Members of the Attorney General's Office (AGO), private
attorneys and business leaders gathered together at the
Massachusetts Bar Association's first Consumer Advocacy Symposium
and Pinnacle Awards to discuss consumer protection issues and
celebrate two local companies who "do things the right way." The
event, held at Suffolk University Law School, was presented by the
MBA's Consumer Advocacy Task Force, which was established in 2013
by then-MBA President Douglas K. Sheff to advance the MBA's
commitment to protecting consumer rights.
After a welcome by Sheff, Consumer Advocacy Task Force members
Andrew Rainer and Adam C. Ponte spoke briefly about the Task
Force's initiatives, including the Consumer Protection
Clearinghouse - a web library of FAQs, useful links and quick-tip
videos on several consumer-related topics, which will be featured
on the MBA's companion MassLawHelp.com website.
The symposium's first panel, moderated by Task Force member Nadine
Cohen, involved discussions about the work of the AGO's Consumer
Protection Division, the consumer mediations available at the AGO
and the AGO's role in data breach litigation. Panelists included
Stephanie Kahn, chief of the AGO's Consumer Protection Division;
Patricia Hamilton, the director of the AGO's Public Inquiry and
Assistance Center; and Assistant Attorney General Sarah
Cable.
Rainer then returned to the podium to moderate the second panel,
which focused on the role of private attorneys in consumer
litigation brought by the commonwealth. Panelists included Former
Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, now senior
counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP; Former First Asst. Attorney General
Dean Richlin, now a partner at Foley Hoag; Suffolk University Law
School Professor Kathleen Engel; and Stuart Rossman, director of
litigation at the National Consumer Law Center.
Following the panel discussions, MBA President Marsha V. Kazarosian
presented the MBA Pinnacle Awards to Dancing Deer Baking Company
and Staples, Inc. - two Massachusetts companies that "thrive and do
right by their customers at the same time," she said.
"Often, when we talk about consumer protection we focus on helping
consumers resolve their problems with companies that fall short of
expectations. But there are companies that do things the right
way," Kazarosian said. "We [at the MBA] feel it is important to
highlight those companies whose business practices serve as
positive models to others."
Special thanks to all the task force members who helped make this
program such a success: MBA Vice President Christopher A. Kenney
(chair), Alice B. Braunstein, Nadine Cohen, Francis K. Morris,
Margaret Helen Paget, Jodi M. Petrocelli, Adam C. Ponte and Andrew
Rainer.