The Massachusetts Bar Foundation (MBF) Board of Trustees
recently awarded an IOLTA grant of $150,000 to the Flaschner
Judicial Institute to support its educational programming and
publications for Massachusetts judges. The MBF has long been a
proud supporter of Flaschner, providing grants for its core
operations annually since 1982.
"Supporting programs that improve the administration of justice in
the commonwealth is one of the MBF's priorities, and our grant to
Flaschner this year is a sound investment toward this goal," said
MBF President Jerry Cohen. "In addition to the outstanding work
Flaschner does year in and year out, the MBF has been particularly
appreciative of Flaschner's recent programs on effectively managing
cases involving pro se litigants. This training helps the
judges to effectively ensure everyone has equal access to the
courts, not just those who can afford an attorney."
Established in 1978 as a memorial to former District Court Chief
Justice Franklin N. Flaschner, the Institute offers up to 35
full-day, half-day and evening educational programs each year,
which are available free of charge to all trial and appellate
judges serving in the Massachusetts judiciary, including federal
judges. In addition, Flaschner publishes useful benchbooks,
including the Massachusetts Jury Trial Benchbook and the
official print edition of the Massachusetts Guide to
Evidence. These practical guides are distributed to all judges
in the commonwealth and are available to the wider legal community
for purchase through Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
"Continuing education is essential to maintaining the highest
professional standards for judges," said Supreme Judicial Court
Justice Margot Botsford, who has served as Flaschner's president
and dean since 2009. "Flaschner not only provides training for new
judges, but also offers a wide variety of programs that give judges
at every level of experience the opportunity to learn about
developments, legal and otherwise, in new and established fields
that are relevant to their work."
The vital importance of this "self-help" judges' organization to
the judiciary is demonstrated by the consistently high attendance
statistics. Approximately 70 percent of Massachusetts judges
participated in Flaschner programs during the last year. "Since
becoming a judge three years ago, I have attended 12 Flaschner
programs, and I have registered for several more this fall," said
District Court Judge Antoinette E. M. Leoney. "Universally praised
and appreciated among my colleagues, these programs were an
enormous help in my transition to the bench, and they remain so
today."
Flaschner's agenda for this court year includes programs on
Summary Process Evictions/Foreclosures, Evidence, Electronic
Discovery, Complex Issues in a Criminal Trial and more. For
additional information, please visit: www.flaschner.org.
Thank you to our recent supporters!
Foundation
Fellows
Todd J. Bennett, Esq.
Bennett & Belfort PC, Cambridge
Susan Bocamazo, Esq.
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Boston
Lynne M. Chiodo, Esq.
Walpole
Elissa Flynn-Poppey, Esq.
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC, Boston
Louis D.
Brandeis Fellows
J. W. Carney Jr., Esq.
Carney & Bassil PC, Boston
Michael C. Fee, Esq.
Pierce & Mandell PC, Boston
Oliver
Wendell Holmes Fellows
Josef C. Culik, Esq.
Culik Law PC, Boston
Harvey Weiner, Esq.
Peabody & Arnold LLP, Boston
Justice
Circle Members
Frank J. Ciano, Esq.
Law Offices of Frank J. Ciano, Cambridge
Hon. John M. Greaney (ret.)
Suffolk University Law School, Boston
Mark Twombly Lee, Esq.
Army & Lee PC, Worcester
Peter M. McElroy, Esq.
Cosgrove, Eisenberg & Kiley PC, Quincy