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Criminal justice attorney
compensation

"My
colleagues and I on the Governor's Commission believe there is no
question that significant and immediate salary increases are
necessary to remedy the woeful compensation paid to our assistant
district attorneys, who are paid less than courtroom custodians,
and to our public defenders, who are the lowest paid in the
country."
MBA President Marsha V.
Kazarosian, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, January
5
Kazarosian was quoted in a
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly piece on a report issued by
the Commission to Study Compensation of Assistant District
Attorneys and Staff Attorneys for the Committee for Public Counsel
Services (CPCS). The report recommends a minimum salary of $55,360
for both assistant district attorneys and CPCS staff attorneys be
implemented in the next three years. Kazarosian served as a member
of the Commission.
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Gov. Patrick's impact on the
judiciary

"He's had a very dramatic impact on the workings of
the court system. Much more than any governor in recent
history."
MBA Chief Legal Counsel and
Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy,
Boston Globe, December 21, 2014
Healy was quoted in a Globe story on the impact Gov.
Deval L. Patrick had on the judiciary during his eight-year tenure.
Commenting on Patrick's judicial nominations, Healy noted that
"This governor has taken more of a bold step and said 'I want a
bench that reflects not only the diversity of Massachusetts, but
the diversity of the legal community.' " Healy was also quoted in a
piece on Patrick's judicial appointments in the Daily News of Newburyport.
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'Solve It 7': Stolen Scooter

"It would be absolutely unjust for the city to try
and collect money from somebody that did nothing at all but be a
victim of a crime."
MBA President-elect Robert W.
Harnais, WHDH TV (Channel 7), December 18, 2014
In this segment of "Solve It 7" Harnais provided legal analysis
on the case of a stolen scooter. When the scooter eventually showed
up at a city tow lot it had been badly damaged beyond repair. But
the city attempted to charge the scooter's owner $900 for an
abandoned vehicle even though it had been reported as stolen. As a
result of the "Solve It 7" investigation, all charges were
dismissed.
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Jury selection process

"We want to show that in the United States of
America we give fair trials. Each case is totally different so in
one case you might want a particular type of juror, whereas you
wouldn't want that juror in another case. The identical
juror."
MBA member Thomas Lesser of
Lesser, Newman & Nasser, LLP in Northampton, ABC 40-Springfield, January 6
Lesser was interviewed by ABC 40 (Springfield) as part of a
story explaining the jury selection process in light of the jury
selection going on in the Tsarnaev case in Boston.
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Of note:
- In addition to the clip mentioned above, MBA Chief Legal
Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy was also quoted
by The Republican/MassLive.com in a story on
Attorney General-elect Maura Healey becoming the nation's first
openly gay attorney general.
- MBA members Dawn D. McDonald and Kyle R. Guelcher were featured
in the monthly legal Q&A column in the The Republican/MassLive.com. ("Ask the
Experts: 300 days to file discrimination, retaliation complaint in
Massachusetts - Jan. 4).
- The MBA's mock trial program was mentioned as part of a Worcester Magazine story on Worcester teams
preparing for the competition. (Dec. 31)