Podcasts about Massachusetts Bar Association

President of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Victoria Santoro, says President Trump's actions target American's constitutional rights.

In this episode presented by the Massachusetts Bar Association's Lawyer Well-Being Committee, host Jordan Rich talks with a multigenerational panel of lawyers, who discuss the unique challenges affecting lawyers' health and well-being at different stages of their careers. Panelists include: Marianne C. LeBlanc (partner, Sugarman and Sugarman PC), Heidi S. Alexander (director, Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being), David Rosenblatt (board member for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and retired former managing partner of Burns & Levinson LLP) and Michael P. Dickman (senior associate, Kenney & Sams PLLC).

In today's episode of the Wealthy Woman Lawyer® podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with attorney and law firm owner, Kelly Longtin about her journey to becoming a lawyer and owning her own law firm.Kelly is a graduate of the Massachusetts School of Law, where she received a J.D., and then was admitted into the Massachusetts Bar Association as well as the New Hampshire Bar Association. Her law firm, Kelly Longtin Law, focuses on helping everyday families develop an estate plan that plans for and protects their families when they are no longer able to do so themselves, protecting them from the devastating effects of disability and death, and developing a plan that minimizes taxes, expenses, and court involvement.Listen in as we discuss:Kelly's journey from gym owner to lawyer and law firm ownerWhy she chose to leave her first law firm partnership and go soloHow being an entrepreneur before becoming a law firm owner helped her grow her practice more quicklyThe reason she did not take on any clients her first month in solo practiceHow she's built her strong referral networkHer interview secrets to hiring loyal, competent team membersWhat she says to prospects who don't want to follow her processesWhy she wrote her book, Ladies' Legacies and how it's helped her grow her referral networkWhy estate planning is different (and maybe even more important) for women than menWhy she never feels fear when hiring lawyers or other staffHer advice for other women law firm owners on a similar journey to scaling their businessesAnd much more!Links to Love:***If you want to know more about Kelly Longtin and Kelly Longtin Law, please visit their website at  www.kellylongtinlaw.com or follow on Instagram @kellytlaw.If you are interested in support to grow your law firm business: ***Book a Practice Growth Assessment call with me.***Head over to our website and add yourself to our email list by grabbing a copy of our popular guide: What Wealthy Woman Law Firm Owners Know That You Don't. www.wealthywomanlawyer.com***Please Leave a Review and Share. If you love the Wealthy Woman Lawyer® Podcast we'd be ever so grateful if you'd: 1) Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and 2) Share your favorite episode with another woman law firm owner you know will benefit from it!***Want to Scale Your Law Firm to 1MM or More? The Wealthy Woman Lawyer® Podcast is sponsored by Wealthy Woman Lawyer, LLC. We help women law firm owners scale their law firm businesses to and thru 1MM with total ease. If you'd like help to scale your law firm business, we invite you to JOIN US IN THE WEALTHY WOMAN LAWYER LEAGUE or, if you have already reached $500K or more in gross annual revenue, but haven't yet hit that $1M mark, to apply for private coaching with me.

In Episode 112 of Counsel to Counsel, I spoke with David Lesser, a corporate lawyer who transitioned into management consulting and quit his day job as a corporate lawyer.  In this episode, I speak with a litigator who has transitioned into jury and trial consulting while keeping his day job as a litigator. Marc Diller is the managing partner of Diller Law, LLP. He concentrates his practice on plaintiff side wrongful death and catastrophic bodily injury cases. As a partner with Total Trial Solutions in Massachusetts, he also acts as a trial consultant to other well-respected trial attorneys.  Marc serves on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorney and as chair of the Judicial Administration Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association.  He has been involved in some of the largest jury verdicts in the state of Massachusetts. Related Episodes Episode 112-From Corporate Counsel to Management Consultant-Leveraging Your Legal Career with David Lesser Episode 104-Freelance Lawyering and Returning to Work with Montage Legal Episode 56-Practicing Law with a Side Hustle (“Mindful Return”)

If you're working in the legal profession and struggling, it's OK to ask for help. In this episode, host Jordan Rich moderates an important discussion about lawyer well-being with Amanda Rowan, an assistant clerk magistrate and co-chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Lawyer Well-Being Committee; Rebecca Green Neale, an attorney in private practice; and Shawn Healy, PhD., a clinical psychologist with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. Hear personal accounts about some of the ways that lawyers and law students experience burnout, stress, vicarious trauma and other challenges, as well as some of the helpful resources available to lawyers and law students in Massachusetts.

The American legal system is only as healthy as the lawyers and judges who populate it. Yet, the system as it's structured places enormous stress on many of them, which not only affects their personal happiness and career satisfaction, but also can diminish the level of service they provide to their clients and the public who depend on them. In 2017, a National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being issued a groundbreaking report. The report found that the legal profession was falling short when it comes to lawyer well-being; that too many lawyers experience chronic stress and high rates of depression and substance abuse; and that those conditions could not support a profession dedicated to client service and dependent on public trust. That National Task Force recommended that the Chief Justices of the fifty states each undertake a review of lawyer well-being in their jurisdictions. In response, the late Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court convened a Steering Committee in 2018 to begin that review and make recommendations to the Court. He appointed Margot Botsford, a recently retired Associate Justice of the Court, to chair the Steering Committee, and included Boston attorney Denise Murphy, who at the time was Vice President of the Massachusetts Bar Association, as one of its members. The 2019 report of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being confirmed that an unacceptably high number of Massachusetts lawyers in a variety of practice settings experience debilitating levels of stress and anxiety from their work, and identified several root causes. Higher Callings is pleased to present this recent interview of Margot Botsford and Denise Murphy, who initially chaired, and today continue to serve on, the Standing Committee which emerged from the Steering Committee's work and which continues to monitor and address the well-being of Massachusetts lawyers.You can find the website for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being here: https://lawyerwellbeingma.org/You can find the website for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers/Massachusetts here: https://www.lclma.org/You can find Margot Botsford's Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margot_BotsfordYou can find Denise Murphy's law firm biography here: https://www.rubinrudman.com/attorneys/denise-i-murphy/

Gina Plata-Nino worked with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) where she served as a lead advocate on the Hunger Free Campus legislative campaign to help address food security issues among college students. Before MLRI, she served as a staff attorney at the Central West Justice Center of Community Legal Aid in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she oversaw the Food Security Project, which sought to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and identify ways to give residents access to affordable, nutritious foods. She also worked at the state and federal levels on a variety of legislative, administrative, and policy issues that impacted families with low incomes, seniors, and other vulnerable populations. Additionally, she chaired the Central Massachusetts SNAP Coalition and worked with state and federal organizations to push legislation that removes obstacles to receiving public benefits. Gina holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a bachelor's degree in history from Montclair State University with minors in Paralegal Studies and Pre-Law. In 2019, the Massachusetts Bar Association named her an Access to Justice Award Rising Star. In 2022 she received the Liberty Award from the Worcester County Bar Association and the Top Women of Law award from the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She is actively involved in her local community and serves on various boards and coalitions including as co-chair of the community engagement and government relations committees for the Worcester County Bar Association, a member of the steering committee, and a mentor for the Massachusetts Bar Association's Tiered Community Mentoring Program. Episode Highlights: What is Gina's background and how did this moment come to be? (3:06) How do we again focus on those people with positions decision-making on making positions? (5:51) The transition from the private sector to relying on the community for support (7:06) There's power in numbers (12:28) Working with the coalition to get the right people involved (16:31) Massachusetts is supposed to be a progressive state, but it's not (21:45) How do we support women of color in running for office? (24:29) Nourish your soul by traveling to different cultures (26:47) Key Takeaway: Keep Fighting The Good Fight!

The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission is charged with creating a mandatory certification process for police officers, as well as processes for decertification, suspension of certification, and retraining in the event of certain misconduct. In this episode, POST Commissioner Marsha Kazarosian, a past Massachusetts Bar Association president, speaks with host Jordan Rich about the POST Commission's formation and ongoing work.

Kim Napoli (MA State Cannabis Advisory Board) and Caroline Pineau (Owner of Stem Haverhill) are our guests. Kim Napoli is a licensed labor and employment attorney in Massachusetts, the co-founder of the Hempest, and a Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board member. She served as Director of Outreach for the Yes on 4 Campaign to Regulate and Tax Marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016. Napoli is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and Suffolk University College of Arts & Sciences, and a member of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association. Caroline Pineau is the owner of Stem Haverhill, a woman-owned adult-use dispensary. She's overcome lawsuits, bullying, and politics to open her store in downtown Haverhill. Caroline has stood up often for the cannabis industry mostly recently challenging the mayor of Haverhill over nonsense fees. She also recently hosted a Green Goddess golf Invitational that raised money for a charity in the city of Haverhill. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theyoungjurks/support

SHOW NOTES: Based in Massachusetts, Tucker Merrigan serves as co-founder and co-managing partner of Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP. Tucker specializes in plaintiff personal injury law, specifically mass torts relating to defective medical devices and opioids. Tucker has received national recognition for his litigation work. From 2018-2021, Super Lawyers recognized him as a Rising Star. The National Trial Lawyers also named Tucker to their Top 40 Under 40 Trial Attorney list for six years running (2015-2021). He is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Boston Bar Association, and Massachusetts Bar Association. Outside of running his law practice, Tucker enjoys volunteering as a “Big Brother” mentor at Boston's Big-Brother Big-Sister Foundation. Merrigan intro page: https://www.sweeneymerrigan.com/about-our-law-firm/attorneys/j-tucker-merrigan/  Tucker Personal Socials: Linkedin Sweeney Merrigan socials: Facebook Twitter Linkedin   Remember to subscribe and follow us on social media…   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mass-tort-news Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/masstortnewsorg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masstortnews.org

As a mediator, are you curious about other fields that use conflict resolution skills? Are you looking for a field that combines a systemic approach with conflict resolution skills? In this episode, Chuck Doran--experienced mediator, ombuds and Executive Director of MWI--provides an introduction to the ombuds role.  Questions answered in this episode include: What is an ombuds? What are the different types of ombuds? What is the difference between a mediator and an ombuds? How can one get into the ombuds field? Links mentioned in the show:   International Ombuds Association FAQ Section Chuck's article: Mediator as Ombuds A Practical Guide to Organizational Ombuds: How They Help People and Organizations by Chuck Howard MWI Website Connect with Chuck Doran on LinkedIn The LinkedIn Group – Outsourced Ombuds Network can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14059472/ The Ombuds Blog   About Chuck: Chuck Doran is an experienced mediator and ombuds specializing in the resolution of employment, franchise and other commercial disputes. A mediator since 1992, he is a member of the CPR Dispute Resolution Panel of Distinguished Neutrals and has provided mediation and other ADR services to a variety of clients including AT&T, Bose, BMW of North America, Coca-Cola, CVS Health, General Motors, Oxfam America, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), and the USPS REDRESS I and REDRESS II Mediation Panels. Chuck is a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP) and a member of the International Ombudsman Association who completed ombuds training with the IOA in 1995. In 1993, Chuck completed a Specialization in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. In 1994, Chuck founded MWI, a nationally recognized dispute resolution service and training organization based in Boston, MA that provides individual and corporate clients with mediation services, negotiation consulting and training, and mediation training. Chuck served as a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution and was Chair of the Qualifications Subcommittee. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Advisory Group and is a past president of the Association for Conflict Resolution, New England Chapter. He is also a Distinguished Fellow with the International Academy of Mediators (IAM) and a past president of IAM's Board of Governors.

Please join MitoAction as we welcome Annette Hines, Esq., founding partner of the Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts. Ms. Hines will be speaking on the basics of estate planning and special needs trusts laws in the U.S. Questions to be answered include: What is estate planning? Why should you create a plan for your estate? What does a will do? What is probate, and which assets go through it? What is a trust? What documents are required for incapacity planning? What is a special needs trust, and why would you need one? About the Speaker Ms. Hines has been practicing in the areas of Special Needs, Elder Law and Estate Planning for over fifteen years. She received her JD from Howard University School of Law, her MBA from Suffolk University and her BA from the University of Vermont. Her clients include individuals and families of children with special needs, the elderly and others in the community. Ms. Hines is the mother of two daughters, one of whom passed away from mitochondrial disease in November of 2013. Her personal experience as the mother of a child with special needs fuels her passion for quality special needs planning and drives her special understanding and dedication to her practice. Prior to practicing law, she founded and directed the nonprofit home care company, Special Families-Special Care, Incorporated which created a new standard for caregiving and a greater pay scale for caregivers. After leading the company to $1.5 million in revenue and 50 employees, she merged it with Shriver Clinical Services Corporation of Natick, Massachusetts and shifted her focus to her law practice. In addition to her membership in the Massachusetts Bar Association, she is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the National Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP) and the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers (MAWL), serving most recently as President. Recognized as a Distinguished Citizen by ARC Massachusetts and cited for public service by both the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives, Ms. Hines works tirelessly on behalf of people with disabilities. Ms. Hines served as President of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers for 2008-2009 and serves on the Board of Directors for a number of local non-profit organizations.

Continuing its commitment to cultivating leaders who work diligently toward the improvement of our profession and our society, the Massachusetts Bar Association developed a Leadership Academy to better prepare young attorneys to assume leadership roles at the bar, in their firms or organizations, and in government. In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks to Nicole Cocozza, an attorney at Prince Lobel, about the practical skills and insights she learned as a graduate of the most recent MBA Leadership Academy class.

