Women's Bar Association to honor Santoro, three other MBA members
The Women's Bar Association (WBA) will honor Massachusetts Bar Association President-elect Victoria M. Santoro of Santoro & Gray LLC and three other MBA members with its Emerging Women Leaders in the Law Award at the WBA annual Gala on Oct. 15 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston.
The award honors women attorneys who have demonstrated professional excellence or had a significant professional achievement in approximately their first 12 years in the legal profession, and either promote the status of women in the legal profession or contribute meaningfully to the equal participation of women in a just society.
In addition to Santoro, the other member honorees are:
- Nina Dow, Bowditch & Dewey
- Lisabeth Jorgenson, MetroWest Legal Services
- Tara Singh, Hinckley Allen
The WBA Gala will also include the presentation of the Lelia J. Robinson Award, which honors women attorneys who have captured the spirit of the first woman admitted to practice in Massachusetts. The award recognizes women who, like Robinson, are pioneers in the legal profession and who have made a difference in the community. This year's honorees are:
- Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd
- Gov. Maura Healey
- The late Hon. Maureen Mulligan
Click here to read the full announcement.
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New standing order on remote access to probate records
Beginning in October of 2018, the Probate and Family Court allowed document images in public cases to be available on the remote Attorney Portal. This portal was accessible by active members of the Massachusetts bar only, and this allowed attorneys to have remote access to case files without having to go to a courthouse to obtain the physical file.
In April of 2024, the Probate and Family Court released document images in public cases found on the Attorney Portal to the remote access portal for the public. Former Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey A. Locke and Court Administrator Thomas G. Ambrosino directed this change to improve remote access to public documents for all court users. This decision was considered after weighing the importance of public access and the protection of privacy with the need to allow self-represented litigants and others to have the same access to justice as represented litigants. This availability of documents is an important step in making the court more accessible, particularly for self-represented litigants and court users with disabilities, who no longer must come to a courthouse between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to access a file.
The Trial Court has approved Standing Order 1-2024: Remote Access to Electronic Court Records for the Probate and Family Court, which outlines the case types that are and are not available on the public portal, as well as which document images and information are not available.
To access publicly available court records, go to www.masscourts.org.
For information on publicly available case records, see the Probate and Family Court Access to Public Court Records: FAQs.
For more information, see Trial Court Rule XIV: Uniform Rules on Public Access to Court Records, Trial Court Rule VIII: Uniform Rules on Impoundment Procedure, and Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:24: Protection of Personal Identifying Information in Publicly Accessible Court Documents.
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Dubrovsky named clerk of court for U.S. Court of Appeals
Chief Judge David J. Barron of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit announced today that Anastasia Dubrovsky has been selected as the next clerk of court for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, effective Oct. 1, 2024. Dubrovsky will replace Maria Hamilton, who has served as clerk of court since 2018, upon her retirement.
Dubrovsky has served as chief deputy clerk of the Court of Appeals since 2018. Immediately prior to joining the Clerk's Office, she worked for three years as an attorney in the Circuit Executive's Office of the First Circuit. Before joining the court, Dubrovsky litigated intellectual property and other civil matters in federal and state court for several years at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP and Scott & Bush Ltd. Upon her graduation from Northeastern University School of Law, Dubrovsky became a law clerk for then-Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
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Job openings
Appeals Court seeks chief staff attorney, assistant clerk
The Appeals Court is accepting applications for the following positions:
Chief Staff Attorney
This position develops and implements policies and procedures within the Staff Attorney Department of the Appeals Court, coordinates assignments of work to staff attorneys in screening appeals, assists the justices in drafting decisions, and edits the court's decisions and orders.
Click here for more information and to apply.
Assistant Clerk
This position receives and reviews filings from attorneys and self-represented litigants and provides oral and written responses to inquiries regarding court procedure and compliance with the Massachusetts Rules of Court.
Click here for more information and to apply.
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DOC seeks counsel II, deputy supervising counsel
The Department of Correction (DOC) is accepting applications for the following positions:
Counsel II
Working in the DOC's Boston Legal Office, this attorney will be responsible for defending correctional employees in civil rights litigation in the state and federal courts involving constitutional issues, conditions of confinement, medical care, class actions and systems litigation, and will provide in-house counsel on a variety of matters as required.
Click here for more information and to apply.
Deputy Supervising Counsel
This attorney will be responsible for handling complex legal issues involving Bridgewater State Hospital patients and appellate work specifically related to the hospitalization of mentally ill patients pursuant to M.G.L. c. 123.
Click here for more information and to apply.