2012 was a productive year for the BBA, and Issue Spot would like to look back on the numbers.
2 Amicus Briefs – The BBA filed amicus briefs in Rachel A. Bird Anderson v. BNY Mellon, N.A. trustee and others and Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The SJC referenced the BBA’s Bird brief in its decision this summer. The BBA recruited 38 law firms, companies and organizations to join our Fisher brief and was one of 71 amici to file briefs in the high profile case.
2 Court Standing Orders – The Boston Municipal Court made permanent a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) sealing order and the Supreme Judicial Court instituted a pro hac vice admission fee which yielded $49,000 in the first quarter it was collected. Both standing orders were endorsed by the BBA.
7 Laws Took Effect – Seven pieces of legislation the BBA supported took effect in 2012.
- Alimony Reform Act – took effect March 1
- Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code – took effect March 31
- Corrections to the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code – took effect March 31
- CORI Reform – second wave of reforms took effect May 4
- Postconviction Access to DNA Evidence – took effect May 17
- Transgender Equal Rights Bill – took effect July 1
- Sentencing Reform (without judicial discretion) – took effect October 31
700 Attorneys Attended Walk to the Hill – Lawyers from across Massachusetts filled the State House for the 13th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid. More than 50 law firms and organizations were represented.
100+ Lawyers Attended Court Advocacy Day – More than 100 attorneys trekked to the State House to show support for adequate court funding.
2012 was a successful year and we are committed to topping these numbers for 2013. We still have unfinished business in the Massachusetts Legislature. There are also emerging federal issues we are preparing to tackle. But as 2012 wraps up, we have much to celebrate.
-Kathleen Joyce
Government Relations Director
Boston Bar Association