Please join us on as we welcome two experts in the field of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provide an overview of these public benefits for Mito patients. Topics to be covered in this conference call include: Overview of SSI and SSDI programs; The differences between SSI and SSDI; Social Security’s definition of disability as it pertains to mitochondrial disease; How SSDI is designed to work, eligibility criteria, and the full range of SSDI benefitts; The application and appeals processes for SSI and SSDI; Resources available to support SSI and SSDI applications and appeals processes; Information on SSI and SSDI benefits for adult disabled children; Returning to work after obtaining social security benefits (the "Ticket to Work Program"); Specific challenges for individuals with mitochondrial disease in applying for SSDI and how to address them; and The benefits of professional representation and how to evaluate representation options. About the Speakers: Annette Hines has been practicing in the areas of Special Needs, Elder Law and Estate Planning for over fifteen years. She received her JD from Howard University School of Law, her MBA from Suffolk University and her BA from the University of Vermont. Her clients include individuals and families of children with special needs, the elderly and others in the community. Ms. Hines is the mother of two daughters, one of whom passed away from mitochondrial disease in November of 2013. Her personal experience as the mother of a child with special needs fuels her passion for quality special needs planning and drives her special understanding and dedication to her practice. Prior to practicing law, she founded and directed the nonprofit home care company, Special Families-Special Care, Incorporated which created a new standard for caregiving and a greater pay scale for caregivers. After leading the company to $1.5 million in revenue and 50 employees, she merged it with Shriver Clinical Services Corporation of Natick, Massachusetts and shifted her focus to her law practice. In addition to her membership in the Massachusetts Bar Association, she is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the National Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP) and the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers (MAWL), serving most recently as President. Recognized as a Distinguished Citizen by ARC Massachusetts and cited for public service by both the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives, Ms. Hines works tirelessly on behalf of people with disabilities. Ms. Hines served as President of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers for 2008-2009 and serves on the Board of Directors for a number of local non-profit organizations. Tai Venuti has more than 20 years of health education, marketing, sales, community and public relations experience in nonprofit, government and corporate arenas. As Allsup's manager of strategic alliances, she develops and grows relationships with organizations that share the company's commitment to empowering people with disabilities to live lives as financially secure and healthy as possible. Ms. Venuti is a former journalist and public relations executive. She previously managed national public health campaigns for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She holds a master's degree in public health from St. Louis University, a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University, and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

Welcome back and thank you all for tuning in to the latest episode of the Working Within Podcast Season 3! We're so glad to have you here with us.

Rate & review the Simply Financial Podcast on ITunesSpecial Guest: Doug Ewing, Vice President, Nationwide Retirement Institute, Insights & Solutions Field TeamDoug Ewing, JD, CFP, RICP, started his career with Nationwide® in 2019 with more than 15 yearsof industry experience. Doug serves the western region for the Nationwide Retirement Institute, educating financial professionals, clients, plan sponsors and plan participants about the latest in retirement income solutions.Prior to Nationwide, Doug was with Transamerica Capital Inc., where he was responsible for developing and delivering consultative sales content for annuity, retirement, mutual fund and life wholesalers.An accomplished public speaker with extensive main-stage, breakout and national webinar presentation experience, Doug covers topics such as health care, long-term care, Social Security benefits and tax-efficient retirement income.Doug was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1990 and got his start in the financial industry in 2003 as a financial professional with Legg Mason Wood Walker. He has earned both CFP and RICP designations and is FINRA Series 7 and 66 licensed.Doug Ewing's Full BioVisit https://www.nationwide.com/ 

The Massachusetts Bar Association celebrates Conflict Resolution Week from Oct. 18-22. On this episode hosted by Jordan Rich, Dispute Resolution practitioners and program co-chairs Julie R. Bryan (chair of the MBA's Dispute Resolution Section) and Michael A. Zeytoonian preview the MBA's free Conflict Resolution Day webinar on Oct. 21 (4-6 p.m.), "Reimagining the Dispute Resolution Frontier: How Technology and the Pandemic Have Triggered A DR Evolution." You'll get insight into how virtual technology has changed the landscape, expanded the toolbox and affected the future outlook for dispute resolution. You'll also hear about what DR practitioners are doing to maintain wellness in the profession, as well as recommendations for those looking to get started in the field of dispute resolution.

At age 26 in 2008, pop star Britney Spears was put under a court-sanctioned conservatorship. That meant that other people (including her father) that had been named as a conservator were allowed to make decisions about her career and her money. The story has attracted so much attention that it has its own New York Times documentary, and its own hashtag on Twitter, known as the #freeBritney movement. Recently, after 13 years of acting as a conservator, Britney Spears' father finally agreed to step down from his position managing his daughter's estate and career. Britney Spears' conservatorship and the associated #freeBritney movement has brought a lot of attention to these legal scenarios, but what do guardianships and conservatorships actually entail?On today's episode of the Taxgirl podcast, Kelly is joined by Alexandra “Sasha” Golden to explain more about conservatorships and why Britney Spears' case has folks so captivated. Sasha received her undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College, and has been practicing law in Massachusetts since 1994. Attorney Golden is a long-standing member of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and of the Probate and Solo and Small Firm sections of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Listen to Kelly and Sasha talk about Britney Spears & conservatorships:What is guardianship and conservatorship, and why do they feel so “extraordinary” when it comes to major cases like Britney Spears? Sasha explains a guardianship is control of a person, while conservatorship is control of a person's estate. However, in California (where Britney's case has been handled), both are lumped together as a conservatorship. What are the specific reasons a court may instate a guardianship or conservatorship? Sasha details the details in the law that point to an individual that is incapacitated or unable to make decisions for themselves; the first key step is to obtain clinical proof of the individual's condition/s. In the case of Britney Spears, the courts had to receive detailed statements from doctors and psychologists that confirmed her incapacitated state in order to place a conservatorship in place. Oftentimes, guardianship can be consensual between guardians and the individuals. On the other extreme, such as a case with someone with advanced dementia, an individual may not be able to agree or disagree to anything and a guardianship is put into effect for their best interest. After a guardianship or conservatorship is put in place, there have to be periodic updates and revisits in the court to share how things are going and what recommendations may be going forward. There's often a lot of money wrapped up in these conservatorships. In the Spears case, her personal estate is somewhere in the range of 60 Million. Managing an estate as a conservator has to be in the best interest of the individual. But Spears' father has taken $16,000 a month for his own salary, while Britney herself has been given $2,000 a month of her own money. Who gets to be the guardian or conservator? It can be a family member like a spouse, child, parent, or sibling, but complications can arise when conservators do not manage their responsibilities to the individual's best interest.  What happens when conservators mismanage funds, or even well-meaning conservators hire financial assistance that goes haywire? The fault falls on the person acting as the fiduciary, but the details can get hairy.  What are some good steps to take initially if someone feels a person in their life might need a conservatorship? Sasha says she always encourages people to start by hiring a geriatric care manager to help sort out details and be an advocate for the individual. The next step would be bringing an elder care attorney into the team. Something that's getting a lot of buzz now is called supportive decision making, where a person chooses people in their life to give them feedback on...

Learn about short statutes of limitations, sticky statutes of repose and many other insidious malpractice hazards found in the newly expanded Seventh Edition of "Traps for the Unwary," the Massachusetts Bar Association's award-winning malpractice prevention handbook. The e-publication is now available to all MBA members as an exclusive member benefit during the 2021-22 association year. In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with O'Malley, Harvey and Brosnan LLP attorneys James E. Harvey Jr. (editor-in-chief) and John F. Brosnan (senior editor) about what's inside "Traps" and why it's a must-read for Massachusetts lawyers in civil practice.

Tucker Merrigan is a partner at Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP along with his brother, Peter M. Merrigan, and his father, Thomas T. Merrigan. He represents individual clients throughout Massachusetts and the U.S.    Merrigan's practice concentrates on cases involving personal injury, defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, wrongful death, premises liability, products liability, medical malpractice, and insurance law. In both 2015 and 2016, he was named a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Attorney by the National Trial Lawyers.    Merrigan earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Tufts University. As an undergraduate, Merrigan was captain of the Varsity Men's lacrosse team at Tufts, earning All-American and Scholar All-America honors.    He then went on to graduate with Dean's Honors from New England School of Law. As a law student, he served on the board of the Student Bar Association.    Merrigan is currently a member of the American Association for Justice, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Boston Bar Association, and Massachusetts Bar Association.  He serves as a Big-Brother in the Big-Brother Big-Sister foundation of Greater Boston.   On the show, Merrigan discusses the entrepreneurship required to manage a thriving law practice and positive developments he's seen in the plaintiffs' bar over the last year.    Remember to subscribe and follow us on social media. Enjoy the show.

Episode 2 of Women of Color: Legal Diaries. Volunteerism and work-life balance with Boston-based attorney, Avana Epperson-Temple. Attorney Epperson-Temple is a litigation attorney at the Boston-based law firm Peabody & Arnold, LLP. As a litigator, Avana has a track record of successfully defending her clients at both the trial and appellate levels of the court. Business owners, law firms, employers, attorneys, brokers and other professionals turn to Avana for defense against allegations of malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract claims in state and federal court. She has successfully tried cases in state court and successfully argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court. In addition to her law practice, Avana serves on the Board of Directors for Pine Street Inn, New England's leading provider of housing, shelter, street outreach and job training to homeless individuals. She also serves as an At-Large Director for the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and as a Member of the Anti-Defamation League's Associate Board. Avana is a pro bono attorney for the Women Bar Foundation of Massachusetts' Family Law Project where she represents survivors of domestic violence in family law and restraining order cases. Avana was recognized by Get Konnected! as one of Boston's Most Influential Millennials of Color in 2018 and she was named an Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2020. In 2021, she received the Massachusetts Bar Association's 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.

Trailer for episode 2 of Women of Color: Legal Diaries with Boston-based attorney, Avana Epperson-Temple. Attorney Epperson-Temple is a litigation attorney at the Boston-based law firm Peabody & Arnold, LLP. As a litigator, Avana has a track record of successfully defending her clients at both the trial and appellate levels of the court. Business owners, law firms, employers, attorneys, brokers and other professionals turn to Avana for defense against allegations of malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract claims in state and federal court. She has successfully tried cases in state court and successfully argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court. In addition to her law practice, Avana serves on the Board of Directors for Pine Street Inn, New England's leading provider of housing, shelter, street outreach and job training to homeless individuals. She also serves as an At-Large Director for the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and as a Member of the Anti-Defamation League's Associate Board. Avana is a pro bono attorney for the Women Bar Foundation of Massachusetts' Family Law Project where she represents survivors of domestic violence in family law and restraining order cases. Avana was recognized by Get Konnected! as one of Boston's Most Influential Millennials of Color in 2018 and she was named an Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2020. In 2021, she received the Massachusetts Bar Association's 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.

Learn how to begin successful trial preparation early and weave it into every step of your case. In this podcast, you’ll hear from Vincent N. DePalo of Smith Duggan Buell & Rufo LLP and Melissa Juárez of the Suffolk Superior Court. The full program, recorded on 10/15/2020, is available as an on demand webcast or an MP3 here. Get 24/7 instant access to hundreds of related eLectures like this one—and more—with a subscription to the MCLE OnlinePass. Learn more at www.mcle.org/onlinepass.Speakers:VINCENT DEPALO is a partner at Smith Duggan Buell & Rufo LLP in Boston. He concentrates his practice in complex civil litigation, particularly toxic torts; products liability; and insurance defense. His courtroom experience includes a recent defense verdict in the first joint asbestos-tobacco exposure trial in Massachusetts history. This six-week jury trial garnered national attention and resulted in a $43.1 million verdict against a codefendant tobacco company. The jury found Mr. DePalo’s client not liable on all counts. Mr. DePalo was published in both legal and scientific journals. Most recently, he coauthored the Massachusetts law chapter in the Claims Professional Desk Reference manual published by the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel. He previously served as a Judicial Fellow for Superior Court Associate Justice Dennis J. Curran. During this time, Mr. DePalo gained unparalleled access to dozens of juries after they rendered their verdicts as part of a research project analyzing jury education levels, the effectiveness of early judicial intervention, and presumptive mediation in civil cases. In addition to practicing law, Mr. DePalo is an adjunct professor at Northeastern School of Law where teaches torts to LLM students and he has guest lectured at Brown University, Tufts University, and Roger Williams School of Law.MELISSA A. JUÁREZ is an assistant clerk magistrate in Suffolk Superior Court, where she has worked for over a year. She obtained her B.A. degree in political science from Boston University and her J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law in 1997. During her twenty-three year legal career, Ms. Juárez has worked in the public and private sectors as a litigator, trying numerous Superior Court and District Court civil and criminal jury trials as lead counsel. She was an assistant district attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office for five years, where she handled District and Superior Court criminal cases. For two years, she was counsel to the City of Boston Employment Commission, where she drafted, negotiated, and reviewed all development contracts on commercial construction projects on behalf of the Commission, ensuring compliance with city residency requirements. Ms. Juárez also ran her own law practice for several years, handling real estate transactions, G.L. c. 208, § 1A and 1B divorce actions, and general civil litigation. As an attorney for the Department of Correction, Ms. Juárez represented employees in civil litigation in state and federal court, handled G.L. c. 123A, § 9 sexually dangerous persons civil jury trials in Superior Court, and represented the Commonwealth in appeals of trials, including writing appellate briefs and oral arguments before the Appeals Court. She is a past executive board member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and delegate and is a past executive board member and officer of the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys. 

