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Issue January 2012

PCBA's Creedon receives MBA's Community Service Award

The Massachusetts Bar Association presented John F. Creedon with the MBA Community Service Award for his dedication to supporting the legal profession and community. It was given at the Plymouth County Bar Association's Annual Meeting at the Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton on Dec. 8.

"John Creedon's service in and beyond the bar in Plymouth County is exemplary," said MBA President Richard P. Campbell.

Creedon's public service began with the Plymouth County Bar Association, where he served on the PCBA board and eventually became president. He is active with the PCBA and is a mentor to lawyers in the area.

A former first assistant district attorney in Plymouth County, Creedon is now a partner at Silverstein & Creedon in Brockton.

He has had a strong impact on the community, including devoting the past 30 years as a member and chairman of the Cardinal Spellman High School Advisory Board. He has served on the Old Colony Y Board of Trustees and as chairman of the Committee of Board of Governors. Creedon is also a member of the President's Executive Committee for Development at Stonehill College and has served as president of the Horace Howard Trust for two decades.

Previously, he served as president of the Brockton City Council, was town moderator in Easton for 15 years, served as director of Old Colony Elder Services and sat on the board of Brockton Central Inc., the city's economic development board. In addition, over 26 years Creedon has served as a board member and chairman of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Tax Section Chair Rico elected Fellow of ACTEC

Lisa M. Rico was one of only two Massachusetts attorneys recently elected a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Rico, who is chair of the MBA Taxation Law Section Council, is based in Wellesley, where she focuses her practice on sophisticated estate planning at Gilmore, Rees & Carlson PC.

Established in 1949, ACTEC is a nonprofit association of more than 2,600 trust and estate lawyers who practice throughout the United States, Canada and the world. Candidates for election as an ACTEC Fellow must meet rigorous eligibility criteria including, but not limited to no less than 10 years of experience in the active private practice of probate and trust law or estate planning.

"ACTEC includes the premier trust and estate practitioners and law professors, and we welcome the fall 2011 Fellows who have demonstrated exceptional skill and made significant contributions to the field of trust and estate law," said ACTEC President Mary F. Radford. "ACTEC offers an incomparable environment for practitioners and professors to engage with the best and the brightest on "hot topics," and presents state, regional and national opportunities for collegiality."

Membership in ACTEC is by election of the Regents of the College. Individual lawyers and law professors who meet the membership criteria are nominated by Fellows of the College, and subject to careful review by both state and national membership selection committees, prior to consideration by the Regents of the College.

"I am honored to have been elected to this position and proud to work side-by-side with the outstanding group of professionals that make up ACTEC," ?Rico said.

Obama nominates Judge Hillman for U.S. District Court

President Barack Obama has nominated the Hon. Timothy S. Hillman, magistrate judge for the District of Massachusetts, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Hillman, who sits in Worcester, was appointed Feb. 13, 2006.

The nomination was one of three made by Obama, who said in a Nov. 30 White House release that his nominees "have displayed unwavering commitment to justice and integrity. Their records of service to the public and the legal profession are distinguished and impressive and I am confident that they will serve the American people well from the United States District Court bench. I am honored to nominate ?them today."

Hillman was recommended by Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, who wrote: "Judge Hillman has had an outstanding career, from serving in private practice, as counsel to several municipalities in Massachusetts, and finally as a magistrate judge in Worcester. His reputation as a thoughtful, fair and honest jurist is widely known."

The nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate.

Previously, Hillman served on the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1998 to 2006 and the Massachusetts District Court from 1991 to 1998. Prior to that, he was in private practice for more than a decade and served as city solicitor to Fitchburg and Gardner and town counsel to Athol, Lunenburg and Petersham. He received his J.D. in 1973 from Suffolk University Law School and his B.A. ?in 1970 from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.