Each September, our Annual Meeting Luncheon marks a festive kickoff to the new BBA year. More than 1,200 attorneys, judges, legislators and members of the business community gather for the inaugural event, which is hosted by the incoming BBA president.
Annual Meeting Luncheon 2012
On September 21st the Boston Bar Association welcomed 1,200 attorneys and business leaders to the Sheraton Boston Hotel for the 2012 Annual Meeting Luncheon. Special thanks to the event steering committee and co-chairs Paul Cushing and Deborah Manus for their hard work in making Annual Meeting a success!
Keynote Speaker
Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont
Senator Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a senior member of the Agriculture Committee and Appropriations Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. Leahy has been active on human rights issues, and headed the Senate's negotiations on the 2001 anti-terrorism bill, the USA PATRIOT Act. He is a leader on internet and technology issues, and was a co-founder and remains a co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Senator Leahy is also known as a leader on issues of conservation and environmental protection, and is consistently ranked as one of the top environmental legislators by conservation organizations.
Honorees
At the event, three awards were presented to firms and members of the legal community for their outstanding work and dedication to public service and the field of law.
Thurgood Marshall Award
The Thurgood Marshall Award was presented to Ropes & Gray LLP. The Marshall Award was established to recognize private attorneys or firms in greater Boston for outstanding work in enhancing the human dignity of others through improving, developing, or delivering civil or criminal legal services to low-income clients in Massachusetts. In 2011, Ropes & Gray had over 1,000 lawyers and legal professionals devoting nearly 100,000 hours to providing free legal services to individuals, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses across the nation.
John G. Brooks Legal Services Award
The John G. Brooks Award was presented to Lynn Girton of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association. The Brooks Award was established to recognize professional legal services attorneys for their outstanding work on behalf of indigent clients in greater Boston. Lynn has served as Chief Counsel of the Volunteer Lawyers Project since 1986, and has devoted virtually her entire legal career to providing representation to those unable to afford private counsel in civil cases. Lynn has served as Section Co-Chair of the BBA Delivery of Legal Services Section, and Chair of the Military & Veterans Pro Bono Committee, where she championed the volunteering at Yellow Ribbon Events, the Military Helpline, and number of other projects of the BBA Veterans Initiative.
Presidential Citation
The BBA recognized the law firm of Bingham McCutchen LLP with a Presidential Citation for their unwavering commitment to drafting high quality amicus briefs on a pro bono basis, particularly in the recent Boston Bar Association amicus brief that was filed in the case Fisher v. University of Texas. The amicus brief drafted by Bingham enabled the BBA to make a powerful statement about the importance of race-conscious admissions policies in advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The award was accepted by Jonathan Albano, Deputy Managing Partner of the Boston Office.