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| home | join | contact | cle | sections | calendar | search | updated: June 11, 2009 | |
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SPECIAL ADVISOR FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE INITIATIVES APPOINTED
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall and Chief Justice for Administration & Management Robert A. Mulligan have announced the appointment of a new Special Advisor for Access to Justice Initiatives. Housing Court Judge Dina Fein has been named to this new position and will report to Chief Justice Mulligan. Supreme Judicial Court Senior Staff Attorney Sandra Lundy will serve as Deputy Advisor. The two will assume these additional responsibilities on June 15, 2009. Access to justice has been a major priority for Chief Justice Marshall and Chief Justice Mulligan. The appointment was made in recognition of the critical role of the judicial branch during a challenging economy when data confirm that more people seek recourse from the courts. As social, linguistic, and economic diversity in the Commonwealth grows, as laws become more complex, and as increasing numbers of middle class individuals and the poor represent themselves in legal matters, ensuring court-based access services to litigants is an integral part of the mission of the judicial branch. The Special Advisor will guide and coordinate resources within the Trial Court to broaden access to civil justice for all litigants, including self represented litigants, individuals of modest means, those of limited or no English proficiency, and individuals with mental or physical disabilities. In coordination with Chief Justice Mulligan and the Chief Justices of the Trial Court, Judge Fein will develop long and short range goals, statewide strategies, and best practices to increase access to justice throughout the Trial Court. She will work closely with judges, court personnel, the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission, bar associations, legal service organizations, law firms, law schools and others to implement access to justice initiatives and protocols. Appointed to the bench in 1999, Judge Fein is presently the First Justice of the Housing Court, Western Division, where she will continue to sit part time. She is a member of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and was formerly a member of the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Civil Legal Services. An adjunct professor at Western New England College School of Law, Judge Fein currently teaches a course on Access to Justice. Senior Attorney Sandra Lundy was the staff member for the Supreme Judicial Court’s Steering Committee on Self-Represented Litigants, chaired by Appeals Court Justice Cynthia J. Cohen. In addition to her new assignment as Deputy Advisor with Judge Fein, Ms. Lundy will continue in her role as Senior Staff Attorney at the Supreme Judicial Court. |