In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with attorney Josephine Babiarz, a member of the MBA's Elder Law Advisory Committee, about frequently asked questions related to Medicare, including who is eligible; how to enroll; and the differences between parts A, B, C and D. This is one of three companion MassBar Beat podcast episodes released in conjunction with the publication of the 2021 edition of the Elder Law Education Guide (ELG), the 12th edition of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s resource guide on a wide range of legal issues affecting the lives of older adults, which is available for free at www.massbar.org/ElderLaw.

In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with attorney Alex L. Moschella, chair of the MBA's Elder Law Advisory Committee, and Nicole McGurin, Director of Family Services, Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter, about the common questions that arise when older adults experience physical or cognitive impairments later in life that could affect their driving, as well as resources available to help. This is one of three companion MassBar Beat podcast episodes released in conjunction with the publication of the 2021 edition of the Elder Law Education Guide (ELG), the 12th edition of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s resource guide on a wide range of legal issues affecting the lives of older adults, which is available for free at www.massbar.org/ElderLaw.

In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with Jill Joyce, HUD Certified Housing Counselor and Certified HECM Counselor, and attorney Stephen Pepe, an HECM Loan Specialist at Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC, about the benefits of using reverse mortgages, as well as what to look out for when applying for one. This is one of three companion MassBar Beat podcast episodes released in conjunction with the publication of the 2021 edition of the Elder Law Education Guide (ELG), the 12th edition of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s resource guide on a wide range of legal issues affecting the lives of older adults, which is available for free at www.massbar.org/ElderLaw.

Doug Baumoel shares on The Family Factor: Why it's so important, How to measure it, How to Build it. About: Doug Baumoel is the Founder of Continuity, LLC and offers an extensive background in family business operations and executive management in his work with clients. He served as a second-generation executive in his own family's business and has held key executive positions in other family and non-family businesses. Doug started and ran businesses in both the U.S. and Europe, and lived overseas for six years while establishing and managing the European offices of his family's business. He has applied more than 20 years of business experience to the development of a process for analyzing key variables affecting family business conflict. Early on in his career, prior to joining his family's business, Doug served as an internal consultant in strategic planning for Sperry Corporation (Unisys) and as an engineer at Polaroid. Doug is the co-author, with Continuity Managing Partner, Blair Trippe, of Deconstructing Conflict: Understanding Family Business, Shared Wealth and Power. This recently published work is the ultimate guide to Continuity's unique developmental approach to conflict management in family enterprises. A highly-regarded thought leader on conflict management, leadership and governance in family enterprise, Doug has authored or co-authored articles and chapters for numerous professional publications and journals – including Family Business and Massachusetts Family Business magazine; the Thomson West Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Guide; Private Company Director magazine; and Negotiation Journal of the Harvard/MIT/Tufts Program on Negotiation. His extensive speaking and facilitation engagements include the Campden “America's Families in Business” conference; FFI's annual international conference; Transitions East; and the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University along with Suffolk University Law School; Northeastern University Business School; Babson University; the Massachusetts Bar Association; American Bar Association; Massachusetts Probate Council; Boston Private Bank; several regional estate planning councils and various national industrial conferences in multiple industries. Doug earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. A dual certificate holder in both Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising from the Family Firm Institute, he has been awarded the additional distinction of FFI Fellow. Among Doug's numerous professional achievements, he holds a certificate in Civil Mediation from MCLE and is a graduate of the Director Professionalism program of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), which recognized him with Fellow status. Doug also served as President of the New England chapter of the Family Firm Institute.

Join Shain Neumeier and Lydia X. Z. Brown in conversation about the connections between youth rights, disability justice, and racial justice movements in addressing coercive and forced treatment, institutionalization, and mass criminalization. They will discuss the connections between applied behavior analysis and conversion therapy, the history of the Judge Rotenberg Center's electric shock torture, and the deinstitutionalization and decarceration movements.Shain Neumeier is a lawyer, activist, and community organizer, as well as an out and proud member of the disabled, trans, queer, and asexual communities. Their passion on the issue of ending abuse and neglect of youth with disabilities in schools and treatment facilities stems from their own experiences with involuntary medical treatment and bullying, and led them to go to law school. They have pursued their goal of using legal advocacy to address these problems ever since. Shain's work appears in Autistic Activism and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontlines, Resistance and Hope: Crip Wisdom for the People, Rewire News, and Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking.Among other honors, they were named the Massachusetts Bar Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer in 2018, the Self Advocacy Association of New York State's Self Advocate of the Year in 2017, and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities' Leadership in Advocacy Awardee in 2015. Shain has previously worked with the Intersex and Genderqueer Recognition Project, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, and the Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth. When not working, they're probably crafting, playing Dungeons & Dragons, listening to history podcasts, or watching Netflix with their partner and three feline roommates.Lydia X. Z. Brown is a disability justice advocate, organizer, educator, attorney, strategist, and writer whose work has largely focused on interpersonal and state violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people living at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, nation, and language. They are Policy Counsel for the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology; Adjunct Lecturer in Disability Studies for Georgetown University's Department of English; and Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs at the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network. They are also founder and volunteer director of the Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color's Interdependence, Survival, and Empowerment. Currently, they serve as a founding board member of the Alliance for Citizen Directed Supports, presidential appointee to the American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights, and chair of the American Bar Association's Section on Civil Rights & Social Justice, Disability Rights Committee.Previously, Lydia worked on disability rights and algorithmic fairness at Georgetown Law's Institute for Tech Law and Policy, served as Justice Catalyst Legal Fellow for the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and worked at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network as a member of the national policy team. They are former Chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, Visiting Lecturer at Tufts University, Holley Law Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force, and Patricia Morrissey Disability Policy Fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership. While a student, Lydia was a legal extern/student practitioner for the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, student attorney in the Prisoners' Rights Clinic, and investigative intern for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.

