F. Aserkoff and President Robert J. Ambrogi
Second from bottom (from left): MBF Louis D. Brandies Life Fellow Alfred J. Geoffrion Jr., MBF Executive Director Elizabeth M. Lynch and MBF Louis D. Brandies Life Fellow Hon. Anne Geoffrion
Bottom (from left): New Foundation Life Fellows Dennis M. Lindgren, Angela McConney Scheepers, Mary Lu Bilek and Barbara H. Mitchell
Photos by Jeff Thiebauth
The Massachusetts Bar Foundation (MBF), the philanthropic
partner of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), held its 2014
Annual Meeting on Jan. 23 at the Social Law Library in the John
Adams Courthouse, marking the beginning of its 50th anniversary
year.
Attorney Michael E. Mone of Esdaile, Barrett, Jacobs and Mone
was honored with the MBF's 2014 Great Friend of Justice Award.
Mone, a nationally recognized civil trial lawyer and a pioneer in
the field of tort litigation, has been extraordinarily committed to
giving back to the legal profession and the community throughout
his career.
"The work of the Mass. Bar Foundation is something that every
lawyer in the state can be proud of," said Mone. "In Massachusetts
when you stand up for an unpopular cause, you're fulfilling a
tradition that goes back to colonial times. I accept this award not
on behalf of myself, but on behalf of every lawyer who does this
kind of work every day."
The MBF also elected new officers and trustees at the meeting.
Those elected for one-year terms ending in 2015 were: President
Robert J. Ambrogi, Esq.; Vice President Janet F. Aserkoff, Esq.;
Treasurer Harvey Weiner, Esq.; Secretary Richard J. Gahn, Esq.; and
Past President Jerry Cohen, Esq. Trustees elected for terms ending
in 2017 were Aserkoff; Lewis C. Eisenberg, Esq.; Lawrence F.
Farber, Esq.; Hon. Robert G. Fields; and Weiner.
In remarks following his election, Ambrogi said that this
anniversary year should be one in which the foundation continues to
build on its 50 years of supporting access to justice. He also
hoped the MBF would innovate the use of technology to deliver legal
services.
Grantee speaker Gail S. Packer, the executive director of the
Community Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC) in Cambridge, also
addressed meeting attendees, speaking about the strong relationship
her organization has enjoyed with the foundation for more than 25
years.