Underscoring its commitment to help new lawyers develop essential
professional skills, the Boston Bar Association's (BBA) New Lawyers Section recently
launched the Practical Skills Series -- an initiative that introduces new
lawyers to topics that are not often taught in law school.
"Being competitive in the marketplace requires that new lawyers build skills
and stay informed about practical issues facing attorneys," said New Lawyers
Practical Skills Committee Co-Chair Meredith
Ainbinder of Sunstein Kann Murphy
& Timbers. "We wanted this series to offer programs that we would have
found helpful when we began practicing law. It is truly a 'by new lawyers, for
new lawyers' type of program."
The development of the BBA Practical Skills Series comes in response to the
rapid growth of the BBA New Lawyers Section over the past few years. Section
membership increased from 866 lawyers to 1,010 in the program year ending in
2010.
The Practical Skills Series will present valuable information on specific
topics in concise 1 and 2 hour sessions. Among the most popular programs last
fall were Drafting
Complaints and Answers (10/20), The
Anatomy of a Purchase Agreement (10/27) Drafting
and Responding to Civil Written Discovery Requests (11/18), and Best
Practices in Criminal Discovery (11/30).
Upcoming programs in the New Lawyers Practical Skills Series include:
- Beginners
Guide to Document Collection, Review and Production - February 16th
- The
Unwritten Rules of Engagement: Tips for the New Employment Lawyer
- February 23rd
- Forming
a Limited Liability Company - February 24th
- Save the Date: Anatomy of
a Search Warrant - February 24th
"Our goal is to develop high quality programs that are limited in scope,
providing practical information tailored to the needs of new lawyers" said New
Lawyers Practical Skills Committee Co-Chair Nicholas Walsh, Assistant District
Attorney at the Suffolk County DA's Office. "Too often programs attempt to cover
too broad a topic in too short a period of time. The idea is to pick narrow
topics so that they can be addressed in depth and provide a variety of points of
view and approaches to common legal issues."
Keep an eye out for other New Lawyers Section events:
- Commercial
Office Leasing Basics - February 10th
- Employment
Law Basics - March 15th
- 4th
Annual Young Bar Meets Bench Program - March 29th
For more information contact Anna Frank at afrank@bostonbar.org.