Heidi experienced her first migraine and drank a lot while in law school. She also had her first panic attack the morning before she sat for the bar. Sound familiar? This week on the Path to Well-Being in Law podcast, Bree and Chris continue their mission to highlight people doing important work in the space of lawyer well-being by welcoming Heidi Alexander. As the first Director of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Advisory Committee on Professionalism, and Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Practice Management Program, Heidi can make a better case than anyone for why management of a successful practice is directly tied to the wellbeing of the lawyers running that practice.Transcript:CHRIS NEWBOLD:                Hello and welcome to episode seven of the National Taskforce on Lawyer Well-Being podcast series, The Path to Well-Being in Law. I'm your co-host Chris Newbold, Executive Vice President of ALPS Malpractice Insurance. And our goal here is simple, to introduce you to cool people doing awesome work in the space of lawyer well-being, and in the process, build and nurture a national network of well-being advocates intent on creating a culture shift within the legal profession. I'm joined today by my friend and my fellow co-chair of the National Task Force, Bree Buchanan, Bree-BREE BUCHANAN:              Yeah, hello, everyone.CHRIS:                And today, we continue our march around the states who are leading the charge, I think in well-being, initiatives, commitment, and success. And as we all know, movements generally are driven by those at the grassroots level, living the day to day trying new ideas. In other words, serving as laboratories of new ideas. And in any movement, we need a few leaders to jump out front and that's exactly what we have seen out of our friends in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Across the country we've seen a swelling of task forces, workgroups, roundtables, and there are lessons to be learned from what's going on in states like Massachusetts and in their roadmap. And we're so excited today to welcome Heidi Alexander to the podcast. Heidi is Massachusetts' first director of Supreme Judicial Court, standing committee on Lawyer Well-Being. And Bree would you be so kind to introduce Heidi to our listeners?BREE:               Absolutely. And this is such a wonderful bio here Heidi. I just love it and would love to have been you. Heidi was formerly the deputy director of lawyers concern for lawyers in Massachusetts, and lead the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program. She is the author of Evernote as a Law Practice Tool. Past co-chair of ABA TECHSHOW, and founder of the ABA's Women of Legal Technology Initiative. She's a native Minnesotan, former collegiate ice hockey goaltender for the Amherst College Women's Ice Hockey Team, love it. CrossFit coach and power lifter, and most important of all, the mother of three young girls. So Heidi, thanks so much for being here with us today. And listen[crosstalk 00:02:34]HEIDI S. ALEXANDER:             Thanks for having me.BREE:                    Yeah, yeah. One of the things that we always ask our guests is just a little bit about what drives your passion and really wanting to hear from everyone what has brought you into the well-being movement? What experience in your life is the driver behind your passion for this one?HEIDI:     Yeah, thank you well, again, thank you again for having me on here. And I love it when someone calls me cool, because my kids certainly don't think so. And my wife certainly doesn't think. So I'm in a cool zone here. I appreciate it. I'm happy to talk about what brought me to this movement. I pursued somewhat of an alternative legal career path. I was that that kid who went to law school because I wanted to change the world. Super ambitious, driven. Didn't really think much about my own well-being other than exercise. I was a competitive athlete in college. But other than that, I wasn't really that aware. So I went to law school, a little bit older, because I worked and I started off as a clerk for a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court, which, of course was a fantastic experience.And then moved back to Boston and worked as a litigation associate doing plaintiffs side employment loss, a lot of discrimination, lots of civil rights work. So it's kind of where I thought I should be, but I hated litigation. It was not for me, and I left. And I actually got to a point where I thought, hey, maybe I'll even start an organic farm. I was a little bit lost. Because I had just been so focused on, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to be and all of a sudden when it just wasn't working out, that was tough. So I ended up by... I actually wrote a business plan to start a farm and then apprenticed on a farm and said, oh, this isn't for me either. But all that time, I got really involved in the bar associations and ended up pursuing an interest of mine.Which was more along the lines of the management of the practice, and really focused on marketing and technology. And I started to consult with some firms. And so that's actually what led me to Lawyers Concern for Lawyers in Massachusetts. Because Lawyers Concerns for Lawyers actually has a program, which is a Law Office Management Assistance Program. So it's actually part of our state's lawyer assistance program where their practice advisors that consult with primarily solo and small firms on the business of law. And one of the things I realized when I was in that position, was that the two services, the clinical services, the focus on well-being, and the management of the practice, were intertwined.There's such a connection, right? Between the personal and the professional. And so I got much more interested in the well-being work, and then I shifted to this position that I'm currently in working for the court really focused on well-being. But in addition to the commitment that I have, that I've always had to working, or doing public service work, I do have some life experiences that have drawn me here to. And so for those listening, that some of this may ring true for you, when I was in law school, I actually got my first migraine with an aura. And it's a pretty scary experience.You see a bright light, and it's almost like you think you're having a stroke. And so that was pretty scary. I drank a lot in law school to deal with stress. I had my first panic attack before I sat for the Massachusetts and New York Bars. And then had a lot of anxiety when I was in practice. And so it wasn't really until then, did I really start to focus on my own well-being and kind of what that meant. So I do feel like I come from this, from a lot of different angles and perspectives.BREE:               Absolutely. I really identified a lot with what some of the things that you were saying. Yeah, yeah. And I remember having a lot of the same difficulties early in law school, and you just sort of persist, and then do the things that you think you're supposed to do, and you're told to do and it doesn't fit, and then you move on to finding something else. And so it sounds like you've got a really great balance and full life right now. That's wonderful.Heidi S. Alexan...:            I do. I do. Yeah.CHRIS:             Let's talk about your state. So the Supreme Judicial Court launches this standing committee on lawyer well-being and I'm just curious on how does that happen? Right? Who were the players? How did things start to form? Obviously, you're a result of that work. So give us the background on how the well-being committee launched their Massachusetts?Heidi S. Alexan...:            Yeah. So this was really a collaborative effort, I think, by many of the leaders here and the pioneers in Massachusetts, including leaders in our court, leaders from our state's lawyer systems program, folks in law firms, public agencies, bar associations, and other organizations. But I think it was really our late Chief Justice, Ralph Gantz, who was responsible for making this a reality. The chief justice who actually just passed away very suddenly, almost maybe a few weeks ago now, he was really dedicated to this work. And he was a huge advocate and proponent of the SJC steering committee. And so the steering committee was the first committee that formed and then transition to a permanent standing committee. And again, I mean, the Chief Justice, he was a leader in so many ways. This wasn't his only focus. So his death is a huge loss for the entire community here.CHRIS:             Do you know what drove his personal passion for this issue?HEIDI:            Yeah, that's actually an interesting question. And I actually don't think I could answer that question. I mean, he was the sort of guy that just was a really compassionate person, a really thoughtful person, someone who was always looking out for others, potentially to the detriment of himself. I mean, he was someone who was so driven. And I just can't imagine the stress that he had been under, especially starting in March with the pandemic. SO I think he comes at it from a number of different ways. Because he was also very, very, very much committed to racial injustices as well. Which I'll definitely would like to talk about later. There's such a tie to well-being there. So, yeah, I think he was just a fantastic person all around.CHRIS:               Yeah, I think I've shared with you, Heidi, that one of in my five years working on this, his quote, that I think he shared is one of my favorites in the well-being space. And it basically says, the health of our legal system depends on the health of the legal profession, and the health of the profession depends on the health of our lawyers. I just think that, that really encapsulates just what we're trying to do here and how it's all intertwined in terms of the well-being and functioning of the legal system, and how dependent it is on us to be thinking about those participants within the system and their particular health to drive the success of the system.HEIDI:           Yeah, I mean, he really was someone who is very wise and very good with his words.CHRIS:                Yeah. So what have been some of the obviously, you kind of had a interim committee now you have a standing committee. So what have been some of the outcomes of the process and where do we now find ourselves today?HEIDI:             Sure, sure. So we had this steering committee, which formed in 2018, and it met from 2018 to 2019, which was led by retired SJC Justice Margot Botsford, who also is another just tremendous leader and inspiration for this work. And so under her lead, they convened a number of subcommittees over the course of the year. And each of those subcommittees represented a different sector. And each wrote a report. And so upon review of the reports, a series of recommendations resulted. And so that steering committee then compiled its formal recommendations, and the reports from each of the subcommittees and into this 150 page report, which was then released in July of 2019. And so they didn't really want to stop there because the thought was, well, we have this great report, right? With all these recommendations. Now, what do we do?And so, in the report, one of the recommendations was to create a permanent standing committee. And so that happened in January of 2020. And a bunch of new members were added there. So they weren't necessarily the people who had worked on the steering committee report, they were new folks. And then in order to help guide implementation of the recommendations, that's when I was then hired as the one full time director of the committee in March about a day before the pandemic. So, but with my roots really in the lawyer assistance world, it made for a really easy transition. So that's sort of where we got to, and then I'm happy to later on tell you all the wonderful things we are working on.CHRIS:                Yeah.BREE:               Yeah. And so Heidi, I'm just wondering, there was just this really clear and tight regression of the work there in Massachusetts. How did that happen? I mean, I'm thinking about for this podcast, hoping that people can take away the success stories of some of our guests and think about how they can implement in the state. And so what do you see as the key components to getting you to this point? To getting that permanent steering committee? Did you see that to come together to make that [crosstalk 00:14:38] secret sauce?HEIDI:              Well, I mean, I do think that it was essential to have the Chief Justice and the court behind these efforts. And also in particular now, so we have justice Margot Botsford, who's the retired justice. She led this steering committee, and now is one of the co-chairs of the standing committee. And so she's very well known. She has fantastic ideas. So she's kind of a major player here. And so I think that that's really helpful. But I also think we have a number of different leaders that we are connected to who have really bought in and are passionate. And so I think it's really helpful to have people who represent all these different legal sectors. In particular, our committee, so our committee is comprised of people at public agencies.We have the number two person at the attorney general's office. We have a dean of, or the dean I should say, of Boston University Law School. We've got a medical advisor, we have someone from Greater Boston Legal Services. And then we have advisors on our committee, who are regulators and also the executive director of our State's Lawyer Assistance Program. So I think it's definitely helpful to have the buy in of those leaders. And then each of those people then sort of have their own, what we call kitchen cabinets. And so we have our tentacles everywhere. So I think one of the important pieces, and it's something that we work on is extending our reach, creating this awareness. And the more we can do that, kind of bring on those people and continue to extend the reach, I think that's really helpful to get that buy in.BREE:               Wonderful. Absolutely. And I'm just curious, real quick. One of the key players in some of the states or the state bar associations and did... Do you have them at the table in Massachusetts?HEIDI:          Yeah, absolutely. So we are a state, we do not have a mandatory bar. So we have, actually, I think we now have 3, I guess 33 bar associations by my last count. And one of them is the Massachusetts Bar Association, which is a huge Bar Association. Represents people from all there all over Massachusetts, and also the Boston Bar Association, which it typically represents a lot of the larger firms. But our other co-chair. So we have Margot Botsford. But we also have Denise Murphy, who is our other co-chair, who is the current president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.BREE:               Wow.[crosstalk 00:18:01]HEIDI:            So yeah. And her whole focus this year, with the Bar Association is well-being. So our work is so intertwined. And I really think that, for us, the bar associations are extremely important to our efforts, because they help us extend that reach. And there's a lot of work we can do with them, and help them and support them. And so we've actually started, we had our first bar leader meeting about a week ago, and we're going to have those on a regular basis. And we're talking about potentially figuring out some sort of mechanism to make sure they get our updates, and talk about ways we can collaborate. So we really want to make sure that we're supporting them, and we are working very, very closely with them.CHRIS:                And Heidi, does that extend to the totality of bar associations in your state? The specialty bars? County bars? Obviously, your state bars is a large and effective one. I'm just wondering about the scope of that kind of organizing effort.HEIDI:            Yes, absolutely. We think that's really important. Particularly, we've been doing a lot of work with our affinity bars, which are the bars that represent our diverse attorneys in Massachusetts. So we are very well connected to them. And then we have a lot of county bars that represent a lot of our lawyers across Massachusetts in different geographical areas, many of them solo and small firms. And a lot of the county bars don't have staff and they're volunteers. So they're volunteers who are doing all the work. So the more support that we can provide to them, I think that the more they can do. So we're talking about doing bench bar conferences, and mentorship programs, and loan assistance programs, lots of different ways in which we can work with them.CHRIS:             Excellent. Let's take us in to our first our break. And I do want to remind listeners that one of the things that we'll do in conjunction with Heidi's podcast is also post their steering committee report, obviously, 150 pages with the various sector subcommittee reports. And one of our goals in the podcast is to share this information through others who either may be along on a similar journey, or starting their journey, right? And so there should be information that will come along with the podcast for quick reference to their report there. So let's take a break.ADVERTISEMENT:                          Your law firm is worth protecting. And so is your time. Alex has the quickest online application for legal malpractice insurance out there. Apply, see rates and find coverage, all in about 20 minutes. Being a lawyer is hard. Our new online app is easy. Apply now at applyonline.alpsnet.com.BREE:               All right. Welcome back, everybody. And we have Heidi Alexander, who is the Director of the Massachusetts Well-Being Committee. And I'm sure that I did not get that name exactly right. But tell us what you guys are working on now. What are some of the really big items?Heidi S. Alexan...:            Yeah, sure. I'm happy to. And don't worry about the title. That's not actually not very important. I mean I think this is where things really become exciting, in my mind, because we have this 150 page report with many, many recommendations to implement. And a lot of the recommendations would really lead to a change in the legal culture. I mean, we have recommendations in there from our large firms subcommittee, that suggests a cap on billable hours.BREE:               Wow, none of these? Yeah?HEIDI:            I mean, none of these recommendations are easy, right? They're there not easy. And then you add the pandemic, and you add long standing inequalities that we have to address. And it becomes very complicated. And so when I first moved into this position, what we had to do was really take a step back and kind of reprioritize and figure out where could we realistically make progress? And be most effective? And these are the categories that I would say we are prioritizing. One is that of changing and influencing culture. And that is going to be something we will continue to kind of chip away at through these recommendations.Number two is increasing awareness and reducing stigma, which I know lots of people right across the nation are trying to do. Number three, increasing diversity, equity and inclusion, which we know is extremely important for well-being, particularly as a diverse attorney and feeling a sense of belonging in the profession.And also the ability to adequately represent clients. And we have a big problem here in Massachusetts, where attorneys don't necessarily look like the people they represent, and the judges making the decision don't look like the people, the litigants, right? And that causes a lot, a lot of problems. And I'm happy to definitely talk more about that. But the fourth is, in terms of the big picture, is improving life and career satisfaction and reducing burnout. And then the fifth is increasing civility. And we know that, we've seen sort of across the nation, there's decline in instability. And so we think that that is extremely important in terms of increasing well-being. So those are the big picture items, which are being held over our head. Yeah.CHRIS:                And those pillars, do you then... Have you developed working groups underneath that? what's your strategy in terms of an execution strategy?HEIDI:            Yeah. So we have, like I talked about, these kitchen cabinets. Each person on our committee has a kitchen cabinet. And sometimes we use that kitchen cabinet as sort of an advisory group. Sometimes they're working on something specific. So for example, we have a law school subcommittee. And the law school subcommittee is comprised of faculty, and administrators, and law students from each one of our law schools here in Massachusetts. And what they are working on specifically right now is a toolkit for Massachusetts law schools, a well-being toolkit. And this will be for law students, faculty, and administrators. And some of the issues they're going to address will be, how do you access mental health services? What sort of programs can you provide? How should faculty be attuned to well-being issues?And how can they integrate that into every single one of their courses? How do you address cultural competency? So they're doing a lot. And I think part of what I think is going to be so great about that is, if we can do it the right way, if we can take that toolkit and disseminate it to all these law schools and actually have them implement this, I think it's going to go a long way in terms of a long way in terms of making some real cultural changes in the law schools. Because we do have a lot of folks representing, again, representing all these different law schools.BREE:              That's amazing. And I just want to say Heidi how do you get that? we want to be able to post it on the task force's website and try to [crosstalk 00:27:27]HEIDI:            Of course yeah.BREE:               [crosstalk 00:27:30] wonderful. And that's just one, I'm sure of many projects that you're working on. Are there any others that you wanted to highlight?HEIDI:             And I want to say too, that they are using the national task force law school toolkit. Using aspects of that. So that has also been very helpful to them. Yeah, we have a lot of different projects that fit into the big picture categories. And I'll mention some of them that I think folks might be interested in. Our report talks a lot about the importance of mentorship, and that the impact on well-being. And so we've actually launched a bunch of mentorship programs. We just finished a pilot out in the western part of the state. And it was an interesting sort of unique mentorship model where we actually use software, a software program to connect mentors to mentees. And it was almost like a dating app, where the mentees got to sort of look at the bios of their potential mentors, and they got to select they, could say I'm interested in this person, I'm interested in this person.And they got to meet with multiple mentors. So they kind of got a variety of perspectives. And what we learned from them is that it wasn't a lot of substantive conversation. It was actually about like, how do you manage practice, how do you manage the caseload? How do you deal with adversaries? It was more issues related to well-being really than the substance of practice. So that's one of them. We also just launched a pilot loan Assistance Program, because we know that student loans create a huge amount of stress for attorneys. And so we created this program to work with an organization to provide education, coaching and resources. And so we actually have over 200 attorneys signed up for this pilot, which [crosstalk 00:29:57]BREE:            Wow how amazing.HEIDI:            And so we'll see. We will survey them after they finish it and see, did this have an impact on their stress. And we're also looking at how to create more accessible and affordable health care and benefits. So those are some of them. In terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, like I said, that's a big focus for us. A couple things that we're doing is we're actually changing some rules on SJC rule, to add a requirement to our bar registration process to collect demographic data, demographic data on our attorneys.We've never done this before. We don't know the makeup of the Massachusetts bar, we have no idea what it looks like. And so this is actually going to be required so that we can have a better understanding of the demographics of our bar and where are we falling short? Right? And then we can do things like what we recently did was held town halls with our affinity bars, again, who represent the diverse attorneys in Massachusetts and hear from them, and hear about their lived experiences, which by the way, were extremely, extremely distressing.BREE:             I'm sure. Must have been really powerful.HEIDI:             Yeah, yeah. There were sort of time and again, I mean, we heard over and over about the experiences, particularly in the courts, the treatment of diverse attorneys, people of color who would walk in and be confused with the defendant. Assumed that this person was the defendant, they'd have their bar card scrutinized as they walked through the door. And you can imagine what that does right? To someone's well-being? Their confidence, right? When that's happening to them right before they have to get up and argue in court, it takes a toll. So that's going to be a big part of our work, we're likely actually going to be hiring a consultant who's going to help us put together a strategic plan focused on increasing the diversity of our profession and helping us to better support our diverse attorneys.BREE:              And I wanted to... Follow up. One question on that. What I've heard also implicit in all of this, you guys are doing so much. I hear money. I hear funding behind that. So where do you guys get your funding to be able to pay your salary? And hire consultants do all of these things? Which I think for a lot of task forces would be just sort of really dreams.HEIDI:             Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I do wish that everyone was in the same situation as we are for sure. I think we are very, very fortunate. So mainly everything is funded through our bar assessments. So the fees that attorneys pay to be licensed here. We have a lot of attorneys in our state. So we have probably somewhere around 70,000 X active attorneys in our state, and they all pay. So basically, essentially, they are paying for this. So that is where it's coming to and the fact that we have the support of the SJC, again is essential because they're the ones who make the rules and can say, who gets what.BREE:                Yeah, just a follow... More follow up on that. In Virginia, they have the legislature imposed a specific dedicated assessment on basically membership dues that can transform the lawyers assistance program there. So do you guys is this just a specific line item on people's bar dues? Or is it allocated?HEIDI:           Yeah.BREE:              Okay.HEIDI:             Yup. It's a specific line item. So we actually don't have to go to the legislature. And the only reason we I think we'd have to legislators to increase the amount of funding but there are enough funds that we collect right now to actually make this possible. So we haven't had to increase bar dues.BREE:              Okay. Sorry to get in the weeds there, but that's when[crosstalk 00:34:48]HEIDI:             It's important.[crosstalk 00:34:50]CHRIS:                Yeah, no, it's a really important question because it certainly feels like Bree as we've teasing out and themes that we're seeing across states that are being extraordinarily successful in working on this issue. If there's not fuel to ignite the discussion and some resources available, I mean, we certainly can see instances where having a Heidi on the ground. We can see how one person can make a real significant difference in the both the leadership, and the orchestration of the activities. Right? And so certainly I know, other states are probably listening in on this, and maybe again, as Heidi, you said, maybe not in as fortunate of a position. And so that becomes I think, a major thing for us to be able to guide folks on, which is why having some dedicated resources to this can make such a huge difference.HEIDI:          Well I also think, and this is something that we've been trying to do as well, is to utilize, for example, some of the resources from the large firms, right? We have a bunch of large firms here. There, many of them have really fantastic, well-being programs that they're running. But are there ways in which we can help harness those resources, and maybe use them, for folks who don't have those resources? One of the things we've put together as we launched this local lawyer well-being network. And it started, was in our recommendations as a priority for the law firms to actually have this network of people who could talk about best practices, and share resources. But there was more interest.So we kind of opened it up to everyone. And we have people who are now involved who are sole solo practitioners, or small firms, who are in academia, who are in public agencies. And what we're trying to figure out is, is there some way that we could use the resources of the large firms almost in like this sort of pro bono charitable effort? Right? To help other people. Could maybe this the public agencies or the solo folks utilize some of the well-being resources that these firms have created? And so that's just something that we're... it's just sort of percolating at this moment, but maybe applicable to other folks and kind of thinking about how to access resources.CHRIS:                Yeah. Heidi, can I ask on the... It sounds like you had these kitchen cabinets, right? That really were formed around sectors that ultimately guided the recommendations within the steering committee report. Sounds like a couple of those sectors, were law schools and law firms. Can you share with us the other sectors that took shape in your state? Because again, a lot of states that do have task forces are kind of thinking about how they structure their work. And it sounds like you have progressed well, based upon the strategy that you've employed.HEIDI:             Yeah, so you're you're quizzing me now. Let's see if I can get them all. Yeah, so initially, for our steering committee, so we had public agencies, which would include district attorneys, they would include our committee for public counsel services, which are really our public defenders. We had our legal services. We had solo and small firms as a group, we had large firms as a group. We had in-house counsel. We also had, let's see, we already said what we said law school. What am I missing here? We also had individual bar associations. I talked about the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association.We actually had each of them wrote their own reports, too. So they were players. And I do think that one particular voice or voices that were missing from the steering committee, subcommittees were our affinity bars. So we did not have a report from our women's bar association, or our mass black lawyers, or our South Asian attorneys. And I think that would have been really helpful. So if people are thinking about that, that's a perspective I would definitely add. I'm probably missing a group but I just can't think of it right now.CHRIS:             No, worries. A couple more questions as we close out the podcast. I'm curious on as we think about well-being, I think one of the things that's oftentimes hard for us to kind of put our hands around is how we measure success. Right? And I'm just curious as you're clearly working on five pillars, you're going to be moving forward multiple initiatives. I'm curious Heidi, on your perspective of, how do you know when we've crossed certain thresholds toward either improvement? Or are there waystations out there that you can visualize, that give you the confidence that we are making a difference?HEIDI:            That is a fantastic question. And it is something that we think about all the time. And I think about it, particularly in my household, because actually, my wife is a physician and researcher, and her focus is on implementation science and evaluation. So we talk about this all the time. What is the most effective way to evaluate? And so what we're doing right now is we're hoping to embark on this sort of bigger study of lawyer well-being in Massachusetts to somewhat create a baseline. But I think a lot of these efforts they're going to have to continue, they're going to have to adapt and change. And we're probably never going to get to the point of where we say, oh, we're done, everyone's great, everyone's fantastic, right? They're going to be different issues that arise.And so I think in terms of our individual programs that we have, and our pilot programs that we're running, we're going to evaluate those specific programs and see how they impact the well-being. Like, when I talked about this Loan Assistance Program. We will do a survey at the end of that, and we and we will try to measure whether the program had any impact, right? On the stress. And so if we can show that in the short term, and then maybe then take that to sort of a broader scale, and then again, evaluate that later on. It may be looking at these things, in sort of little pieces, but also keeping track of keeping our pulse on changes, sort of over the course of a number of years.Like are we seeing any differences in other changes in terms of substance use? And addiction? What are the different issues that are arising? So, I think we sort of use that, I mean, it's evaluation in some ways, but in other ways, it's also to figure out where we have to focus our efforts, right? Collect the data, and then make these data driven decisions about what programs we're going to have, and then just keep moving along and keep adapting to the changes. So that's sort of a long, non answer to your question. Because I don't think that there's one... I don't know exactly what the right way is to do that, but those are some of the ideas we have.CHRIS:               Good, good. Well, let me ask you to just as a final question. Obviously, a lot of our listeners are at different points of the journey. Lessons learned. What are some of the things that you've learned the hard way? Some of the any advice or recommendations that you would make to others out there as they think about igniting change and culture shifts in their respective states?HEIDI:            Yeah, I mean, like I said, said before, I think it's really helpful to have the buy in of as many people and definitely influential people in your state as possible. I do think that initially, when I started working on this, I was sort of a deer in headlights thinking about, how do we tackle this major culture shift that we would like to happen? And what I learned was having these big picture goals were good. And I think they help us focus our efforts. But we have to really work on the concrete and tangible actions, where we can also demonstrate milestones like we've done this program, it's done X, Y, and Z. It's helped people in this way, right? It's impossible to tackle every issue right away. And so a lot of what we've done is prioritize our efforts. And we have looked at attorneys who are really struggling, especially during this time.So a lot of the solo and small, firm attorneys. While we know that the large law firms need a massive culture change, and there's a lot of work to be done. Like I said before, there's a lot of great well being efforts that are already happening there. And so sometimes you have to step back and say, okay, let them do their thing, let them do their work, where we're really needed is over here. And I think there's a lot of things that we can do, I guess for the larger firms, like create these networks, and that sort of thing. But I don't really feel like there's a one size fits all model for them. So it's a little bit more difficult. But I do think kind of focusing in, you're not going to be able to tackle it all at once. It's a  incremental process.CHRIS:                Yeah, there's no doubt that big goals ultimately need to be broken down into small steps. And obviously, the creation of your role is a small success in our bigger picture story of well-being across the country. Heidi, again, I want to thank you for your time, your expertise. Interesting route to getting to where you are today, but as we all know, you are now a mover and shaker in our well-being movement. I would consider you a thought leader, we need folks who are thinking about this on the day to day and let's be honest, we need more Heidi Alexander's out there in the field, advancing this at the state level. So I thank you fo your time, your commitment, I'm sure that if others have questions of you, that you'd be willing to feel those questions. And we'll include Heidi's contact information associated with the podcast and on the National Task Force website, as well. Bree, any parting remarks?BREE:               Just Heidi, I'm so impressed with all that you're doing, and the energy, and the broad perspective that you're bringing to this and just really in being able to persist and get things done. It's so impressive. And thank you for all that you're doing.HEIDI:           Yeah-[crosstalk 00:48:01]BREE:             Yeah thanks again.HEIDI:           Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I really appreciate this. And I've been an avid listener of the podcast so you've had some just phenomenal guests on here. I feel like I'm not not worthy of this, but I do appreciate and I so appreciate all your work. So thank you.CHRIS:     [inaudible 00:48:20] And to our listeners we'll be back in a couple of weeks. We'll have on the podcast, Martha Knudson, who's spearheading well being efforts in the state of Utah, right? So we've went through from Virginia, to Massachusetts, will pick up with Utah. And again, some really interesting things happening at the state level that we're excited to share with our listeners. But for now.

