Grace Bacon Garcia is quick to lavish praise on other attorneys
for their volunteer work at the Massachusetts Bar Association.
But as chair of its Volunteer Recognition Committee for the past
two years, Garcia, a partner at Morrison Mahoney LLP in Boston,
devotes long hours herself to honoring members who deserve special
recognition for their outstanding contributions to the MBA.
From putting out the call for nominations to combing through
nominations with the five other committee members and then
recommending honorees, Garcia puts great effort into helping select
the recipients of the association's annual Volunteer Recognition
Awards.
"There are so many volunteers within the MBA," she said. "It's a
fantastic way for those who have volunteered, who work without the
limelight, to get recognition."
Garcia has been on the committee since its inception three years
ago, and has been active in various MBA sections for the past 11
years. She was a council member of the Civil Litigation Section
from 2006 to 2009; the Business Law Section from 2003 to 2006; and
the New Lawyers Section from 2001 to 2003.
Working on various committees and sections was "great," she
said, "because you meet people certainly from other practices and
various firms outside of Boston."
In addition to her committee work, Garcia is a program chair and
lecturer for the MBA. Since 2002, she has taught at least one
continuing legal education course a year on taking depositions and
conducting discovery.
"For both these CLEs (discovery and depositions), audience
participation is important because my goal is for every person in
the audience to leave with whatever questions they came with
answered, or learning one new tool to use in their next deposition
or their next case for discovery," she said.
Garcia graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1998,
worked for a year as a contract attorney at Todd & Weld LLP in
Boston, then spent three years as a litigation associate at Sherin
and Lodgen LLP in Boston.
She joined Morrison Mahoney in 2002 and became a partner in
2006. Her practice is focused on civil litigation defense,
including construction, product liability, premises liability,
business/commercial matters, disability public access claims and
transportation.
Garcia said she enjoys sharing her knowledge about litigation
techniques.
"Someone has spent time helping me, mentoring me," Garcia said.
"So, with the CLEs, to an extent I can help someone in an area that
they need help on, is gratifying."
Her Volunteer Recognition Committee work is also rewarding,
Garcia said, because it gives her the opportunity to learn about
the many selfless efforts of attorneys throughout Massachusetts on
behalf of the MBA.
"You're never giving as much as you get back," she said. "It's
really inspiring."