Five Massachusetts Bar Association members will be recognized
for their outstanding service at the MBA Volunteer Recognition
Dinner on July 22 at Lombardo's in Randolph.
Melissa A. Conner, Peter T. Elikann, Lisa M. Rico and Damian J.
Turco will each be presented with the Volunteer Recognition Award,
which salutes members who volunteer substantial time and effort to
the mission, program and/or publications of the MBA or otherwise
enhance the organization in a significant way.
Mina S. Makarious will receive the Outstanding Young Lawyer
Award, which is given to a young lawyer who has demonstrated
outstanding character, leadership and legal achievement, and has
contributed service to the community. The recipient of the award
must be a member of the MBA who has been in practice for fewer than
10 years and who has made a significant contribution to the legal
profession.
Nominations for the awards were made to the MBA's Volunteer
Recognition Committee who provided recommendations to MBA officers.
The officers voted on the award recipients based on the committee's
recommendations.
Melissa A.
Conner,
Conner Law Offices
A practicing attorney since 2009, Conner has been a dedicated
and active member of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) board,
currently serving as chair-elect. As chair of the YLD Law Student
Subcommittee she has helped the MBA recruit new law student members
by organizing and attending several events at Boston area law
schools.
This is the second year that Conner has been nominated for a
Volunteer Recognition Award. One of her nominations stated: "More
than anything, Melissa believes in the MBA and its mission and is a
constant ambassador of its importance. If I had to choose one
person to be recognized, it would be her."
In addition to her leadership roles with the YLD, she has also
served as a member of the Membership Committee for the past two
association years.
"I think it's important to be an active part of your community,"
said Conner. "It gives you a voice and a way to build your own
personal network. The more you volunteer, the more enjoyable it
becomes."
Peter T.
Elikann,
Law Office of Peter T. Elikann
A well-known criminal defense attorney, Elikann is a tireless
and devoted advocate of the MBA. He has been a member of the bar
since 1981 and has been active within the MBA for more than a
decade. Elikann is a long time member of the House of Delegates,
Executive Management Board and Massachusetts Law Review.
He has also served as both chair and vice chair of the Criminal
Justice Section Council and has been an involved member of the Sole
Practitioner & Small Firm, Judicial Administration and
Individual Rights & Responsibilities section councils.
Elikann frequently testifies before the Legislature on behalf of
the MBA on criminal justice matters and often represents the MBA as
a legal expert in the media on current criminal justice issues and
high-profile cases. He also serves as the MBA's representative on
the Special Commission to Study the Commonwealth's Criminal Justice
System and the Permanent Legislative Civil Infractions Commission.
In addition, he sits on the Massachusetts Superior Court Sentencing
Working Group, the Massachusetts Legislative Working Group and the
Crime Lab Task Force.
"I've always been grateful that for a solo practitioner like
myself the MBA has provided essentially a family for me in the
field of law," said Elikann. "As a solo practitioner I don't feel
quite so alone when I know the MBA always has my back and provides
an extraordinary amount of support."
Lisa M. Rico,
Rico, Murphy & Diamond LLP
Rico is a partner at Rico, Murphy & Diamond LLP, where she
focuses on probate and tax law. She has been a featured speaker on
estate planning and tax matters for numerous MBA CLE programs, many
of which she has taken a lead role in organizing.
An active member of the Taxation Law Section Council since 2006,
Rico previously served as co-chair in 2009-2010 and chair from 2010
to 2012. She has also been a representative on the House of
Delegates and a member of the Probate Law Section Council and the
Education Committee.
"I'm very interested in education and making sure that I'm
always up to date in my practice area," said Rico. "I also think
it's important to make sure MBA members are as current and up to
date as possible when it comes to education."
Damian J.
Turco,
Mass Injury Firm PC
Turco, vice chair of the MBA's Law Practice Management Section
Council, has volunteered countless hours on numerous programs and
initiatives. As chair of the Law School Young Lawyers Subcommittee
of the MBA Membership Committee, he has helped increase law student
membership from 265 in 2013 to 1,105 in 2015. Not only did he
recruit law students to join the MBA, but he also helped fortify
existing relationships and establish new ones within the
administrations of the nine area law schools. This past year he
also served on the Oliver Wendell Holmes Scholarship committee,
which honored its first recipient, Ying Wang of New England Law |
Boston, at the MBA's 2015 Annual Dinner.
A dedicated member of the MBA's Law Practice Management Section
Council, he has engaged and motivated other young attorneys to
develop programs and networking opportunities throughout the state.
Turco has also been a representative on the MBA's House of
Delegates and a member of the Membership Committee.
"Volunteering gives you one part of the balance in life that you
really can't get anywhere else," remarked Turco. "It's really a
unique thing devoting your time to other people or for an
organization like the MBA."
Mina S.
Makarious,
Anderson & Kreiger LLP
A mid-level associate at Anderson & Kreiger LLP, Makarious
focuses on environmental law and public law. He is a 2006 graduate
of Harvard College and a 2009 graduate of Harvard Law School where
he served as editor of the Harvard Environmental Law
Review. Makarious has been recognized as a Massachusetts Super
Lawyers Rising Star and also one of Boston's Top 40 Lawyers Under
40 by the National Law Review.
Makarious is constantly giving back to his community. His
pro bono work has included representing InnerCity
Weightlifting, a nonprofit serving at risk young adults, as well as
Roxbury residents in a case challenging the proposed site of Boston
University's infectious disease laboratory. He also serves on the
Board of Alternatives for Community and Environment which helps
advance environmental justice in under-served communities. In
addition, he is a trustee of the Phillips Brooks House Association
which serves youth in Boston and Cambridge and is involved with Y2Y
Harvard Square, a student-run overnight shelter.
Each summer, instead of taking a vacation, he works with middle
and high school students to teach them leadership skills through
the Student Leadership Training Program (SLTP).
"The week of teaching at SLTP every summer gets me in front of
students where I have to think on my feet, which is a skill that
helps me with my practice," said Makarious. "Volunteering in the
community also helps me see a lot of the impact of what we do
professionally."