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Member Spotlights

Issue September 2013

John J. Carroll Jr. named chair of the Equal Justice Coalition

John J. Carroll Jr. has been named the new chair of the Equal Justice Coalition, an advocacy group that promotes the funding of civil legal aid for low-income people in Massachusetts. A trial lawyer since 1974, Carroll is a partner at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow PC. He has been the Massachusetts Bar Association's representative to the Equal Justice Coalition since 2010 and serves on the board of Greater Boston Legal Services.

In his early years as a lawyer, Carroll traveled to South Dakota where he was a staff attorney on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations. He handles pro bono cases for the Boston Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Project and has volunteered at the Catholic Lawyer's Guild's St. Francis House.

Firm donates 1,000 bike helmets to Boston youth programs


MBA Past President David W. White of Breakstone, White & Gluck PC handed out bicycle helmets to Boston-area youth as part of his firm's program to promote bicycle safety for children and bicycling advocacy for adults.

Over the spring and summer, the firm donated nearly 1,000 bicycle helmets through programs in Boston, Somerville, Cambridge and Dedham. Helmets were given to Mayor Menino's Boston Bikes Roll It Forward program, CYCLE Kids of Cambridge, the Winter Hill Community School in Somerville, the Dedham Bike Rodeo and others.

"This is the first year of our project, and we look forward to expanding it significantly in years to come," said White. "Awareness of head-injury prevention is critical for the health of our children. We hope that our helmet distribution will help increase safety awareness and prevent injuries."

Breakstone, White & Gluck PC, which has extensive experience handling personal injury claims on behalf of injured bicyclists, also created a Bicycle Accident Lawyers App as part of its commitment to bicycle safety. The free app, which is available for both Apple and Android-based phones, provides tips and tools for cyclists who have been in a bicycle accident. For more information on the firm's bike safety program visit www.bwglaw.com.

ABA delegation honors Hodge


The Massachusetts delegation to the American Bar Association House of Delegates honored Massachusetts State Delegate Kay H. Hodge for her years of service at a luncheon on July 25. Her term as state delegate ended at the conclusion of the ABA's Annual Meeting in August. She will be succeeded by Alice Richmond.

MBA Past President Squillante joins Court Management Advisory Board


The Supreme Judicial Court has appointed MBA Past President Denise Squillante to the Court Management Advisory board, which was created by the Legislature in 2003 to advise and assist on judicial administration and management reform. Squillante will serve a three-year term, ending in June 2016.

Long active in the MBA's Family Law Section Council and its committees, Squillante has lent her energy to the MBA's Presidential Task Force on Terrorism, the Amicus Committee and the Joint Bar Committee. A former recipient of the MBA's Pro Bono Publico Award, Squillante is a longtime member of the MBA's House of Delegates and a Massachusetts Bar Foundation Life Fellow.

In addition to her work with the MBA, Squillante is a member of the Probate Court Modification Task Force, a trustee of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Inc. and on the Program Committee of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.

Since starting as a solo practitioner in Fall River more than 30 years ago, Squillante has grown her practice into a small firm concentrating in family law, corporate law, personal injury and trusts and estates. She also provides business and legal consulting services to corporations.

MBA members honored among 'Top Women of Law'


Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly will honor 52 women, including 16 MBA members, as Top Women of Law on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The award recognizes those "who have made great professional strides and demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in private practice, the corporate arena and social advocacy."

Three MBA members will be among five women inducted into Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Circle of Excellence. The honor, which is new this year, salutes those women who continue to exemplify the continued professional, civic and mentoring achievements year in and year out in the Massachusetts legal community. Each inductee is a two-time honoree of the Top Women of Law.

The MBA members honored as Top Women of Law are:

  • Juliane Balliro, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough LLP
  • Maryann Civitello, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo PC
  • Kimberly A. Dougherty, Janet, Jenner & Suggs LLC
  • Elaine M. Epstein, Todd & Weld LLP
  • Grace V. B. Garcia, Morrison Mahoney LLP
  • Monica Halas, Greater Boston Legal Services
  • Andrea C. Kramer, Hirsch, Roberts, Weinstein LLP
  • Melissa F. Langa, Bove & Langa PC
  • Ann Marie Maguire, Law Office of Ann Marie Maguire
  • Barbara H. Mitchell, Community Legal Services and Counseling Center
  • Radha Natarajan, Committee for Public Counsel Services/Roxbury Defenders
  • Michelle R. Peirce, Donoghue, Barrett & Singal PC
  • Mary H. Schmidt, Schmidt & Federico PC
  • Sara G. Schwartz, Schwartz Hannum PC
  • Laura R. Studen, Burns & Levinson LLP
  • Sarah E. Worley, Sarah E. Worley Conflict Resolution

The three MBA members inducted into the Circle of Excellence are:

  • Pamela E. Berman, Adler, Pollock & Sheehan PC
  • Mary L. Bonauto, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
  • Susan J. Cohen, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo PC