Attorney David R. Kerrigan, a partner at the Boston boutique
litigation firm of Kenney & Sams PC, is co-president, along
with Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman, of the Boston Inn of Court
- one of only a handful of American Inns in Massachusetts modeled
after the English Inns of Court.
Kerrigan explained that American Inns took root in the United
States in the late 1970s to early 1980s under then-U.S. Supreme
Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, who saw the Inns as a way to
improve civility and ethics in the legal profession. The Boston Inn
of Court was awarded the 100th charter in 1990. Today there are
more than 30,000 active members in nearly 400 chartered Inns of
Court in the United States, according to the American Inns of Court
Foundation.
"The Inns are made up of groups of lawyers, law students and
judges, who meet regularly and present programs that try to foster
professionalism and ethics in the legal profession," Kerrigan
said.
In leading the Boston Inn of Court, Kerrigan is in some respects
carrying on a firm tradition. He is the fourth attorney at Kenney
& Sams PC to serve as co-president, joining firm co-founders
Christopher A. Kenney (2001) and Michael P. Sams (2010), and former
Sally & Fitch leader Francis J. Sally (2003), who is now of
counsel to Kenney & Sams.
Kenney, who is vice president of the Massachusetts Bar
Association, actually co-founded the Boston Inn of Court while at
Boston University School of Law in 1989. He said that the Inn's
commitment to excellence, civility, professionalism and ethics "are
probably the common denominators that united us and brought us
together at the firm."
As MBA members, both Kenney and Kerrigan see the Inn as a
complement to their bar association activities.
Kenney explained that the Inn's pupilage-team model, which pairs
seasoned "masters" with attorneys from other levels and law
students, provides an "immersive experience" and a "fraternal,
traditional component that promotes fellowship and mentoring." He
said that fostering a sense of accountability and leadership as
attorneys move through the ranks of the Inn is also one of the
byproducts.
With modern technology making it possible for a lawyer to do
almost anything from a computer, Kerrigan added that the Boston Inn
of Court also helps counter the increasingly insular nature of the
legal profession through its regular meetings and collaborative
programs.
In the practice of law today "you can stay in the office all day
and not talk to anyone," Kerrigan said. "With the Inn, it's like
the old days when you would actually swap stories and you could
build a sense of community."