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Hon. Bonnie H. MacLeod (ret.) of JAMS will receive the Massachusetts Bar Association's Public Service Award at the MBA Annual Gala on Thursday, May 11, at the Westin Boston Seaport District, 425 Summer St., Boston. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the work of the MBA, who has furthered public understanding of and respect for the law, and who has shown extraordinary dedication to improving the administration of justice in the commonwealth.

MacLeod is a more than 50-year member of the MBA who served as a Trial Court judge for over 27 years, most recently on the Superior Court from 2002 until her retirement in 2016. With the MBA, she is a current member and former vice chair of the Dispute Resolution Section Council, and a current member of the Executive Management Board, House of Delegates, Governance Committee, Volunteer Recognition Committee and Lawyer Referral Service Committee. MacLeod has also chaired the Education Committee, served on the Membership Committee and Judicial Administration Section Council, and appeared as a speaker and panelist at numerous MBA programs, including more than a dozen times at the Practicing with Professionalism course.

For her years of active membership, MacLeod previously received the MBA's Community Service Award in 1988 and Volunteer Recognition Award in 2019.

"Judge MacLeod has led a highly decorated career as both a member of the state judiciary and a central figure in our MBA community since well before her appointment to the bench," said MBA President Grace V.B. Garcia. "In addition to her roles as a practice leader and key decision-maker for the MBA, Judge MacLeod has been incredibly generous with her time in supporting our younger members as they find their footing in the legal profession." 

Prior to joining the bench, MacLeod spent 17 years in the public sector, where she served as the chief of the Appeals Division in the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and later as first assistant bar counsel and chief of the Litigation Division in the Office of the Bar Counsel. She has taught at Boston College Law School, New England Law/Boston, Northeastern University Law School and Suffolk University Law School.  

Since her retirement from judicial service, MacLeod has spent the last six years as a mediator and arbitrator at JAMS, handling the full range of cases she heard on the Superior Court. 
 
The MBA Annual Gala will also include a keynote speech by Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health projects at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the presentation of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship. In addition to MacLeod, the following individuals will receive awards:

MBA Chief Justice Edward F. Hennessey Award: Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd

MBA Gold Medal Award: MBA Past President Christopher A. Kenney of Kenney & Sams PC

MBA Legislator of the Year Award: State Rep. Michael S. Day (D-Stoneham)

Sponsorships

Consider joining our growing list of event sponsors by selecting one of the options below:

Gold Sponsor — $5,000

• 8 tickets
• Full-page vertical advertisement in program (5"W x 8"H)
• Logo/firm name projected at event and featured on MBA website
• Additional prominent recognition at the event

Silver Sponsor — $2,500

• 8 tickets
• Half-page horizontal advertisement in program (5"W x 4"H)
• Logo/firm name projected at event and featured on MBA website

Bronze Sponsor — $1,750

• 8 tickets
• Logo/firm name projected at event

Click here for a sponsorship form. 

Please submits ads/logos to Heather Robertson at HRobertson@MassBar.org by Friday, April 28. Logos and ads should be hi-res (300 dpi) jpg, eps or pdf. 

Thank you to our Signature Sponsor, the Massachusetts Bar Association Insurance Agency, and the following Gold and Silver Sponsors:

Additional program information to be announced.

Registration for this event is due by Friday, May 5, at noon.

Register

Questions regarding this event can be directed to MBA Membership and Marketing Manager Heather Robertson at Hrobertson@massbar.org. To register by phone, please call (617) 338-0530.