Summer Outing on August 7!

Leave the ties at home and get ready to enjoy the warm days of summer! The LBA Summer Outing is being held on August 7, 2014, at the North Andover Country Club. Both members and non-members are invited to join for a round of nine holes of golf in the afternoon, or just come for the social hour and dinner. Either way, it is a great opportunity to meet with LBA members, spouses, and friends in a casual atmosphere. 

Find out more information on our Events page, or just head to the LBA Store to register online with a credit card!

Free Landlord-Tenant Training

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. and North Shore Community Action Programs will be sponsoring a free half-day Landlord-Tenant Training on May 28, 2014, from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. The training will be held at the Northeast Housing Court, 4th floor of the J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center, 56 Federal Street, Salem. The program will also feature the Honorable Timothy F. Sullivan who will be providing a "View from the Bench". For more information or to register, contact Neighborhood Legal Services. 

Students, Mayor Provide Perspective on 'Every Vote'

Speech contest winner, Sage Couture, with Hon. Lynn Rooney

The Lawrence Bar Association hosted a celebration of the law in society at this year's Law Day on May 1, 2014. This year's theme, as selected by the American Bar Association was "American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters".  Six students competed in a speech contest on the theme in front a three judge panel, including Hon. Lynn Rooney, Hon. Mark Newman, and Hon. Peter DiGangi. The students were: Sage Couture, Lawrence High School; Ibrahim Ibrahim, Lawrence High School; Leticia Valentin, Lawrence High School; Irene Gu, Andover High School; Alexandra Hogan, Central Catholic High School; and Sebastian Lopez, Presentation of Mary Academy. 

The students were also honored at a dinner sponsored by the LBA where the winner of the speech contest, Sage Couture, was awarded a $500 scholarship. The featured speaker for the evening was Hon. Daniel Rivera, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, who gave his own perspective on the importance of voting rights, having himself won the mayor's office by a mere 80 votes.  See more photos from the event >

Brennan Speaks to Sold Out Crowd at Spring Dinner

Over 100 people packed the North Andover Country Club for the Lawrence Bar Association's annual Spring Dinner. The program began by honoring Tom Caffrey with the organization's most valued award for 50 years of distinguished service. Tom was introduced by his son and former partner, Matt Caffrey. The LBA also awarded this year's Leadership Award to Dick Consoli, who attended with his wife and children, for his many years of service not only to the bar but also to the community as a businessman, lawyer, and mentor. 

The evening's featured speaker was Hank Brennan, who served as co-counsel to infamous Bostonian, James "Whitey" Bulger. Hank riveted the attendees with stories from inside the jail cell, and with how the trial was as much an indictment of the FBI and the federal government for the criminal environment it helped facilitate in Boston. See photos from the event >

LBA Scholarships Announced for 2014

The Lawrence Bar Association will once again be awarding scholarships to law students. This year there will be two awards: one for $5,000 and one for $4,000. The applicants must be residents of one of the towns of Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, or Methuen and be currently attending law school in the United States. 

For more information or to download a copy of the application form, please visit the scholarships page. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2014, and late submissions cannot be accepted, so submit your application today!

LBA Spring Dinner is Next Week!

The Lawrence Bar Association is hosting its annual Spring Dinner next week on Thursday, April 10! The program will be highlighted by our guest speaker, Hank Brennan, who served as co-counsel to James "Whitey" Bulger in his recent criminal trial. There is still time to attend. See the events page for information about how to RSVP and to find out about other events hosted by the LBA!

New Walk-in Lump Sum Request Process Announced

The Department of Industrial Accidents, in conjunction with the MBA Workers' Compensation Section, is pleased to announce the development of a new process for Walk-in Lump Sum Requests. We have designed a process that will bring uniformity to the  lump sum process.  A Walk-in Lump Sum request will be defined as a case that does not have judge ownership.  In other words, the matter has not  been adjudicated by a current sitting DIA Administrative Judge.  This process will also apply to 113 agreements and Section 19 agreements in matters that have no judge ownership.

As of April 7, 2014, the parties will no longer be able to walk into a courtroom and ask a judge for approval of a lump sum  settlement.  Rather, they will be required to report to the conciliation unit.  

The parties should contact the Conciliation Unit at least 24 hours in advance in order to arrange for a Conciliation with the  Conciliation unit in regards to their Walk-In Lump Sum request.  
In Boston, we strongly encourage you to follow this procedure in order to record the parties on the building's visitor log.
In Boston, the parties are requested to contact Sandra Perez at extension 7368 or Dele Edebiri at extension 7366.  
In the regional offices, the parties are requested to contact the front desk.[1]
 
At this Conciliation, the Conciliator will review all requests and documents and determine whether Lump Sum request will go  forward to the available 'Walk-in Lump Sum Judge' on duty. 
In the regional offices, the Administrative Judges will be rotated on a weekly basis as a "Walk In Lump Sum Judge of the Week".  In Boston, the parties will appear before Administrative Judge Richard Heffernan.   
 
If the documents are rejected as incomplete, the parties will arrange with the Conciliator to reschedule the proceedings in order to  make the necessary changes to the documents.  
 
Please note that a Section 15 (Petition for Approval of Third Party Settlement) cannot be heard together with a proposed Walk-In  Lump Sum Request.
 
All Walk-In Lump Sums must be presented to the Conciliation Unit in the morning as these lump sum conferences will be only  scheduled in the afternoon at 1:15 p.m.
However, at the discretion of the Administrative Judge, lump sum conferences may be heard prior to 1:15 p.m.
 
[1] Boston (617) 727-4900 
  Fall River (508) 676-3406
  Lawrence (978) 683-6420
  Springfield (413) 784-1133
  Worcester (508) 753-2072