Camaraderie was the word at last week's Massachusetts Bar
Association Annual Dinner, when more than 1,000 members of the law
community from across the commonwealth convened in Boston to
celebrate their profession among peers and friends.
MBA President Robert W. Harnais in his opening remarks reminded
his colleagues that their profession, driven by the love of
justice, needs to be protected.
"My first goal this year was to steer our profession back toward
civility and camaraderie. We need to return to a profession rather
than a business," he said. "Now MBA members are leading by example.
Not only are we making a difference with each other, we're
increasing the respect of our profession. And that's what it
deserves."
Harnais eagerly ushered in the event's award ceremony, during
which a litany of MBA members and allies, both established and
up-and-coming, were recognized for their outstanding achievements.
These included:
- Legislator of the Year, Senate President Stanley C.
Rosenberg
- President's Award recipients Daniel J. Hogan and George G.
Hardiman
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship recipient Lauren N.
Schaal
- Lifetime Achievement Award winner T. Richard McIntosh
(1948-2015)
- Defender Award winner Benjamin H. Keehn
- Pro Bono Publico Award winners Charles R. Casartello Jr. and
Ingrid Martin, and the Pro Bono Award for Law Firms winner Nutter
McClennen & Fish LLP
- Legal Services Award winner Valerie Fisk
- Prosecutor Award winner Ellen Berger
- Rising Star Margaretta Homsey Kroeger
The night was punctuated by a keynote address from celebrated
Bostonian novelist and screenwriter Dennis Lehane, who described
Boston's influence on his development as a storyteller, and gave
his encouragement to those faithfully serving the profession of
law.
"I love what you're doing," he said. "I love the outreach, I love
the civic pride. I love that you care a little bit more about the
bottom line.
"We stand on the rule of law," Lehane said after his address,
noting the importance of law in his books. "There's a reason for
law, whether you like it or not. We need the law -- it's what makes
us civilized."