Boston Bar Association
Encyclopedia
The Boston Bar Association, which also goes by the acronym BBA, is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street
in the historic Chester Harding House
, across from the Massachusetts State House
on Beacon Hill
, the BBA has roughly 10,000 members drawn from private practice, corporations, government agencies, legal aid
organizations, the courts, and law schools. It traces its origins to meetings convened by John Adams
, the lawyer who provided pro bono
representation to the British soldiers prosecuted for the Boston Massacre
and went on to become the second president of the United States.
The Boston Bar Association also publishes BBA Week, a weekly e-newsletter that provides information on pro bono and public service opportunities, updates from law firms and the state and federal courts, previews of upcoming legal education programs and special events, and photo albums.
In addition, the Boston Bar Association's Sections and Committees publish E-newsletters.
Annual Meeting Luncheon keynote speakers have included:
Law Day Dinner keynote speakers have included:
Boston Bar Association Orchestra Annual Summer Concert
The Boston Bar Association Orchestra is a full-symphony orchestra composed primarily of attorneys and law-related professionals. Its premiere performance took place at the Harvard Club of Boston in January 1985. Since then, the Orchestra has performed every year at locations such as Faneuil Hall
and the Hatch Shell
on the Charles River
Esplanade
. The Orchestra also provides music for conferences held in the Boston area, such as the 1993 American Bar Association
Winter Meeting.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street
Beacon Street
Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...
in the historic Chester Harding House
Chester Harding House
The Chester Harding House is an historic building located at 16 Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, across from the Massachusetts State House in Beacon Hill.-History:...
, across from the Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
on Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, that along with the neighboring Back Bay is home to about 26,000 people. It is a neighborhood of Federal-style rowhouses and is known for its narrow, gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks...
, the BBA has roughly 10,000 members drawn from private practice, corporations, government agencies, legal aid
Legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
organizations, the courts, and law schools. It traces its origins to meetings convened by John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, the lawyer who provided pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
representation to the British soldiers prosecuted for the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
and went on to become the second president of the United States.
Mission
The Boston Bar Association's stated mission is: "To advance the highest standards of excellence for the legal profession, to facilitate access to justice, and to serve the community at large."Structure
Governed by a Council of 30 members, the Boston Bar Association has 24 sections and more than 100 committees dedicated to substantive areas of law as well as issues such as access to justice and the administration of justice.Public Policy
The Boston Bar Association makes its public policy positions known via the filing of amicus briefs, the drafting of legislation, and official comments on proposed government actions. Recent public policy positions taken by the Boston Bar Association include:- March 2010: The Boston Bar Association Task Force on the FY 2011 Judiciary Budget released their report. The Report warns that further cuts to the Judiciary would have severe consequences for the administration of justice in the Commonwealth.
- February 2010:The Boston Bar Association filed an amicus brief in the First Circuit of Appeals asserting the First Amendment rights of all litigants, including bar associations, to petition courts for the redress of grievances that have a reasonable basis in fact and in law – regardless of whether the courts ultimately grant or deny relief on the merits.
- December 2009: The Boston Bar Association released the Task Force Report Getting it Right: Improving the Accuracy and Reliability of the Criminal Justice System in Massachusetts. The Report is the work product of a 20 person BBA task force comprising the broadest group of major players in the criminal justice system ever assembled to prevent wrongful convictions in the Bay State. The task force was co-chaired by Martin F. Murphy, a partner at Foley Hoag and David Meier, a partner at Todd & Weld, and appointed by then BBA President Kathy Weinman in the fall of 2008. The report makes three key recommendations:
- Enactment of a Massachusetts statute to guarantee post conviction access to DNA testing and to require preservation of biologic forensic evidence. (Massachusetts is one of only 4 states that does not have such a statute, and given the role DNA testing has played in exoneration of innocent but wrongly convicted people, the report says this is critical.)
- Expanding the membership and function of the state’s Forensic Science Advisory Board to include scientists and lawyers who are not prosecutors would put Massachusetts ahead of the curve nationally. (The report cites a 2008 study by the National Academy of Sciences raising serious questions about the scientific foundation of significant portions of forensic evidence admitted in courts.)
