A diverse group of lawyers were honored for their achievements
at the May 14 Excellence in the Law event, which was presented by
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with the
Massachusetts Bar Association.
The MBA paid special tribute to the Hon. Nancy Holtz (ret.) and
Boston Globe crime and legal reporter Maria Cramer. Holtz
received the Daniel F. Toomey Excellence in the Judiciary Award and
Cramer was presented with the MBA's Excellence in Legal Journalism
Award.
The annual Excellence in the Law event, which was held at the
Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, also featured award presentations to
individuals in the following categories: Up & Coming Lawyers,
and Excellence in Pro Bono, Paralegal, Marketing and Firm
Administration. A portion of the proceeds from the event was
donated to the Massachusetts Bar Institute Public Service Fund,
which helps support community services throughout the state.
Holtz, a former Superior Court judge with more than 30 years of
legal experience, is now a "go-to" mediator and arbitrator for
high-stakes and complex matters for JAMS. The current chair of the
MBA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Holtz began her
career as a trial attorney, as assistant corporation counsel for
the city of Boston's Law Department, and then became partner at
Merrick and Louison, where she tried complex civil and criminal
jury trials in U.S. District Court and Massachusetts Superior
Court. Holtz went on to serve as commissioner of the Alcoholic
Beverages Control Commission, before becoming secretary and general
counsel of the Executive Office of Consumer Affairs and Business
Regulation. Holtz was appointed to the Superior Court bench in 1996
where, for 15 years, she presided over civil and criminal cases,
including significant multimillion-dollar business litigation,
construction litigation, first degree murder, kidnapping and home
invasion.
"Judge Toomey, for whom this award was named, was known to be
one of the most eloquent legal writers on the bench [and] that
makes this award particularly befitting of Judge Holtz" said MBA
President Marsha V. Kazarosian. "In addition to her outstanding
qualities as a lawyer, and a jurist, and a neutral, there are more
droll, witty, Nancy Holtz-isms flying around out there than you
will ever know; but once heard, will repeat with abandon! Judge
Holtz, like Judge Toomey, has established an impeccable reputation
in the legal community for her intellect, fairness and ability to
handle the most complex high-stakes cases."
Cramer began her career in New Jersey covering municipal
government at the Trenton Times. In December 2003, she was
hired to work for Globe South the suburban zones section
of the Boston Globe, and was quickly promoted to metro
staff as a general assignment reporter in 2005. Cramer was assigned
to cover Boston Police, a beat that sparked her love for trial
coverage and broke news on some of the biggest stories in the city.
She has led the news pack on cases like Philip Markoff, otherwise
known as the Craigslist Killer, Clark Rockefeller, and the Woolson
Street murders, the killings of three adults and a two-year-old boy
on a Mattapan street. In 2013, she was part of the team that won
the Pulitzer for coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and in
2014, she was assigned to cover the state's court system full-time
and has broken stories on the Aaron Hernandez case and the Parole
Board.
"Covering crime in courts has been my passion since my early
days as a reporter," said Cramer, who praised the legal community
for recognizing the role of reporters in the court room.
A total of 36 awards were presented including 26 to Up &
Coming lawyers, those attorneys who have been members of the bar
for 10 years or less, but have already distinguished themselves as
rising stars in the state's legal community.