Jeff joins Kaliya and Seth to discuss the evolution of Internet law, from the 80's/90's, through music rights and Napster, Creative Commons, to today. Jeff is the founder/current President of Internetbar.org, Inc. Mr. Aresty has been involved in international business law and the role of technology in the transformation of the practice of law for almost three decades. He is a past chair of the American Bar Association Section of International Law’s Information Services, Technology, and Data Protection Committee and is currently the deputy program chair and has volunteered in other capacities for the ABA and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Also, check out TechforJustice.org

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, we talk to James Morton, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston. The CEO of the largest social services provider in Massachusetts, James advocates for all families in Boston and works to nurture the potential of every child and promote health and social responsibility. The 13th president and CEO of the YMCA, James previously served at YMCAs in Springfield and Hartford, CT. As the president of the YMCA of Greater Hartford, Morton oversaw substantial growth in innovative programming and membership experience, while also leading a $15 million capital campaign. James is currently a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, serves on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and serves on the City of Boston’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Board. We talk to James’ about his personal background and how it has influenced his work and journey, his work with the YMCA and working with Boston residents, the importance of the work of the YMCA during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more. While the pandemic forced many organizations to close, the YMCA of Greater Boston has worked to support their families during these challenging times.  If you would like to learn more about James’ work with the YMCA of Greater Boston, please see below. If you would like to support the important efforts made by the YMCA, you can find more information below. Resources: YMCA of Greater Boston Website Support the YMCA of Greater Boston James Morton Biography The Way to a Better Us: A Collection of Reflections from James Morton to the Community

With the current Coronavirus pandemic comes a whole new array of lawsuits and legal issues. There are issues of rent and prolonged delay of evictions, childcare expenses, employment, business operations, and more. How is the legal community tackling these issues? Jordan Rich talks to Denise Murphy, the President of the Massachusetts Bar Association about the legal community’s response to COVID.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter employment relationships in Massachusetts, which is still grappling with high unemployment rates as many companies are forced to adapt their practices or close. In this episode, hear answers to some frequently asked questions about employment and unemployment as host Jordan Rich interviews attorney Kavita Goyal, a partner at the firm of Rosen & Goyal P.C. in Andover and chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section.

Being a Landlord in Massachusetts, Part 2 This week join Alyssa McNamara Reed and her guests Sharon McNamara of Boston Connect Real Estate and Ben Cote of Stiles Law for a discussion about the challenges and opportunities of being a landlord in Massachusetts. Alyssa McNamara Reed, CFP®is a financial planner with passion for the intersection of taxes and investing.  Alyssa works with motivated savers, beneficiaries of estates, business owners, divorcees, and pre-retirees. Sharon McNamara is a Broker/Owner of Boston Connect Real Estate (h(ttps://www.bostonconnect.com), an Empowerment T.E.A.M. Leader, and a Real Estate Sales & Marketing Advisor. Benjamin X. Cote, Esq., of Stiles Law (http://stiles-law.com) is a graduate of Union College and Northeastern University School of Law. He joined Stiles Law in August of 2013. Benjamin is admitted to practice in Massachusetts. His practice focuses on estate planning, representation of fiduciaries and beneficiaries of estates and trusts, all facets of commercial real estate, and all facets of residential real estate. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and also has a background in criminal defense. You can reach Ben Cote at 781-319-1900 ext. 13 or by email at bcote@stiles-law.com McNamara Financial is an Independent, family-owned, fee-only investment management and financial planning firm, serving individuals and families on the South Shore and beyond for over 30 years. COME SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK WITH A FIDUCIARY. http://mcnamarafinancial.com/

Being a Landlord in Massachusetts, Part 1 This week join Alyssa McNamara Reed and her guests Sharon McNamara of Boston Connect Real Estate and Ben Cote of Stiles Law for a discussion about the challenges and opportunities of being a landlord in Massachusetts. Alyssa McNamara Reed, CFP®is a financial planner with passion for the intersection of taxes and investing.  Alyssa works with motivated savers, beneficiaries of estates, business owners, divorcees, and pre-retirees. Sharon McNamara is a Broker/Owner of Boston Connect Real Estate (h(ttps://www.bostonconnect.com), an Empowerment T.E.A.M. Leader, and a Real Estate Sales & Marketing Advisor. Benjamin X. Cote, Esq., of Stiles Law (http://stiles-law.com) is a graduate of Union College and Northeastern University School of Law. He joined Stiles Law in August of 2013. Benjamin is admitted to practice in Massachusetts. His practice focuses on estate planning, representation of fiduciaries and beneficiaries of estates and trusts, all facets of commercial real estate, and all facets of residential real estate. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and also has a background in criminal defense. You can reach Ben Cote at 781-319-1900 ext. 13 or by email at bcote@stiles-law.com McNamara Financial is an Independent, family-owned, fee-only investment management and financial planning firm, serving individuals and families on the South Shore and beyond for over 30 years. COME SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK WITH A FIDUCIARY. http://mcnamarafinancial.com/

The 2020 Elder Law Education Guide, the Massachusetts Bar Association’s 11th Annual resource guide on a wide range of legal issues affecting the lives of older adults, is now available for FREE at www.massbar.org/elderlaw. In this episode of the MassBar Beat, host Jordan Rich talks with two members of the MBA's Elder Law Advisory Committee, attorneys Alex L. Moschella (chair) and Josephine Babiarz, about the guide's COVID-19 Checklist -- a new addition this year, which offers important recommendations on the forms and decisions older adults should have ready in case they are sidelined with COVID-19 or any other potentially serious illness.