- Videotaping confessions. (Based on a 2004 decision of the Supreme Judicial Court most police departments are now recording confessions of suspects. The number of departments who are doing videotapes rather than just audiotapes is still in the minority. But the experience of those departments who are videotaping demonstrates that the evidence obtained is more effective because there is absolutely no doubt about what is happening, and there is nothing more powerful in a courtroom than a videotaped confession.)
- November 2006: The Boston Bar Association joined with The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and The Bar Association of San Francisco in filing an amicus brief in American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
, Et Al. v. National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
, et al., a case now pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The brief urges the Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to affirm a lower court ruling that permanently enjoined the National Security Administration's warrantless surveillance program.
- September 2005: The Boston Bar Association was one of a number of organizations which signed on to an amicus brief in United States v. Darryl Green. In addition the BBA drafted a petition to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts urging the Court to revise its jury plan to remedy the under-representation of minorities in the federal jury pool.
- June 2005: Boston Bar Association President-Elect Edward P. Leibensperger testified before the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary, urging the defeat of all bills related to reinstating capital punishmentCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in Massachusetts.
- September 2002: The Boston Bar Association filed an amicus brief in Goodridge v. Department of Public HealthGoodridge v. Department of Public HealthGoodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 , was a landmark state appellate court case dealing with same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. The November 18, 2003, decision was the first by a U.S...
in support of gay marriage as a civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
issue stating that discrimination against gays and lesbians is unacceptable and unconstitutional.
Periodicals
Four times a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) the Boston Bar Association publishes a magazine called the Boston Bar Journal. The Journal is an online publication managed by a volunteer Board of Editors that presents timely information, analysis, and opinions in articles written by attorneys, judges, and others interested in the development of the law. The Journal is free to all Boston Bar Association members, and available as well to paid subscribers.The Boston Bar Association also publishes BBA Week, a weekly e-newsletter that provides information on pro bono and public service opportunities, updates from law firms and the state and federal courts, previews of upcoming legal education programs and special events, and photo albums.
In addition, the Boston Bar Association's Sections and Committees publish E-newsletters.
Annual Events
The Boston Bar Association's two largest annual events are its Annual Meeting Luncheon in September, and its Law Day Dinner in May, both of which typically draw up to 1,500 lawyers and judges and feature prominent keynote speakers.Annual Meeting Luncheon keynote speakers have included:
- John MortimerJohn MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
(1991) - William Safire (1992)
- Mort Zuckerman (1993)
- Carl RowanCarl RowanCarl Thomas Rowan , was an American government official, journalist and author. Rowan was a nationally-syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was one of the most prominent black journalists of the 20th century.-Background:Carl Rowan was born in...
(1994) - Warren RudmanWarren RudmanWarren Bruce Rudman is an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993...
(1995) - Jonathan KozolJonathan KozolJonathan Kozol is a non-fiction writer, educator, and activist, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Kozol graduated from Noble and Greenough School in 1954, and Harvard University summa cum laude in 1958 with a degree in English Literature. He was awarded a Rhodes...
(1996) - James P. CarrollJames P. CarrollJames Carroll is a noted author, historian and journalist and Roman Catholic dissident.-Youth, education, and service as a priest:...
(1997) - David HalberstamDavid HalberstamDavid Halberstam was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and historian, known for his early work on the Vietnam War, his work on politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, and his later sports journalism.-Early life and education:Halberstam...
(1998) - Eileen McNamaraEileen McNamaraEileen McNamara, is a columnist for Boston_ and a journalism professor at Brandeis University. She is a former Boston Globe columnist, where she won the Pulitzer Prize....
(2000) - Joe KleinJoe KleinJoe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim...
(2002) - Linda GreenhouseLinda GreenhouseLinda Greenhouse is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School...
(2003) - Emily RooneyEmily RooneyEmily Rooney is an American journalist, TV talk show and radio host and former news producer. Since 1997, Rooney has been the host, executive editor and creator of Greater Boston and the weekly Beat the Press on WGBH-TV, which are also later rebroadcast on the Boston-based WGBH radio station...
