CLE - Drafting Separation Agreements Reached Via Mediation

06/12/2013
Mediation is gaining traction as the preferred way for divorcing couples to resolve their issues. With rising legal costs and busy court dockets, mediation is often a less expensive and more efficient alternative for clients seeking a divorce. It is increasingly common that divorcing couples utilize the services of a mediator at some juncture on their path to divorce. Mediators who help memorialize clients' agreements in writing and attorneys who use these written agreements to craft separation agreements will benefit from this program ...
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What Can I Do to Help? Volunteer Opportunities in the Probate and Family Court

06/11/2013 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Have you taken advantage of the myriad of programs offered at each Probate and Family Court to ease the workload of the courts and assist in the settlement of cases? Have considered volunteering your time to "pay it forward"? Come listen to our speakers talk about the various opportunities and training available to attorneys who want to give back to the courts....
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Giving Back and Paying Forward: A Public Service Panel and Reception

05/28/2013 - 04:00 PM to 07:00 PM
Please join us for a roundtable discussion featuring three esteemed members of the Boston legal community. Maureen Monks, Associate Justice of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Manisha Bhatt, Senior Attorney in the Family Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services and Susan M. Finegan, Pro Bono Partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. will each discuss how their commitment to pro bono and public service work has shaped their careers, as well as the many ways in which all of us can incorporate giving back into our personal and professional lives....
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Use of Mental Health Consultants in Custody Cases: A Balancing Act

05/14/2013 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
The panel will be discussing the ways attorneys utilize mental health professionals - from peer review of GAL reports, to trial preparation, to testimony for one side or educational expert, to working with the client in some manner, etc. The panel will discuss the ethical and legal boundaries of these roles, the gray areas between boundaries, and some of the clinical implications for mental health forensic practice and what is reasonable to ask of a MH professional....
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Conciliation Training

04/26/2013 - 08:30 AM to 05:30 PM
The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association invite family law practitioners with at least five (5) years of domestic relations experience to participate in conciliation training at the Massachusetts Bar Association offices, 20 West Street, Boston, Massachusetts on April 26, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m....
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CLE - Parental Alienation: Litigation Strategies and Solutions

04/10/2013
Parental Alienation is a crucial issue that can create emotional and psychological distress in affected children and fracture parental bonds. It is important that practitioners know how to work with the courts, mental health professionals, and Guardians Ad Litem to address this complex matter the context of custody litigation....
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Divorce, Mediation and Collaborative Law

04/09/2013 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
For the practitioners who want to explore alternatives to litigation in resolving matters pending in the Probate and Family Court. Is mediation, conciliation or collaborative law a viable alternative? How do the judges view a mediated case? What types of cases are appropriate for Alternative Dispute Resolution?...
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CLE - Handling Family Law Appeals

03/19/2013
Our panel of distinguished Justices and experienced practitioners will cover the process of filing an appeal, provide tips for brief writing and oral argument, and discuss what happens on remand....
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Navigating the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction And Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and the Massachusetts differences

03/12/2013 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
For the practitioners whose clients have moved out of state or who have clients with a foreign custody order. How do you determine what law applies? Are there any traps for unwary in drafting agreements? This seminar will address the practical questions of attorneys with cases that have jurisdictional issues....
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CANCELLED: Solo & Small Firm Meet & Greet Luncheon

02/08/2013 - 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Solo & Small Firm Section welcomes BBA members of all sections to join our monthly Meet & Greet Luncheons every second Friday from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. This is an opportunity to meet your fellow bar members while enjoying lunch at the BBA. ...
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Collecting Judgments: You Have a Court Order, Now What?

01/08/2013 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Family law practitioners receive judgments from the court but are Complaints for Contempt the only way to collect on the judgments?...
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Divorce Basics

12/11/2012 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Join the Family Law Section for a program on divore basics for the young practitioner or anyone who needs to refresh. Topics will include discovery, motion practice, and pretrial conferencing....
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POSTPONED: Giving Back and Paying Forward: A Family Law Public Service Panel and Reception

12/04/2012 - 05:00 PM to 07:00 PM
Please join us for a roundtable discussion featuring three esteemed members of the Boston legal community. Maureen Monks, Associate Justice of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Manisha Bhatt, Senior Attorney in the Family Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services and Susan M. Finegan, Pro Bono Partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. will each discuss how their commitment to pro bono and public service work has shaped their careers, as well as the many ways in which all of us can incorporate giving back into our personal and professional lives....
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Proposed Massachusetts Spousal Elective Share

10/19/2012 - 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
The program will review the workings of the proposed Massachusetts Spousal Elective Share statute and provide a forum for discussion. The proposed Massachusetts Spousal Elective Share statute is being considered by Boston Bar Association and this Brown Bag program will provide an opportunity for members of the bar to learn more about the proposed statute and provide feedback....
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CLE - Law Firm Management, Marketing and Best Practices for Solo and Small Firm Family Lawyers

10/11/2012
This program will address the benefits and challenges of going solo and provide best practices and helpful advice on avoiding ethical and financial pitfalls when setting up a family law practice. The panel will consist of experts in law office management, solo & small firm family law practitioners, and an attorney from the Office of Bar Counsel. ...
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Perception, Memory, Credibility & the Truth: An interactive presentation & discussion examining these concepts within the context of forensic practice

10/09/2012 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
At the annual AFCC conference in April of this year, the daylong program addressed the issue of assessing and challenging the credibility of guardians ad litem and experts. This roundtable is a follow up to this conference with a discussion of the concepts of perception, memory, credibility and the truth and how this applies to the work of the Probate and Family Court....
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Conciliation Training

10/05/2012 - 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Are you wondering how you may assist the Probate and Family Court at a time when budgetary constraints and staffing shortages create particular challenges while simultaneously learning skills that may expand and grow your law practices at little or no cost to you?Look no further….....
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Family Law Section Reception to Celebrate and Welcome Recently Appointed Justices to the Probate and Family Courts

10/01/2012 - 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Please join the Family Law Section as we celebrate and welcome the recently appointed Probate and Family Court Justices. ...
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Child Support Guidelines Task Force Hearing for Members of the Bar

09/27/2012 - 04:00 PM to 06:00 PM
This program offers the opportunity to members of the bar to participate in a hearing with the Child Support Guidelines Task Force Members to provide their comments and feedback regarding the application, methodology, assumptions and issues that they have encountered with the application of the current guidelines....
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Proposed Spousal Elective Share Statute

09/19/2012 - 04:00 PM to 07:00 PM
A distinguished panel including all the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Spousal Elective Share will lead a discussion of the proposed statute, explaining how it would work, taking feedback, addressing concerns and answering questions....
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CLE - A How-To on Removal Cases in Probate & Family Court: What To Do When a Parent Wants to Move

06/21/2012
Removal actions are fact and case law driven. They will almost always go to trial and require very specific evidentiary support. This program will review the various standards involved in removal actions and will explore factual situations that will meet those standards through the use of hypotheticals....
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