In this episode, I speak with Jared Correia, one of the pioneers in legal podcasting.  Jared was a huge mentor to me when I was launching the Counsel to Counsel podcast back in 2018 and I’m very pleased to welcome such a seasoned veteran. As of 2019, over half the US population had listened to at least one podcast. In 2019 over 100 million people listened to at least one podcast every week. There are over 700,000 active podcasts and 29 million podcast episodes available. Clearly, the age of podcasting has arrived.  But what is podcasting and how can you use it to market your legal services?  What are the mechanics of producing a podcast and how does podcasting interrelate with other legal marketing tools? Jared Correia, a national expert on the subject, sat down with me to answer some of these questions.  I met Jared over a decade ago when Jared was working for the Massachusetts Law Office Assistance Program and I was co-chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section. Jared Correia is the Founder and CEO of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, which offers subscription-based law firm business management consulting and technology services for solo and small law firms.  Red Cave also works with legal institutions and legal-facing corporations to develop programming and content. A former practicing attorney, Jared has been advising lawyers and law firms for over a decade.  He is a regular presenter at local, regional and national events, including ABA TECHSHOW. He regularly contributes to legal publications, including his column, ‘Managing,’ for Attorney at Work, and his ‘Law Practice Confidential’ advice column for Lawyerist.  Jared is the author of the American Bar Association publication ‘Twitter in One Hour for Lawyers’.  He is the host of the Legal Toolkit podcast on Legal Talk Network. Jared also teaches for Concord Law School, Suffolk University Law School and Solo Practice University.   More recently, he co-founded Gideon, a company that offers chatbot software for law firms to help attorneys automatically qualify leads, book consults, route leads to the right lawyer or staff person, and create new client matters, 24/7/365.

It's our yearly “Ask A Lawyer” hour. Volunteer lawyers from the Massachusetts Bar Association will field phone calls from residents who have legal concerns or problems. All advice is provided for free. In studio with Dan to talk about the service is president of the MBA, John Morrissey.

Episode 12 is with Attorney Debra Rahmin Silberstein, Partner at Burns & Levinson LLP in Boston. Attorney Silberstein specializes in trusts and estates, tax-related matters and elder law planning. Debra has extensive experience working with families where mental health planning is a priority and uses creative techniques to assist clients in reaching their goals. Debra is a graduate of Syracuse University where she earned a B.A. in Economics and obtained her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1984. Debra then obtained a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University in August 2009. Debra has over twenty-five years of legal experience and is an active member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and was the 2018 recipient of the Powley Elder Law Award. Today she is going to be talking with us about legal remedies for families coping with long term mental health issues. She is going to speak about alternatives to guardianship as well as other topics. This is part 2 of two podcasts focused on legal remedies in mental health. If you want to learn more about legal remedies that can be used during crises, please listen to Part 1 with Lisa Cukier. Debra will be telling us more about how to integrate into long term mental health planning the use of a durable power of attorney’s, health care proxies, psychiatric advanced directives and discretionary trusts with incentives. Three main talking points: 1. A brief overview of what guardianship is and who the people are who seek this legal intervention. We will also discuss some of the challenges and limitations of guardianship. 2. What alternatives to guardianship exist and in most instances are preferable? Alternatives such as DPOA’s (or durable powers of attorney), healthcare proxies and incentivized trusts. We will also discuss the importance of using a team approach when accessing any of these legal remedies. 3. PAD’s or psychiatric advanced directives. What they are, why everyone with a mental health issue needs one, and how they are written. Virgil and Debra also talk more about the DPAs and HCPs. These are critical tools, and aside from steps we one take to minimize “revocation” in a crisis, families should know who should serve in these roles, how to use of teams (or committees), family members and social workers etc.

The Massachusetts Bar Association’s award-winning Tiered Community Mentoring Program (TCM), based in Boston and Worcester, introduces urban high school students to information about college, provides pre-law college students with information about the law school admission process and gives law students an inside view of the practice of law with their attorney mentors. As this unique mentoring program celebrates its 10th Anniversary, Host Jordan Rich interviews past participants and current administrators about how TCM has helped students build a diverse network and enrich their careers.

At its Annual Dinner on May 9, the Massachusetts Bar Association will present the 2019 Access to Justice Awards to six attorneys and one law firm, in recognition of their exemplary legal skills and service to the community. In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with the honorees about the inspiring stories behind their awards. The 2019 Access to Justice Award winners are: Rising Star, Gina Plata-Nino (Worcester); Legal Services Attorney, Luz A. Arévalo (Boston); Pro Bono Law Firm, Sherin and Lodgen LLP (Boston); Pro Bono Publico Attorney, Stephen A. Smith (Norfolk); Defender, Tinia L. Snow (Roxbury); Prosecutor, Adrian Bispham (Boston); and Lifetime Achievement Award, Judith Liben (Boston).

On this episode, we welcome back two long-time friends of the show to talk privacy, security and HIPAA. David Harlow and Niam Yaraghi join me and Shahid for a wide-ranging discussion that includes: Niam's recent report: How HIPAA omnibus rules effectively reduced the number of data breaches among health care providers' business associates Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how it applies to the U.S. healthcare system. The difference between a systems approach and a data approach to security and privacy How privacy might be seen as a facet of patient safety and how that could change the approach Breaking down myths about the value of stolen health data (and some ways it can be valuable to organized crime) Dealing with privacy when the business model is to share (i.e. the Facebook scandal) How can we expect privacy when we are the product? What can we / should we expect from companies like Facebook when it comes to privacy? What is the privacy paradox? Will more regulations help or hurt privacy? What's the FTC's role in all of this? Plus the LabMD saga. What's a digital health startup to do? All 4 panelists give advice to startups on how to deal with security and privacy. Hint: bake it in from scratch. It's not as hard, or expensive as you think.   About David Harlow DAVID HARLOW is Principal of The Harlow Group LLC, a health care law and consulting firm based in the Hub of the Universe, Boston, MA. His thirty years' experience in the public and private sectors affords him a unique perspective on legal, policy and business issues facing the health care community. David is adept at assisting clients in developing new paradigms for their business organizations, relationships and processes so as to maximize the realization of organizational goals in a highly regulated environment, in realms ranging from health data privacy and security to digital health strategy to physician-hospital relationships to facilities development to the avoidance of fraud and abuse. He's been called "an expert on HIPAA and other health-related law issues [who] knows more than virtually anyone on those topics.” (Forbes.com.) His award-winning blog, HealthBlawg, is highly regarded in both the legal and health policy blogging worlds. David is a charter member of the external Advisory Board of the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network and has served as the Public Policy Chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine, on the Health Law Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association and on the Advisory Board of FierceHealthIT. He speaks regularly before health care and legal industry groups on business, policy and legal matters. You should follow him on Twitter. http://davidharlow.me http://healthblawg.com @healthblawg   About Niam Yaraghi Niam Yaraghi s an assistant professor of Operations and Information Management at the University of Connecticut's School of Business and a non-resident fellow in the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation. His research is focused on the economics of health information technologies. In particular, Niam studies the business models and policy structures that incentivize transparency, interoperability and sharing of health information among patients, providers, payers and regulators. He empirically examines the subsequent impact of such efforts on cost and quality of care. Niam's ongoing research topics include health information exchange platforms, patient privacy, and healthcare evaluation and rating systems. He has a B.Sc in Industrial Engineering from the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran, and a M.Sc from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He received his Ph.D. in Management Science & Systems from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Niamyaraghi.com @niamyaraghi Niam's call to action for the listener: The state of privacy in healthcare is bad, but not as bad as you think! Federal privacy protection rules have helped with protecting privacy of many patients, yet the costs of implementing and complying with such rules are still unclear. We should realize that given the digitization of our lives, the borders around our private information are slowly fading away, and our individual responsibility and awareness about what we share with whom is our best bet in protecting our privacy. ~Niam Yaraghi Related Why You Should Always Be Preparing to Sell Your Company (i.e. build a company that's worth owning) | Dexter Braff | The Braff Group - Dexter's take on how to build a valuable company is very relevant to today's discussion. As Niam said: look at security and privacy as a builder of trust. It's a business value, not a business expense. Sharing Consumer Health Information: Look Before You Leap - This is David's post on the FTC complaint investigation that effectively put LabMD out of business. It's an ongoing story with all kinds of lessons for digital health companies dealing with consumer data. Grindr breach reveals inadequacy of digital age privacy regulations - Niam breaks down the recent Grindr breach. This is an interesting use case too because it's a breach born in good intentions for the users. Good intentions do not shield you from privacy obligations and rules. A New Story for Healthcare Security and Compliance w/ Niam Yaraghi - and #HCBiz video interview Can CPC+ align Physicians, Payers and HealthIT? w/ David Harlow - and #HCBiz video interview Trumpcare: Innovation, Speculation and What's Next w/ Niam Yaraghi - and #HCBiz video interview   Subscribe to Weekly Updates If you like what we're doing here, then please consider signing up for our weekly newsletter. You'll get one email from me each week detailing: New podcast episodes and blog posts. Content or ideas that I've found valuable in the past week. Insider info about the show like stats, upcoming episodes and future plans that I won't put anywhere else. Plain text and straight from the heart :) No SPAM or fancy graphics and you can unsubscribe with a single click anytime.   The #HCBiz Show! is produced by Glide Health IT, LLC in partnership with Netspective Media. Music by StudioEtar

Launching your own law practice can be both exhilarating and terrifying. For lawyers who are accustomed to the structure of a law firm and a steady paycheck, hanging a shingle means saying goodbye to security. Leaving a large firm means that there is no one between you and the client. You need to figure out how to advise your clients without the help of partners who are just down the hall. You also need to develop your own infrastructure. At the same time, leaving a law firm also means having tremendous flexibility and a chance to really build something of your own. But it is not for everyone. In this episode, I am joined by Matt Yospin. Matt is an IP attorney who graduated from law school in 2009 at the end of the Great Recession, not a great time to be starting a legal career. But Matt was one of the lucky ones. While the economy was reeling, he was still able to start practice at one of the top law firms in Boston. He stayed with the firm a little over two years. Eventually, there was not enough work to keep him busy and he was laid off. Since that time, Matt has been building a successful law practice of his own. Matt is a patent and intellectual property attorney who has been in solo practice since 2012. He began his career at the Boston firm Bingham McCutchen (which has since been acquired by Morgan Lewis & Bockius). Prior to law school, he ran his own computer software consulting business. Matt works with businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits, government agencies and inventors on a range of intellectual property and transactional work. He speaks regularly at bar association events and events for other professional groups, publishes a blog on developments in IP, writes on technology and practice management for others’ blogs, and co-hosts a TV show on issues in the news from a legal perspective. He enjoys working with entrepreneurs and creative people, helping them to build or grow a business, to protect their ideas and inventions with IP and business strategies that make sense for them. He also is on the Boards of two local non-profits. Matt is very effective at marketing and his ability to keep his visibility high in the bar is one of the reasons I invited Matt to be a guest this week. What I mean is that not only does Matt really understand marketing, but his own marketing efforts kept Matt on my radar when I was thinking about a good solo to invite on as a guest. Additional Resources to Help You Build a Solo Practice For practice management and mentoring, find other solos in your area and ask them for help.  Matt Yospin is happy to field your questions.  Find him  at www.yospinlaw.com , 617-340-9295, or email him via his Contact Me form. If you are in Massachusetts and looking for some general support around starting a law practice, try the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program  (a free resource). Most states have similar organizations. Check with your state bar association or board of bar overseers. In Massachusetts, join the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Boston Bar Association or the Law Practice Management Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Most state bar associations have similar committees where you can meet other solos who are happy to share their experience (and possibly referrals). Jared Correia of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting writes and speaks frequently on law practice management and technology. He also does a great podcast called the Legal Toolkit. Jared offers low cost consulting services that are targeted at solo and small firms looking for help with law office technology and general law practice management systems. He is a fountain of knowledge on the full range of issues that you need to consider in going solo. Hanging Your Shingle, offered periodically by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, is a great program which you can purchase for replay.  MCLE has also published a book by the same name.  I originally set this program up 20 years ago and happy to see that it is still alive and well. Starting Out Solo is an organization to consider (particularly if you are in Massachusetts). For Information on Law Office Hardware and Law Office Ergonomics consider Matt Yospin's article in Law Technology Today Get a multi-function laser printer, so you can photocopy and scan books. Matt Yospin recommends a dedicated two-sided fast scanner; most attorneys like the Fujitsu ScanSnap line. You can get great scanner software for your phone or tablet, too.  Matt Yospin recommends Readdle’s Scanner Pro. Matt suggests you consider practice management software, to tie together your contacts, calendar, tasks, project flow, and notes.  There are many attorney-specific platforms, or you could make your own system work.  Matt likes Daylite but there are also Clio, Rocket Matter, MyCase, Practice Panther, Smokeball, and too many more to name. Every attorney (and everyone else) should use a password manager.  Matt likes 1Password.  I use LastPass. Matt recommends using some keystroke expansion or macro software (to save a lot of time typing.)  He wrote about this category of software here. Matt uses TextExpander, and there are many others. Local and remote backups, with encryption, are a must.  If you hire someone, be sure they are doing this for you.  If you prefer DIY, consider FileVault and Time Machine (on a Mac), and services like Dropbox, Box, and Boxcryptor (and there are many others).

The second of a two-part series, attorney Thomas M. Bond, chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Judicial Administration Section, talks with host Jordan Rich about appearing as an attorney in state court (Superior Court, in particular) in Massachusetts. You'll learn about the benefits of having your case in state court, get an overview of some of the most important rules, and hear insights on courtroom etiquette. Massachusetts Bar Association members can also access related materials on the topic in the Judicial Administration library on My Bar Access: https://is.gd/MBA_CourtRules.

