On Friday, April 7, Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey will
host the opening ceremony of the Franklin County Justice Center. In
addition to Chief Justice Carey, speakers will include Lieutenant
Governor Karyn Polito, Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg, Trial
Court Administrator Harry Spence, Commissioner of the Division of
Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Carol Gladstone,
Representative Stephen Kulik of the 1st Franklin District,
Representative Paul Mark of the 2nd Berkshire District,
Representative Susannah Whipps of the 2nd Franklin District,
Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, Franklin County
Bar Association Chair John Stobierski, and Greenfield District
Court First Justice William F. Mazanec. Franklin County Register of
Probate John F. Merrigan will deliver welcoming remarks.
The renovation of the Franklin County Justice Center began in 2014.
The new courthouse incorporates the historic 1932 façade of the
original building with a 104,000 square foot, three-story addition.
The Justice Center's six courtrooms include updated technological
capabilities to allow for hearings to be conducted by video
conference and newly installed recording equipment for court
proceedings. The courthouse will also offer WiFi for visitors. The
expanded building houses five court departments: Juvenile,
Superior, District, Housing, and Probate and Family Courts, as well
as the Law Library, Court Service Center, and Registry of
Deeds.
WHERE:
Franklin County Justice Center
43 Hope Street, Greenfield, MA 01301
WHEN:
Friday, April 7, 2017
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Supreme Judicial Court's Standing Committee on Pro Bono
Legal Services is seeking nominations for the 2017 Adams Pro Bono
Publico Awards, which recognize those in the legal community who
have shown outstanding and exceptional commitment to providing
unpaid legal services to those in need. The deadline for
nominations is June 30.
Named in honor of attorneys John Adams and John Quincy Adams,
the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards are presented annually by the
Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal
Services to honor those Massachusetts lawyers, law students, small
and large law firms, government attorney offices, corporate law
departments, law schools or other institutions in the legal
profession that have improved the lives of clients in need by
committing an extraordinary amount of their time and energies to
provide volunteer legal services.
The Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services will select
awardees from among those who have excelled in providing volunteer
services in one or more of the following ways:
- participated in an activity or pro bono program that resulted
in satisfying previously unmet needs or in extending services to
underserved segments of the population;
- successfully litigated pro bono cases that favorably affected
the provision of other services to those in need; and/or
- successfully achieved legislation that contributed
substantially to legal services for the disadvantaged
Nominations should be submitted by mail to E. Abim Thomas, Esq.,
The 2017 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards, c/o Goodwin, 100 Northern
Avenue, Boston, MA 02110. Please contact Chip Phinney at
the Supreme Judicial Court with questions at 617-557-1131. Nominations submitted in
2016 remain active for consideration in the 2017 awards program
provided that the nominating party submits a letter restating the
intent to nominate the candidate and updating the narrative with
any relevant information. For more information about how to submit
a nomination, please visit the court's Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards web page.
The 2017 Pro Bono Publico Awards will be presented in a ceremony
at the John Adams Courthouse on October 18, 2017. In addition
to the awards program, the Supreme Judicial Court Standing
Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services also administers the Pro Bono Honor Roll, a voluntary program that
recognizes those law firms, solo practitioners, in-house corporate
counsel offices, government attorneys offices, non-profit
organizations, law school faculties, and law students which certify
that, in the relevant time period, they have performed a certain
number of hours of pro bono legal work. Certifications are still
being accepted for pro bono worked performed in calendar year
2016.
Established in 1999, the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal
Services works to promote volunteer legal work in Massachusetts to
help people of limited means who are in need of legal
representation, in accordance with SJC Rule 6.1. Attorney Kathleen
McGrath of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company chairs the
Committee.