Boston Bar's Issue Spot, with Mike Avitzur

Earlier this year, two Executive Orders signed by President Trump – one restricting immigration from seven predominantly Muslin countries and the other imposing penalties on so-called “sanctuary cities” – sparked a flurry of legal action around the country. The Boston Bar Association's Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Section welcomed a panel of guests -- from ACLU, Chelsea Collaborative, and Goodwin Law -- actively involved in this action to provide an inside look at what it’s like to take on the administration in both the short and long term.

The days of storing photos, letters and other correspondence in a keepsake box are over. Now, everything is online. But what happens to those assets when the account holder is gone? Who, if anyone, currently has the authority to access them? Mike Avitzur sits down with Andy Rothstein of Goulston & Storrs and Joe Bierwirth of Hemenway & Barnes -- co-chairs of the Boston Bar's Trusts & Estates Section -- to find out.

According to Judge Jeffrey Winik, Housing Court is “a valuable resource in an imperfect world." Yet one third of Massachusetts landlords and tenants don't have access to it. Maureen McDonagh of the WilmerHale Legal Services Center at Harvard Law and Judge Winik explain why this specialty court should expand statewide.

Most of us have a public policy issue that's near and dear to our heart. In our case, it's funding for civil legal aid. But what's the best way to advocate to your legislators? Louis Tompros, a partner at WilmerHale, tells us how to make the case.

Legal services, Meals on Wheels, even Sesame Street....people are talking about programs and services on the chopping block in the current federal budget process. But what exactly is that process? Is it all over for Elmo and friends? Boston Bar's Mike Avitzur sits down with Suffolk University professor Kenneth Cosgrove to find out.

At a BBA-hosted panel discussion, Jill Zellmer of Tufts University, Mason Dunn of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and Catherine Reuben of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein offered insight into the issues addressed by the new public accommodations law (which the BBA supported), dispelled common misinterpretations, and informed attendees on what “public accommodations” does – and doesn’t – include.