Search

Member Spotlight

Issue June 2011

Jacobs, Van Nostrand receive MBA Community Service Awards

Attorneys Susan Jacobs and Richard C. Van Nostrand have been honored with MBA Community Service Awards. Jacobs received hers at the Bristol County Bar Association Annual Dinner on April 28 and Van Nostrand received his at the Worcester County Bar Association Law Day Breakfast on April 29.

The award is given to attorneys who have made important public service contributions to their communities, and to publicize the fact that members of the legal profession are caring, involved individuals, eager to use their legal skills for the betterment of society.

Jacobs, an attorney at Volterra, Goldberg & Jacobs in Attleboro, has been active in the MBA for years. In addition, Jacobs served as the 2008-09 president of the Bristol County Bar Association and on its board of directors from 2004 to 2010. Also active in several other legal groups, Jacobs served as president of the Attleboro Area Bar Association from 2003 to 2004.

Van Nostrand, a partner at Mirick O'Connell in Worcester, has been active in the MBA for more than 30 years. An MBA past president (2003-04), Van Nostrand is currently a member of the MBA's Centennial Commission and serves as its fundraising co-chair. A longtime member and leader within the Worcester County Bar Association, Van Nostrand served as association president (1995-96) and sat on the executive committee from 1991 to 1997. Van Nostrand has been honored with the WCBA President's Award three times.

NEWiRE honors three local attorneys

Three Boston attorneys were among 14 women honored at the 13th Annual New England Women in Real Estate Achievement Awards on April 6.

Kathryn Cochrane Murphy, of Krokidas & Bluestein LLP in Boston, received the Leadership Award, which recognizes a member who has inspired, motivated and supported NEWiRE year after year and contributed her time, energy and talents to both NEWiRE and the entire Greater Boston real estate community.

Murphy, a founding member of NEWiRE, joined Krokidas & Bluestein as a partner four years ago.

"I am so honored to be recognized by my NEWiRE friends and colleagues with this award," said Murphy. "This is an organization that I helped to found and nurture, which makes receiving the Leadership Award particularly meaningful."

Murphy has experience in all aspects of commercial real estate law. She represents for-profit and non-profit owners, developers, lenders and governmental agencies in acquisitions, development projects, leasing and financing, and has drafted ordinances and legislation for public and quasi-public agencies and instrumentalities.

Maria Krokidas, also of Krokidas & Bluestein, was one of seven women who received a 2011 Networking Award for her collaboration on the $23.8 million Wilber School Apartments in Sharon.

"The Wilber School Apartments project was collaboration in the truest sense of the word, as each of the honorees brought a unique skill set to the table," she said.

Krokidas founded Krokidas & Bluestein in 1979 and leads the firm's transactional group. She has experience representing for-profit, non-profit and public entities in real estate, finance and corporate matters. She has counseled numerous non-profit, for-profit and quasi-public authorities on all matters relating to corporate organization and operations including statutory and regulatory compliance and implementation.

Nixon Peabody LLP attorney Sarah Teachworth Boehs also received the Networking Award for the apartment project.

Boehs concentrates her practice in the development and financing of multifamily affordable housing and other community development facilities. She has represented non-profit and for-profit owners, developers and investors in transactions involving various public and private financing sources.

Hampden County Bar honors MBA's Plasse

The Hampden County Bar Association honored Patricia Olier Plasse, the Massachusetts Bar Association's bar services liaison, with its non-attorney John M. Greaney Law Day Award on May 2.

The annual award is presented to an attorney and non-attorney who are deemed outstanding citizens of the Hampden County legal community. Hampden Country Immediate Past-President Charles R. Casartello Jr. received the Greaney award for attorneys.

The Hampden County Bar and local courts held the Law Day celebration at Hampden County Superior Court. The event was hosted by Hampden County Superior Court Associate Justice C. Jeffrey Kinder and featured as speakers retired Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice John M. Greaney and attorney Bruce Miller, a professor of law at Western New England College School of Law.