Statement of Boston Bar Association President Lisa G. Arrowood on the Retirement of Judge Henry J. Boroff

The retirement of the Honorable Henry J. Boroff will be felt not only within the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Massachusetts, but also within the Boston Bar Association and throughout our community. His significant role in some of the BBA’s most notable Bankruptcy Section and Public Service programs cannot be overstated.

In 1990 Henry Boroff, who was then Chair of the BBA’s Bankruptcy Committee, collaborated with then BBA President Jack Driscoll to create the BBA’s Bankruptcy Bench Meets Bar program, an event that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
Judge Boroff was instrumental in expanding the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy to Western Massachusetts, in collaboration with the Hamden and Hampshire County Bar associations. Because of this partnership, hundreds of high school students have the knowledge they need to manage their finances responsibly.

Together with Bankruptcy Judge Joan Feeney, Judge Boroff spearheaded efforts to encourage and increase pro bono representation by the bankruptcy bar.  Judge Boroff played a critical part in the adoption of a protocol that led to much-needed additional pro bono resources to assist individual debtors at the height of the 2008-09 recession. 

Judge Boroff established and led the Bankruptcy Court’s Diversity Initiative Task Force, which was launched in 2010 to improve the representation of affinity groups in the bankruptcy bar and court. One of the outcomes of that important initiative was the establishment of the BBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Judicial Internship Program.

Because of his leadership and commitment to public service, students are better educated in finance, unrepresented litigants across the Commonwealth are receiving the assistance they need, the Court has made a strong, public commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the BBA’s Bankruptcy Section has been empowered to effectively educate a generation of new lawyers. We are very grateful for his leadership and generosity, and wish him the very best in his retirement.