Photo Credit: Jason Scally
MBA Secretary Christopher A. Kenney (right) speaks to MBA House of Delegates members about establishing a new Complex Commercial Litigation Section
The Massachusetts Bar Association's House of Delegates (HOD)
voted to establish a new Complex Commercial Litigation Section at
its May 8 meeting, which was held at MBA headquarters in Boston.
The Complex Commercial Litigation Section is the second new section
to be added this year, joining the Workers' Compensation Section,
which the HOD approved last September.
Speaking on behalf of the Membership Committee, Vice President
Christopher P. Sullivan and MBA member Paul E. White requested the
creation of a Complex Commercial Litigation Section to create a new
"home" for complex commercial litigators, many of whom practice
before the Superior Court's Business Litigation Section or in the
federal courts. The new section, which was approved unanimously, is
expected to attract both existing and new MBA members, especially
litigators whose practices involves intellectual property,
commercial contracts, business torts, bankruptcy and other areas
across the business litigation spectrum.
During the HOD meeting, the last one of the 2013-14 membership
year, HOD members also adopted the report of the Blue Ribbon
Commission on Criminal Justice Attorney Compensation. MBA Chief
Legal Counsel Martin W. Healy noted that the recommendations in the
report include raising assistant prosecutor and public defender
salaries, and looking at the caps on bar advocate reimbursement to
give these attorneys a living wage.
In addition to voting to elect the slate of officers and
delegates for the 2014-15 membership year, HOD members also took up
several measures brought by representatives from the Juvenile Law,
Access to Justice and Family Law section councils. The HOD voted
to:
- Support, in principle, the Statement of Principle on Fair
Sentencing of Youth Convicted of First Degree Murder (as
amended);
- Support, in principle, legislation relative to the proposed
expansion of the Housing Court to other areas of the commonwealth;
and
- Support proposed changes to Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03
allowing law students to represent clients on a pro bono basis in
civil court under mentor supervision.
HOD members also approved for publication five opinions
presented by Andrew Kaufman, the Ethics Committee chair.