The Massachusetts Bar Association will present its Bench-Bar Symposium at the John Adams Courthouse on Thursday, Nov. 30. The afternoon program, beginning at 2 p.m., will feature Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, as well as a panel discussion on media and the public perception of the legal system.
The symposium is a maturation of the bench-bar forums traditionally presented each spring at the MBA's Annual Conference, when Marshall would present her annual address to the MBA.
This year's symposium will build on that to include Marshall's Annual Address to the Legal Community, which will lead into the panel. The panel will feature representatives from the MBA's Judicial Independence Task Force, the judiciary and media outlets. The program will conclude with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m.
"We look forward to bringing a multidisciplinary group of professionals together to inspire important discussions on the very topics that impact attorneys and judges most profoundly," said MBA President Mark D Mason.
Mason envisions this program and others being planned for the coming MBA year to help "strengthen the ties for the members of the bar to focus on our common goals."