The first of a two-part series, attorney Thomas M. Bond, chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Judicial Administration Section, talks with host Jordan Rich about appearing as an attorney in federal court in Massachusetts. You'll learn about the benefits of having your case in federal court, get an overview of some of the most important rules, and hear insights on courtroom etiquette. Massachusetts Bar Association members can also access related materials on the topic in the Judicial Administration library on My Bar Access: https://is.gd/MBA_CourtRules.

From New York City cab driver to complex civil litigator, attorney Christopher P. Sullivan of Robins Kaplan LLP in Boston brings a variety of life experiences to his new role as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association. In this interview with guest host Jordan Rich, hear about Sullivan's initiatives for the coming year and why he believes attorneys are needed in the community more than ever.

Part of our 2017 Access to Justice Award Series, this podcast features 2017 Prosecutor Award Winner Kevin Curtin, a 22-year veteran of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, whose strong moral compass led him to stand up for global issues of justice through his work with the Massachusetts Bar Association and American Bar Association.

Learn about "Defamation," an interactive courtroom drama that encourages its audience to examine stereotypes and perceptions of bias in the play, the legal system and beyond. Hear from Boston-area high school students and lawyers who watched the play last fall during the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association's annual presentation of "Defamation." The Massachusetts Bar Association was a sponsor of the MBLA's program, and more recently has begun presenting a series of CLEs on eliminating bias in the legal system. Learn more about "Defamation" at www.defamationtheplay.com.

Homeless Court is a specialty court in Massachusetts that gives homeless individuals with minor infractions a chance to clear their records and get a new start. Leaders from the Massachusetts Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division had an opportunity to visit this "court of second chances" at the Pine Street Inn shelter in Boston. Listen in as they share observations, interviews and stories of hope from the presiding judge, the Pine Street Inn's Homeless Court coordinator, Homeless Court participants and the president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Listen to highlights and excerpts from the 2016 State of the Judiciary Address, hosted by the Massachusetts Bar Association at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston on Oct. 20. This year's installment of this annual event featured remarks from Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey, Trial Court Administrator Harry Spence and MBA President Jeffrey Catalano. The speakers touched upon recent advances in the judicial branch, improved bench-bar relations and what's next for the courts in Massachusetts. Full remarks from the court speakers are available at http://www.mass.gov/courts/news-pubs/sjc/sjc-chief-justice-gants-delivers-annual-state-of-judiciary-address-2016.html. (Photo by Eric Haynes)

Due to recent constitutional challenges to workers' compensation in certain states, a nationwide debate among legal professionals has been ignited. How has this system evolved over time and in what ways might it change in the future? In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, guest host Judson Pierce speaks with Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group President Alan Pierce about the future of the American workers’ compensation system. Alan talks about the recent scrutiny that workers’ compensation has been under and how increased visibility has sparked a national conversation regarding the system’s effectiveness. He reflects on the 1911 enactment of state-based workers’ compensation systems and lists the safety-focused goals of the institution. Alan analyzes the federal government's 1970s involvement in the system, mainly through the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the national commission report issued in 1972 that broadened and increased benefit coverage. He explains how costs associated with the system eventually increased as benefits expanded and how this led to system reform in many states. Alan closes the interview by discussing the recent challenges to the constitutionality of the workers’ compensation system in some states and an investigation of the problems with employer established alternative benefit systems. Alan S. Pierce has served as chairperson of the American Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section and the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law. He frequently lectures on workers’ compensation issues around the nation, and in 2007 became one of the first attorneys in the country to be inducted as a Fellow into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers of the American Bar Association. Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/2  Roy J. Watson, Jr. is a graduate of Brandies University (B.A. Economics), Boston College School of Law (J.D.), and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (M.P.A). Roy has been assisting businesses and individuals solve complex business immigration questions for almost 40 years. He focuses on employment-based non-immigrant and immigrant visa petitions for companies of all sizes, including hospitals, high tech / bio tech, architects, CPAs and Attorneys. Roy is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. In this episode you will hear: What the immigration landscape was like almost 40 years ago Roy’s passion and how puts that to use for his clients L-1As Visa requirements (and what is not required) L-1A Request for Evidence rate (hint: it is more than you think) ‘Matter of Z’, setting a precedent to standardize what Immigration needs for an L-1A visa petition  The double edged sword of premium processing  Roy shares with us: His involvement with the Cambridge Innovation Center Business Advice: Never be afraid to buy file cabinets.   His personal habits that attributes to his success: Thorough Preparation Parting Thoughts: Immigration Reform needs to happen and it will happen.

Many people don't know how advocacy plays an important part of any lawyer's job. Ringler Radio host, Larry Cohen talks with incoming President of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Attorney Marsha Kazarosian, from Kazarosian Costello and O'Donnell LLP, to discuss the Massachusetts Bar Association's initiatives for 2014, some trends in the legal community and changing the sometimes not-so-good perception of lawyers one person at a time.

Are you concerned about workplace safety? Learn how lawyers from the Workers' Injury Law and Advocacy Group, Massachusetts Bar Association, and Office of the Louisiana Attorney General can help. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce interviews Douglas Sheff, Chuck Davoli, and Will Green to reveal how attorneys are making a big impact in workplace safety. Douglas Sheff is the current President of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Senior Partner at Sheff Law. He has over 30 years experience in all aspects of personal injury law and is currently serving as the Chairman for both the Massachusetts Bar Association's Workplace Safety Task Force and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys' Federal Legislation Committee. Chuck Davoli is an attorney and sustaining board member for WILG and chairs its Workplace Safety and Occupational Disaster Committee. He is the Managing Partner for Davoli, Krumholt and Price and serves as a labor representative on the Louisiana Governor's Workers' Compensation Advisory Council. Will Green is currently an Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Louisiana Workforce Commission Office of Workers' Compensation where he assists the Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation in developing and drafting legislation, rules, and policies for workers' compensation. In addition, he serves as general counsel to the Second Injury Board and is the former in-house counsel at Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation.

The story of the bombings on Marathon Day in Boston is known worldwide. Three people were tragically killed at the event and more than 260 people were injured. On this edition of Ringler Radio, host Larry Cohen joins Attorney Paul E. White, a partner at the law firm of Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen in Boston and Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Marathon Bombing Victims Legal Assistance Program, to talk about how lawyers are helping during a tragedy by providing assistance for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

