Kristina H. Allaire and Philip J. McGovern have joined Mirick O'Connell as associates in the firm's Worcester office.
Allaire joined the firm as an associate in the firm's Litigation Department. She focuses her practice on business litigation including life, health and disability, insurance defense and ERISA. Prior to joining the firm, Allaire was an associate at the Connecticut law firm Cummings & Lockwood LLC.
McGovern joined the firm as an associate in the Litigation Department. He concentrates his practice on commercial litigation on behalf of business clients. Prior to joining the firm, McGovern served as an assistant attorney general in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. From 2002 to 2003, he focused on the Special Grand Jury investigation of Catholic Church management in Boston. McGovern also served as liaison to the Massachusetts State Police component of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Before joining the Attorney General's Office, he was in private practice, concentrating on real estate law and commercial litigation.
Christine M. Cedrone has joined Thomas F. Williams & Associates, P.C., as an attorney with the Quincy firm.
Cedrone plans to concentrate her practice in the areas of land use, business law, estate planning and immigration law. A life-long resident of Quincy, Cedrone is active in the community, serving as vice-chair of the Quincy School Committee. She is also an active member of the Lions Club of Quincy where she is the Immediate Past President, and she has served as vice-chair of the Quincy Housing Authority Board of Commissioners since 1994. Additionally, Cedrone has an article published in the Spring 2001 edition of the Elder Law Journal titled, "Public Housing for the Elderly in Massachusetts: How Federal and State Disability Laws and Regulations Have Created a Sense of Confinement."
Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP has named J. Patrick Kennedy as counsel and Christopher J. Scott as associate. Kennedy practices primarily in the firm's Boston office, while Scott bases his practice in the Springfield office.
Kennedy is a member of the firm's Litigation/Alternative Dispute Resolution Department. He has represented client's in high technology and regulated industries, including banks and other financial institutions; software, Internet and telecommunications companies; medical equipment manufacturers; insurance companies; utilities; and railroads. He has litigated cases involving breach of contract, breach or fiduciary duty, personal injury, business torts, patent infringement, inventor disputes antitrust and employment issues.
Scott is an associate in the firm's Litigation/Alternative Dispute Resolution Department and its Government Strategies Practice Group. He previously served as legislative director to Massachusetts State Sen. Brian P. Lees. Before joining Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, Scott practiced as a litigation associate with a major Boston firm, where he was involved in representing large clients in business litigation.
The Probate and Family Court in New Bedford recently honored more than 200 lawyers for their volunteer contributions in providing much-needed legal assistance to low-income residents throughout Bristol County including Attleboro, Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton. Approximately 35 lawyers attended the proceedings, receiving certificates of appreciation from the Hon. Elizabeth O'Neill LaStaiti, first justice of the Probate and Family Court, Bristol Division.
Lawyers were recognized for their contributions through the court's Lawyer of the Day program, Help the Children guardian ad litem program and for their work with the New Center for Legal Advocacy Inc., a legal services provider in Southeastern, Massachusetts.
Those receiving certificates included Karen Alexander, New Bedford; Matthew M. Aspden, Somerset; Richard Bentley, Taunton; Robert C. Bliss, North Attleboro; Richard Borges, New Bedford; Colleen Brady, Tiverton, R.I.; Peter C. Bullard, New Bedford; Bonita D. Cade, PHD, JD, New Bedford; John D. Casey, Attleboro; Frederick Chirigotis, Taunton; Paula J. Ciotti, Taunton; John J. Connors, Fall River; Paul M. Cronan, North Attleboro; Thomas Crotty, New Bedford; and Robert E. Cutler, Foxboro.
Also awarded were Elizabeth Duffy-Johnson, Fall River; Pamela A. Ellis, Barnstable; Ronald J. Ferreira, Bristol, R.I.; Katherine A. Field, Taunton; Walter Fraze, Fall River; Craig Fries, New Bedford; Michelle Gagne, Fall River; James Goldberg, Attleboro; Marita Durkin Gray, Fall River; Joseph L. Grimaldi, Brockton; Jerald Gunner, Fall River; James Harrington, Fall River; Susan Jacobs, Attleboro; Colleen Karsner, Taunton; Kathryn C. Kilguss, Taunton; Charles Kleiner, Tiverton, R.I.; Guy A. Larock, New Bedford; Kenneth D. Lipman, New Bedford; and Martin Lipman, New Bedford.
Also recognized were Charles J. Maguire, Jr., North Attleboro; Susan E. Maloney, New Bedford; Thomas Mathieu, New Bedford; Joseph B. McIntyre, New Bedford; Jennifer Miguel, Attleboro; John Mitchell, Fall River; Lawrence Moniz, Taunton; Laurie Mullen, Fall River; Stephen C. Nadeau, Fall River; Paul Operach, Dartmouth; Patricia M. Perry, Attleboro; Kerri A. Quintal, North Attleboro; Lisa Raymond, West Bridgewater; John R. Roderiques, New Bedford; David E. Russell, New Bedford; Roy Santos, New Bedford; Joseph Silvia, Fall River; Russell Sobral, New Bedford; Denise Squillante, Fall River; Roger Stanford, New Bedford; Mary Jeanne Stone, Fall River; Moira Tierney, New Bedford; Sheila Tierney, New Bedford; Bruce Thompson, Attleboro; Amy Valente, Fall River; Helen Valiquette, Fall River; Max Volterra, Attleboro; Jane Warren, New Bedford; Thomas E. Workman, Jr., Taunton; Margaret D. Xifaras, New Bedford; Robert M. Xifaras, New Bedford; Alvin Youman, New Bedford; and John E. Zajac, Taunton.
The Worcester firm of Mirick O'Connell recently prosecuted a case in which a federal jury returned a verdict of willful patent infringement and damages of more than $1 million in a suit brought by Brine, Inc. of Milford against STX of Baltimore, Md. Brine had patented the Edge Offsetô Head lacrosse stick, a technological breakthrough in lacrosse. Brine charged and the jury found that Brine's patent had been infringed by STX's Octane, Proton and XD lacrosse products.
In 1995, Brine introduced the line of Edge Offsetô Head lacrosse sticks with lowered sidewalls, which was an immediate commercial success. Two years later, STX came on the market with its first offset head. In 1999, Brine filed the patent infringement suit against STX in federal court. After four years of preparation and a two-week trial, the jury found STX willfully infringed Brine's patent for lacrosse heads with lowered sidewalls. The jury awarded damages of more than $1 million for lost products.