(2004) - Rosabeth Moss KanterRosabeth Moss KanterRosabeth Moss Kanter is a tenured professor in business at Harvard Business School, where she holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship...
(2006) - Neal KatyalNeal KatyalNeal Kumar Katyal is an American lawyer and chaired professor of law. He served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from May 2010 until June 2011. As Acting Solicitor General, Katyal succeeded Elena Kagan, who was President Barack Obama's choice to replace the retiring Associate...
(2007) - Jeffrey SachsJeffrey SachsJeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...
(2008) - John PaytonJohn PaytonJohn A. Payton is a well-known African-American civil rights attorney. In 2008, Payton was appointed the sixth president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Prior to this, he was a Partner at the law firm Wilmer Hale for twenty years. -Early life and education:Payton grew up in...
(2009) - Michael C. DorfMichael C. DorfMichael C. Dorf is an American law professor and a noted U.S. constitutional law scholar. He is currently a Professor of Law at Cornell Law School. In addition to constitutional law, Professor Dorf has taught courses in civil procedure and federal courts...
(2010)
Law Day Dinner keynote speakers have included:
- Arthur R. MillerArthur R. MillerArthur Raphael Miller is a leading scholar in the field of American civil procedure and a University Professor at New York University. Before that he was the Bruce Bromley Professor of Law at Harvard Law School , after being on the faculties of the University of Michigan and the University of...
(1991) - Justice Harry BlackmunHarry BlackmunHarold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
(1992) - John le CarréJohn le CarréDavid John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
(1993) - Matthew V. StorinMatthew V. StorinMatthew V. Storin was Editor of the Boston Globe from 1992-2001. He was succeeded by Martin Baron.-Career:Storin began his journalism career at his hometown newspaper, the Daily News of Springfield, Mass. In 1965, he joined the Griffin-Larrabee News Bureau in Washington D.C., where he was a...
(1994) - Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (1995)
- Justice Stephen Breyer (1996)
- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist (1997)
- Judge Patricia McGowan Wald (1998)
- Judge Constance Baker MotleyConstance Baker MotleyConstance Baker Motley was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, state senator, and President of Manhattan, New York City.-Early Life and Academics:...
(1999) - Marvin KalbMarvin KalbMarvin L. Kalb is an American journalist. Kalb was the Shorenstein Center's Founding Director and Edward R. Murrow Professor of Press and Public Policy . The Shorenstein Center and the Kennedy School are part of Harvard University...
(2000) - Susan EstrichSusan EstrichSusan Estrich is an American lawyer, professor, author, political operative, feminist advocate, and political commentator for Fox News.-Early life:...
(2001) - Justice Anthony KennedyAnthony KennedyAnthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
(2002) - Judge Guido Calabresi (2003)
- Judge Barrington Daniels Parker, Jr.Barrington Daniels Parker, Jr.Barrington Daniels Parker, Jr. is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.- Background :...
(2004) - Jamie GorelickJamie GorelickJamie S. Gorelick is an American attorney, presently representing BP. She was Deputy Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration...
(2005) - Harold Koh (2006)
- Deval PatrickDeval PatrickDeval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
(2007) - Cass SunsteinCass SunsteinCass R. Sunstein is an American legal scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics, who currently is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration...
(2008) - Congressman Barney FrankBarney FrankBarney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
(2009) - Dr. Carol Johnson (2010)
- Martha MinowMartha MinowMartha Louise Minow is the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law and the Dean of Harvard Law School. She teaches civil procedure, constitutional law, family law, international criminal justice, jurisprudence, law and education, nonprofit organizations, and the public law workshop...
2011
Boston Bar Association Orchestra Annual Summer Concert
The Boston Bar Association Orchestra is a full-symphony orchestra composed primarily of attorneys and law-related professionals. Its premiere performance took place at the Harvard Club of Boston in January 1985. Since then, the Orchestra has performed every year at locations such as Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
and the Hatch Shell
Hatch Shell
The Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell is an outdoor concert venue adjacent to the Charles River Esplanade near downtown Boston....
on the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
. The Orchestra also provides music for conferences held in the Boston area, such as the 1993 American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
Winter Meeting.