How to grow a successful family law practice and be proud of your own work. Interview with David Lee, Family Lawyer Click the play button, wait a few seconds and start listening to this Podcast. David is a partner in the Boston family law firm of Lee, Rivers and Corr.  He has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1978, and a past president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  David is also a former member of the National Board of Governors and a director of the American Academy Charitable Foundation.  Among numerous other accolades, almost too many too count, he has been a top super lawyer in Massachusetts, and recognized by both Boston Magazine and Lawdragon.  It is my pleasure to introduce a frequent speaker and author of articles in the area of family law on a variety of topics including divorce, tax law, business evaluation, stock options, retirement interests, and more, David Lee.  Welcome, and thank you for taking a few minutes to speak to me. To start things off, how did you become interested in doing family law?  I guess beginning with studying and then moving on to actually being in practice. Well, interestingly enough I never took a course in family law in law school. Oh, really? I had no intention of involving myself in the practice of family law.  My intention was, and I was hired by a firm out of law school for this, to do First Amendment appellate work.  I did this with the top lawyer in that field in Boston and within about a month of being at that firm a large divorce case came to one of the partners of that firm.  The person whom he had hired to begin as a new young associate was still on vacation before starting his job after law school and he asked whether or not I could be loaned for his use in the divorce case until the new associate was available. So unbeknownst to me I was traded, and found it very interesting.  I then found out that because of the rapport that I had with this other lawyer I wasn’t traded back. I see.  So he stole you. (laughs) So early on I said I had better learn something about this stuff since it was what I was going to be doing, and I put my head down and tried to learn what I could about this area of law. The point in time when I began to practice in this area of law was one where it wasn’t terribly intellectually focused.  Its principal focus was who could threaten the other more, who could yell louder, and who could intimidate the other side more.  I decided that wasn’t really the style that I wanted to have, and I wanted to learn about this area of law and bring it to a new dimension where it could be thought of with higher regard.  So I approached it that way and then decided that any time I did research and any time that I was asked to do any type of legal memorandum by the person for whom I worked I would write an article about it.  Within a short period of time, within about five years of my being in practice, I had written more articles about the area of family law in Massachusetts than almost anyone; the one person in the Boston area who had written more was about 20-25 years my senior. So were you writing from the point of view of educating yourself about the subject or did you feel like you wanted to get the word out about how you thought the process could be better-handled? Initially when I had the assignment given me to write something it was to educate myself and educate the judge or whoever the assignment was for.  But then later I saw that it was useful to share with the rest of the legal community a unique area of investigation that might be used by them as they pursued cases that might touch upon the same issues. So I assume that back when you started it was fault divorce and that’s why you were talking about people basically bashing each other? Yes.  No-fault divorce came into play later.  But nonetheless for a period of years, even when equitable distribution came to Massachusetts, people were still trying to intimidate as a means of getting an outcome rather than creatively using legal theories to effect a resolution which made sense to both parties. How did you resist that acrimonious way of handling divorce, or did you have to play that game as well when you started? Well, I had to show two things.  First I had to show that I was thoughtful and second I had to show that I was capable of doing some of that if necessary.  But generally through my demeanor and through my development of relationships with people I earned the respect of other lawyers to the point that they understood that they didn’t have to go through that type of act in order to get an effective result. You also probably saw the progression, as family law and divorce became more common, that there has been a transition in terms of the way lawyers deal with each other as well as the way society deals with divorce. I think that is certainly the case.  No-fault divorce has brought about a change like that.  Even if in Massachusetts conduct is still a factor of consideration in a contested no-fault divorce.  There are still conduct elements that enter into the legal approach to that sort of thing. Are you saying that if there has been infidelity in a case that it could weigh in terms of one party getting more than another party? Yes, it can. And I wouldn’t say that it’s a major consideration, but it certainly is something that can be taken into consideration along with inappropriate physical behaviour, verbal behaviour, and other acts that might have had an adverse impact upon the family. Going back to where you started in family law, or maybe where you started in law in general, did you have a mentor in the early years?  Was there anybody who influenced you positively or negatively as to how you would practice in the future? Well, both.  It’s the same person but they had both a positive and negative impact on me. The partner who did divorce work, the one I went to work with after law school, was charismatic, smart, and somebody who knew how to try a case.  I was able to recognize the value of all of those positive things and pick up on them.  At the same time that person was also somebody who had a mercurial personality; he was somebody who wasn’t necessarily well-mannered when dealing with clients.  Thankfully I was able to identify what was positive about what he did and what was, in my view, not beneficial to clients. The benefit that I had in working with this particular person was that he gave me a huge amount of responsibility from the very beginning and he had the quality of cases that allowed me not only to be challenged intellectually but also interested in the subjects.  This enabled me to have experience before the court and experience in substantial negotiations that I might not otherwise have had. I have the feeling, from having talked with you a little bit as well as others, that one of your absolute core qualities is integrity.  I think I saw a little bit of that when you were describing this other person’s negative quality, that they had a little bit less integrity for you in the way that they dealt with their clients or the opposing counsel. Well, integrity I think is the most important quality that one can have in being a lawyer regardless of whether it’s family law or any other area.  But particularly in family law I think there’s such a suggestion or impression in general society that lawyers who do this type of work are not necessarily to be admired or trusted, so it’s that much more critical that you maintain that integrity in your practice in this field. When you started in the area of family law did you have any particular goals at that time?  Did you think that you’d like to be out on your own, doing your own thing?  Or was that not even in your mind at that time, did you just think you wanted to get better at being a family lawyer? Well, I think that my principle or mantra has always been that you only go around once.  It’s not acceptable to just begood at what it is you do, you have to strive to be the best at what it is you do.  Mediocrity is not something that was of any interest to me at the beginning and it never has been of interest to me in the course of my practice.  That was certainly a goal that drove me.  I was fortunate in that the success that I exhibited early in my career caused me to become a partner very early in the law firm that I had worked with. I had remained in that partnership for a period of about ten years before I broke off into a different partnership which is essentially the same one I’ve been a part of since 1984 up to the present. Where do you think not wanting to be mediocre came from?  Is that from your parents or teachers? I think that at its core it came from my parents and was just a general principle going through my education.  Don’t just try to get passing grades; try to get the best grades. And it wasn’t the pressure it was just an accepted form of thinking.  I took that with me into my general practice and I’d say that it was also contributed to by others both in who I came in contact with at work as well as my father-in-law and my wife, who had the same attitude herself in her own profession. Like my father used to say, if you’re going to do the job, do it right.  It sounds like you had the same sort of upbringing that there’s no sense in doing a bad job. The only thing that’s difficult about having that standard is that you never are satisfied with what it is that you think you know. I already summed you up as having a bit of a Type A personality, and I kind of fall into that same category myself.  When you’re driven to do the best you can it’s a challenge.  I’m wondering how you can cope with always expecting the best and how other people in your firm interact with you and react to that. Well, over the course of years people have reacted in different ways.  Certain people have not continued working with me because they found it too much pressure on them to meet that standard.  For others I think that it’s wonderful to see them take on the same type of attitude and have become excellent lawyers themselves. I like to think that somehow I am driven and drive others; that I don’t do it in a way that people find oppressive.  Instead they sense that they want to strive to both satisfy me and satisfy themselves in being the best that they can. You have to hold it in the right context, which I believe you do, and that is really an opportunity for everybody to thrive within a firm that really has high standards.  It’s a lot more fun and a lot more beneficial to your clients if everybody’s playing the same game, and it sounds like from the interaction I’ve had with your firm that everybody, at least that I’ve spoken to, is doing that.  It makes life and work a lot more fun from my point of view and it sounds like it does for you as well. Yeah.  I do think that most of the people who work with me enjoy coming to work. I’m not saying that they’re thrilled to be here every day (laughs), but I’m saying that I think that they enjoy the workplace. So how did your current firm start out?  Were some of these people partners in the previous firms you were with? I was with the firm that I was initially with for ten years up until about 1984, and then that firm broke apart and one of the partners I had from that firm and I formed our own firm.  About four, maybe five, years afterwards he became a judge.  Then one of the firm’s younger associates, who I was impressed with, became my partner in about 1989.  Later the partner who became a judge left the bench and came back to the firm and we continued working together. The three of us were partners over a period of time until about 2004.  Then the younger associate who had become a partner stayed on until the end of 2012 when he chose to leave litigation and focus solely on arbitration and mediation work, which is what he does now.  Two of our younger partners became name partners upon his leaving in 2012. That’s very quick. It’s been basically the same core of people for a period of time.  My partner William Levine, who left in 2012 to do mediation, is somebody who had been working with me either as an associate or a partner for a period of about 30 years.  Continuity is something that is very valuable and important. So what keeps you interested in the practice of family law?  Is there anything in particular that drives you now to keep on wanting to do family law? I find that every day you walk into the office is an exciting day, and I’m very serious about that.  You don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you. You don’t know who the new people are that you’re going to meet and what their story is and how it is you’re going to be able to be of help to them.  You don’t know what sort of quick decisions you’ll have to make to deal with what comes out of the court. The area of family law is one that has never been stagnant through the entire period of time that I’ve been doing it, which is 39 years.  That makes it very interesting.  Plus it’s evolving, and you can play a role in its evolution and you can play a role in making new law by taking the cases that have unique issues that you know will find their way up to the appellate courts.  All of those reasons make it a fascinating and exciting area of practice for me every day. Have you found that it’s more or less predictable for what you can expect out of a trial or decision that’s being made now than ten, twenty years ago, or is it the same?  Are you ever 75% certain that something will happen, or is it closer to 50% or 99%? That’s very difficult to turn into percentages because of the fact that there are so many different judges within each of our counties and there are so many different counties in which we practice. I would say to you that the degree of reliability and predictability might be in the 75% range with respect to major issues.  But there’s so much discretion that remains with a family court judge that precision is never able to be a standard that you can apply in advising a client in this area. I know this is a bit of a political question I’m going to ask, but are the family law judges in the Boston area well-trained and suited for the jobs, or is it more the kind of thing that depends on who the judge is and how long they’ve been there? I think it depends upon who the judges are and how long they’ve been there.  Different judges develop themselves in different ways from when they first take the bench, both in terms of how they relate to the lawyers and parties as well as the degree of additional education. The pool of judges comes from a wide source of the legal community.  Some have practiced in family law, and some have been clerks in the court system in the family law area.  Some have had clientele that have a broad range of economic difference and others have had a focus on certain areas of the economic population.  Some have had experience dealing with clients who may be pro se clients which now seem to be flooding the courts. Still others have had very little experience in dealing with pro se litigants.  They have a wide range experiences, and my experience with them is that the longer they’re on the bench the more they evolve in different ways. What have you done, or what have you put in place to help you achieve the work-life balance that you’re looking for?  How do you separate your work life from your other life? That’s a very difficult question to answer, and I think there’s a whole variety of people that would give different answers to it. My answer is that I try to do the best I can by recognizing the responsibility I have to my clients and likewise recognizing the responsibility I have to my family and to myself.  If someone were measuring it I’m not sure that they would give me an A+ in how I do that. I have a very busy work life in that I’m generally in the office, and it’s rare that I don’t do work at home, whether it be preparing for court the next day or reviewing a file for a meeting.  Or even catching up on the reading of the new case decisions or some family law publications At the same time I’m an avid sportsman.  I like to travel and my wife and I are fortunate that we have three wonderful grandchildren who live not far from us.  We make them and our daughter and son-in-law a regular part of our lives.  I also have a wonderful son out in California who I get to see every now and then. I also get to go to the American Academy meetings and the International Academy meetings, and they’re a way of getting out and around as well.  I have found that I am getting better at not thinking about work when I’m away, especially when compared to when I was developing my practice in the earlier years. To give an example, in my earlier years I wrote a lot of articles, and I wrote many of them while I was on vacation with a dictating machine or pocket recorder, dictating sometimes by the side of a swimming pool or lying on a beach.  I don’t do that anymore (laughs) but I did that then and still had wonderful times on vacation. You just mentioned using a dictation machine.  Have you embraced technology, maybe going into court now with iPad in hand, or is that something that you don’t rely on that much? I do rely upon technology.  I’m learning more about it every day, but I have my smartphone and I’ve got my iPad and I’ve got my laptop and I’ve got my PC.  So I’ve got technology all around me. I just continue to try to learn more and more about that all the time.  How I use it depends upon who the judge is that I’m before.  If I’m before a judge who I know uses an iPad and has it right there I might have my iPad with me.  If I have another judge who I know doesn’t recognize the use and the value of that, or maybe doesn’t have the skill yet to make use of it, then I’m maybe less dependent upon my technology on that occasion. I know you’ve made significant contributions in the area of family law and that you’ve worked with a lot of the local Massachusetts associations as well as the International and the American Academy.  Is there any particular contribution that you have made or been a part of that you’re particularly proud about of? Well, there are a lot of things that I am proud of, the most recent being  the years that I’ve spent working on alimony reform in Massachusetts leading to new legislation which went into effect in March of 2012.  I chaired and co-chaired a Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association committee on making recommendations and then was chosen to participate with the legislature in drawing up legislation which was signed by the governor in September of 2011.  So I’m proud of that. But I’m also proud of my involvement in the child support guidelines when they first went into effect in 1987; I was significantly involved in questioning the thought processes that went into drafting them.  I’ve also been involved in some major decisions at the appellate court level.  We have two appellate courts here, the appeals court and the Supreme Judicial Court, which is our highest court.  I have argued many cases at both levels of court, and some of them have been really important to me in moving the law in a positive direction or clarifying the law.  I really enjoyed that work as well. Is there anything that people don’t know about David Lee, either about your work or how you keep balance in your life?  Are you a fly fisherman or anything that we don’t know about?  (laughs) I’ve done fly fishing.  I think most people know that I’m an avid golfer and enjoy golfing.  But— Does avid mean you’re a good golfer? I never said that, did I?  I enjoy being a golfer. The thing that I like about golfing, what hooked me after having been a tennis player for most of my life, was that I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t really be good at it right away; I thought I was a very good athlete.  So I’ve been always striving to get better at that.  It’s similar to my approach to my law practice. I think that what people don’t know much about is my family life.  You know, I’ve been married to my wife, who’s a psychotherapist, for 42 years. Wow. And that’s certainly been a help as well, the common perspectives of our work. I’m also an avid reader of history and other more general novels.  I have a background playing nine different musical instruments.  They don’t generally know that.  I don’t keep up with them any longer but that was something that I think was very important as well in my development.  Both in learning how to read music of three different clefs and also being able to quickly adapt to picking up a new instrument and learning how to play it. I dealt with my professional career the same way by recognizing that when I don’t know something I have to pick up whatever it is to try to figure it out and adapt it to what I do know. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ David Lee is a top-rated super lawyer in the state of Massachusetts, and is an expert on family law topics ranging from divorce to retirement interests and more. He is also a partner at the Boston family law firm of Lee, Rivers, and Corr, and you can visit their website at www.leeriversandcorr.com.

How can we prevent accidents and deaths in the workplace? In this podcast, Ringler Radio host Larry Cohen joins Attorney Douglas K. Sheff, senior partner at Sheff Law and President-Elect of the Massachusetts Bar Association, to spotlight third party cases, the Workplace Safety Task Force and talk about a workers' compensation tax proposal that is causing great concern in the state of Massachusetts.

Are you looking to start your own blog but don’t know where to begin? New Solo host, Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association joins legal blogger, legal technology guru and co-host of Legal Talk Network’s Lawyer2Lawyer, Attorney Bob Ambrogi, to offer tips to solos on starting your own blog. Bob talks about everything from which platform is best, to what type of information you should contribute as a blogger, to how to promote your blog and stand out from the others.

New Solo host, Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association is joined by Attorney Melissa Conner, from the Conner Law Offices out of Boston, Massachusetts, to spotlight women solos. Melissa shares her recommendations on everything from which organizations female attorneys can join when first starting their office, to the benefits of a women’s bar association to how to find a mentor.

Solos and Law Students-have you considered Pro Bono as an investment? It can expand your client base and knowledge, open doors for employment and networking, and enrich your standing in the community. New Solo host, Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association discusses with Attorney Luz Herrera, Assistant Professor of Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California how she used Pro Bono to build her practice and strengthen her community.

New Solo host, Attorney Kyle Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, joins Frank A. Cseke, a Fort Collins, Colorado-based attorney and founder of the blog, The Solo Lawyer, to discuss some hot topics in the solo attorney community. Kyle & Frank take a look at the power of blogging, and a host of other topics including: marketing, rainmaking, "good" clientele and taking a Zen approach to the law.

Are you looking to build your international law practice? New Solo host, Attorney Kyle Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, joins Attorney Charles Whittier from the Whittier Law Firm, to talk about how solo attorneys can develop international law as a private practice area. Charles shares his insights on how a new lawyer can build an international law practice, avoid controversy in international advertising, and the risks and benefits of practicing international law.

Looking for innovative, practical solutions to improve client services? New Solo host, Attorney Kyle Guelcher, a solo practitioner and the most recent Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, joins Catherine Sanders Reach, Director at the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center, to highlight the many ways you can use technology to provide better client service. Catherine discusses Google tools and resources, information about credit card transaction services for lawyers, programs that would allow a client to "log in" and see the status of their case, and much more.

Want to know how you can build your client portfolio? New Solo host, Attorney Kyle Guelcher, a solo practitioner and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, joins marketing expert, Richard DeLuca, Principal of MarketerAtLaw.com, to offer tips on how to build a solid client base. Rich talks about the approach new lawyers should take if attending a conference, the importance of blogging and search engine optimization (SEO) and how a new lawyer can stay motivated when the phone is not ringing.

Online profiles and posts, email and smartphone etiquette, courtroom attire and socializing with co-counsel - what to do? These are just some of the areas of interest and concern for new lawyers in an ever changing legal business environment. New Solo host, Attorney Kyle Guelcher, a solo practitioner and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association taps the expertise of Donna Gerson, attorney, frequent speaker and author of several books on legal career topics including Choosing Small, Choosing Smart, Building Career Connections and The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette as they discuss best practices and how to avoid making that new lawyer type of mistake.

Are you looking to get more actively involved in your Bar Association? In this July edition of New Solo, host Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner from Springfield, MA and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, is joined by Scott Heidorn, an associate in the Boston office of Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy, to talk about how young lawyers can utilize bar associations for career advancement. Kyle and Scott discuss why a young lawyer would want to join a bar association, how to "give back" to the community through a bar association and take a look at some resources that bar associations offer to help bridge the learning gap from law school theory to actual lawyering.

Good clients are essential to any growing business. As a lawyer, what is the best way to manage your clients? In this June edition of New Solo, host Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner from Springfield, MA and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association is joined by solo attorney, Paul E. Mawn, Principal at The Law Office of Paul E. Mawn Jr., out of Newington, CT, to talk about how to conduct an initial client meeting, discuss fees with potential clients and how to best communicate with existing clients.

How do you create a successful virtual law practice? In this May edition of New Solo, host Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner from Springfield, MA and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association welcomes Attorney Andrea J. Hable, to talk about her unique practice. Andrea discusses her alternative office arrangements, harnessing technology, dual admittance, differing fee structures and much more.

What steps should you take to have a successful micro law office? In this edition of New Solo, host Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner from Springfield, MA and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, welcomes Gen Y Solo, Attorney Rachel Rodgers, owner and principal attorney at Rachel Rodgers Law Office, to discuss starting a Spartan overhead, sharply focused law office - the micro law office. Kyle and Rachel talk about the advantages of a micro law office compared to a "traditional" office, essential pieces of technology for any micro firm, and how social media plays a role in the success of a micro firm.

How can a solo attorney effectively use social media? In this edition of New Solo, host Attorney Kyle R. Guelcher, a solo practitioner out of Springfield, MA and Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association, welcomes Attorney Carolyn Elefant, to take a look at a solo practitioner’s unfair marketing advantage when it comes to social media. Carolyn talks about her book with Attorney Nicole Black, Social Media for Lawyers, The New Frontier, about why a new lawyer would want to invest resources in social media, how to find online potential clients and turn them into real world clients and ethical issues a practitioner should consider when using social media.

On this edition of The Legal ToolKit, brought to you by Catuogno Court Reporting, host Jared Correia, Law Practice Management Advisor with Mass. LOMAP, welcomes Denise Squillante, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and Valerie Yarashus, immediate past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, to cover some important MBA initiatives. They take a look at today's challenges for the legal profession, discuss diversity, technology, mentoring in the legal profession and about how the MBA is reaching young attorneys statewide.