- The Supreme Judicial Court recently announced the appointments of Middlesex Juvenile Court First Justice Gail Garinger, Framingham District Court First Justice Robert V. Greco and Nantucket Probate and Family Court First Justice Randy J. Kaplan to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee, effective immediately.
The justices re-appointed Southeast Housing Court First Justice Anne Kenney Chaplin and Land Court Judge Leon J. Lombardi to the committee. All appointments are for two-year terms, ending March 1, 2008.
Established in 2001 by the SJC, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee oversees the implementation of the judicial performance program in the Trial Court.
Garinger was in private practice for 22 years prior to her appointment to the bench in 1995. She has served as general counsel for Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and was a trial attorney for the Massachusetts Defenders Committee in 1973. She has served on the Supreme Judicial Court’s Commission on Juvenile Justice and the Supreme Judicial Court’s Judiciary/Media Steering Committee.
Before his appointment to the bench in 1985, Greco was executive director and general counsel of the State Ethics Commission. Greco taught on the adjunct faculty of New England School of Law and Boston University Law School, and served as chairperson of the Committee on Judicial Ethics.
Kaplan was appointed to the bench in 2001. Previously, she was a partner in the law firm of Deutsch, Williams, Brooks, DeRensis, Holland & Drachman for five years. From 1991 to 1996, she was a partner at Burns & Levinson, and she was an associate with LoDolce & Epstein from 1983 to 1991.
Chaplin was appointed to the bench in 2000 after practicing law for 22 years. She began her legal career at the law firm of Chaplin, Casner & Edwards in 1978. Chaplin received her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Boston College.
Prior to his appointment to the Land Court in 1995, Lombardi was a partner in the law firm of Warner & Stackpole, and also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1977 to 1983. He served on the Supreme Judicial Court Task Force on Judicial Branch Education and the Judicial Institute’s New Judges’ Education Committee.
- The Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts Inc. (VLA) has selected both the law firm of Brown, Rudnick, Berlack, Israels LLP and Albert W. Wallis to be individual recipients of the 2006 Robert B. Fraser Award for Pro Bono Excellence.
Wallis is executive director of The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, the umbrella entity that encompasses all of the firm’s pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement and public interest efforts. The award is given annually to an attorney, firm or legal services organization that shows a sincere dedication to servicing the needs of the cultural and artistic communities of Massachusetts. This is the first time the VLA is recognizing both the accomplishments of an individual attorney and the pro bono work of a law firm in the same year.
According to VLA Executive Director James Grace, “We identified Brown Rudnick as this year’s award recipient, but we found we could not undervalue the individual commitment, enthusiasm and leadership of Al Wallis. Under his strategic direction and guidance, the center has taken a leadership role in supporting the mission of the VLA and helping indigent artists gain access to legal counsel.”
- Eugene B. Berman joins the National Arbitration Forum’s (NAF) national panel of independent and neutral arbitrators and mediators. Berman joins the National Arbitration Forum’s current roster of over 1,500 neutrals and brings over 50 years of legal experience, primarily focused on commercial law, to the NAF.
“We are fortunate to have Mr. Berman join our panel,” said Curtis Brown, vice president of the National Arbitration Forum. “His extensive experience and understanding of commercial law will benefit the parties who use our services.”
Berman is a 1952 graduate of Boston University School of Law. Currently, he is a practicing attorney with Kamberg, Berman PC in Springfield.