Service to the community
The Boston Bar Association has established public service programs utilizing lawyer volunteers. Among these programs are:- The M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program - co-sponsored by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Massachusetts – designed to teach high school students about budgeting, making sound credit choices and avoiding bankruptcy.
- The Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program – conducted in partnership with the Boston Public SchoolsBoston Public SchoolsBoston Public Schools is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Leadership:The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the Boston School Committee, a seven-member school board appointed by the Mayor after approval by a nominating committee of specified...
, the Boston Youth FundBoston Youth FundThe Boston Youth Fund is a program run by the City of Boston, at the behest of Mayor Thomas Menino, that offers employment during the summer and after school to youth workers from the City of Boston that are between the ages of 15-17...
, and the Boston Private Industry Council, it places juniors and seniors from Boston's public high schools in paid summer internships at Boston law firms, corporate law departments, and law-related public agencies. - The Lawyer-for-the-Day Project at the Boston Housing Court – provides pro bono lawyers to assist unrepresented tenants and landlords on summary process day.
- The Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association – provides pro bono civil legal assistance to low-income clients.
Current Officers
- President: Donald R. Frederico, Greenberg TraurigGreenberg TraurigGreenberg Traurig LLP and Greenberg Traurig PA is an international law firm based in Miami, Florida.The firm has approximately 1,800 attorneys and governmental professionals in 32 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Its founding office is in Miami, Florida with its largest office in...
, LLP - President-Elect: Lisa C. Goodheart, Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.
- Vice-President: James D. Smeallie, Holland & KnightHolland & KnightHolland & Knight is an international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices. Other offices around the world are located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Beijing, China, and Mexico City, Mexico. Holland & Knight provides representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.-...
LLP - Treasurer: Paul T. Dacier, EMC CorporationEMC CorporationEMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
- Secretary: Julia Huston, Foley Hoag LLPFoley HoagFoley Hoag LLP is a law firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, with additional offices in Washington, DC; Paris; and Waltham, Massachusetts. The firm represents public and private clients in a wide range of disputes and transactions worldwide...
Past Presidents
Notable Boston Bar Association Past Presidents have included:- John AdamsJohn AdamsJohn Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
(1761-1766) – 2nd President of the United States - Ebenezer R. HoarEbenezer R. HoarEbenezer Rockwood Hoar was an influential American politician and lawyer from Massachusetts.- Early life :...
(1879) -- United States Attorney General, 1869-1870 - William GastonWilliam GastonWilliam J. Gaston was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston was born in New Bern, North Carolina, the son of Dr. Alexander Gaston and Margaret Gaston. He entered Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., at the age of thirteen, becoming its first student...
(1880-1881) - Governor of MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 1875-1876 - Moorfield StoreyMoorfield StoreyMoorfield Storey was an American lawyer, publicist, and civil rights leader. According to Storey's biographer, William B...
(1909-1913) – President of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
; first President of the NAACP - Robert W. Meserve (1963-1965) – President of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
- John G. Brooks (1972-1974) - President of the National Legal Aid & Defender AssociationNational Legal Aid & Defender AssociationThe National Legal Aid & Defender Association is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoted to advocating equal justice for all Americans...
and a director of the Legal Services CorporationLegal Services CorporationThe Legal Services Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation established by the United States Congress. It seeks to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it... - John J. Curtin, Jr. (1979-1981) – President of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
- Gene D. Dahmen (1987-1988) – First woman to serve as President of the Boston Bar Association
- Rudolph F. Pierce (1989-1990) – First African American to serve as President of the Boston Bar Association
- Hon. Sandra L. Lynch (1992-1993) – First woman to serve as chief judge of the United States Court of AppealsUnited States court of appealsThe United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
for the First Circuit - Hon. Margaret H. MarshallMargaret H. MarshallMargaret Hilary Marshall was the 24th Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the first female to hold that position. She was Chief Justice from 1999 to 2010. On July 21, 2010, she announced her retirement....
(1991-1992) – First woman Chief JusticeChief JusticeThe Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtThe Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:... - Joan A. Lukey (2000-2001) - First woman President of the American College of Trial LawyersAmerican College of Trial LawyersThe American College of Trial Lawyers is a professional association of trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession...
.