Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly articles from October 2006

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly archives from October 2006

Massachusetts Judges Conference, Judge Mulligan at odds over group's use of courthouses.(Robert A. Mulligan)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Simmering tensions between the Massachusetts Judges Conference and the chief Trial Court judge, Robert A. Mulligan, have erupted in an exchange of letters that suggests their differences may not be...

Appellate Tax Board Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Taxation Real estate Where a homeowner has challenged the town of Holbrook's valuation of his home, the challenge must fail based on a lack of evidence presented by the homeowner. ...

Appeals Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Judgments affirmed Commonwealth v. Thompson (Lawyers Weekly No. 81-746-06) (2 pages) (operating a motor vehicle negligently so as to endanger; allegation that a judge created a...

U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Unsecured claim - Second motion for reconsideration Where a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge denied a debtor's second motion for reconsideration of an order allowing an unsecured...

District Court/BMC Trial Division Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorneys Fees Where evidence indicates that one plaintiff was the instigator of wrongdoing in certain proceedings naming attorneys as defendants and that two other plaintiffs lent their...

Department of Industrial Accidents: Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Workers' compensation Repetitive overuse injury - Ongoing total incapacity benefits Where an administrative judge has awarded an employee ongoing total incapacity benefits for a repetitive...

Land Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.(Bailey Bishop Jr. and Robin L.M. Bishop v. Vitale)(Alavi v. Zazula)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Real property Ownership rights - Way Where a dispute has arisen regarding property rights in a Beverly way, I decide that each party to the case at bar has ownership of that portion of...

Probate & Family Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Wills and trusts Undue influence Where objectors have challenged a will leaving an elderly decedent's home to a health aide, I decide that the will must be disallowed in light of evidence...

Superior Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Arbitration Employment agreements Where plaintiffs, former employees of the defendant, have filed a complaint seeking a declaration that their employment agreements, which contain...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Disclosure statement Where a creditor has objected to a Chapter 11 debtor's disclosure statement, the objection must be sustained. Such is the case because (1) the...

1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil rights Puerto Rico - Political discrimination Where plaintiffs filed suit challenging their dismissal from their jobs with Puerto Rico's Commercial Development Administration, an...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Racketeering - Conspiracy Where a defendant has appealed his convictions for racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, assault in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm in...

U.S. Magistrate Judges Case Summaries: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Detention order Where a criminal defendant has sought to be released pending trial, I find that his request should be denied because "there are no conditions or combination of...

Massacusetts Lawyers in the News: October 2, 2006.(Patricia A. Levesh joins Greater Boston Legal Services)(Joshua A. Kalkstein joins Robinson and Cole)(Jason R. Talerman joins Edwards, Angell, Palmer and Dodge )
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff New associations Patricia A. Levesh has been named the managing attorney of Greater Boston Legal Services' Family Law Unit. Joshua A. Kalkstein has joined the Boston office of Robinson &...

Commentary: Courts weigh in on Coach purses, Freedom Fries and printer cartridges.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Kirk Teska It can be a hectic time in a trial after the close of evidence and then again after a jury verdict. Still, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a patent and antitrust case, recently reiterated the importance of the federal rules...

Commentary: With humor and bite, fictional 'Anonymous Lawyer' is real deal.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Gerald M. Moody I am a lawyer. I enjoy practicing law, and I enjoy other lawyers. However, I am not usually interested in books by or about lawyers; I just do not read them. I like to think I have a life beyond this profession. ...

Verdicts & Settlements October 2, 2006: Livery driver disabled following auto accident.(motor vehicle negligence)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $400,000 verdict The plaintiff livery service driver was operating a motor vehicle in East Boston on Aug. 23, 2001, when the defendant company's truck driver, coming in the opposite direction,...

Verdicts & Settlements October 2, 2006: Boyfriend held liable in killing.(Rafuse v. Stryker)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $15.1 million verdict Linda Goudey, a Stoneham obstetrician, was found strangled in her car on Oct. 4, 1993. No one was prosecuted for the murder. After eight years, Goudey's mother won...

Verdicts & Settlements October 2, 2006: Newborn suffers subdural bleed.(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $1 million settlement The minor plaintiff's decedent suffered a significant subdural bleed at the time of her delivery, which eventually caused her death. The plaintiffs claimed that the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 2, 2006: Man brought in for booking dies in police holding cell.(Sylva v. City of Quincy)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Defense verdict The decedent's estate brought claims against the defendant city and individual police officers for wrongful death, negligence and civil rights violations under the 8th...

Verdicts & Settlements October 2, 2006: Company liable for debts of predecessor.(Milliken & Company v. Duro Textiles, LLC)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $8.75 million verdict Action was taken to hold a successor company -- the defendant Duro Textiles, LLC -- liable for the debts of its predecessor company, Duro Industries, Inc., under the de...

Q&A with Peter A. Johnson, founder of Law Practice Consultants.(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff In this feature, Lawyers Weekly interviews specialists in the management of law firms. This week, reporter Barbara Rabinovitz asks attorney Peter A. Johnson, founder of Boston-based Law Practice...

Commentary: Marketing activities of small law firms vs large law firms.(Column)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Edward Poll The real definition of marketing is simple: Identify the people most likely to hire you for the work you want to do, communicate with them to let them know who you are, and then develop close relationships with these...

Commentary: Dialed the wrong number? Sorry, you're under arrest.
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Yas Cell phones are either going to save the world or absolutely destroy us all. Yes, cell phones allow us to dial up friends from ski lifts and order boxes of Crunch 'N' Munch from Fenway Park box seats. But...

Governor Signs Bills.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff 294. An act authorizing the state secretary to place a certain question on the official ballot for the state election to be used in the City of Fall River. App. and eff. Sept. 8, 2 pages. 295....

RAJ rage.(regional administrative judge)(justice Roanne Sragow appoints Lynda M. Connolly as chief justice)(Connolly nominates Robert A. Brennan as regional administrative judge for Region III )(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff With rumors flying that there is no love lost between Cambridge District Court First Justice Roanne Sragow and Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan, a report last week...

U.S. District Court dismisses suit against golf course.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff "Should we walk the course or take a golf cart?" Golfers have long debated the question of whether they should enjoy a round of golf with a cart or make their way across an 18-hole course on...

Court scheduling system needs to be fixed.(Letter to the editor)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: I am probably not the only civil litigator who has recently been required to check in on almost a daily basis with a clerk's office to see whether or not a civil trial will be...

Bad legislation will benefit 'bold' developers.(Letter to the editor)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: Since the adoption of the Zoning Act in 1975 and prior thereto, it has been the law of the commonwealth that a judicial appeal from the grant of a special permit brought about a...

More judges expected to retire as Gov. Romney's term winds down.(Mitt Romney's tenure ends)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Barbara Rabinovitz With only three months until Gov. Mitt Romney's term ends, there is speculation that he will have additional judicial vacancies to fill as more judges contemplate early retirement. Since judges' salaries --...

Superior Court judge says bank can bring 93A lawsuit vs. non-client auditor.(Bank of America, N.A. v. BDO Seidman, LLP, et al.)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Frank In a case lawyers say could greatly expand the reach of Chapter 93A, a Superior Court judge has ruled a bank can move forward with a suit against a non-client auditor who prepared a financial report for a borrower who...

Gov.'s Council quizzes would-be Worcester Superior Court judge.(James R. Lemire)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Noah Schaffer The man who is poised to be named the first new Superior Court judge in Worcester in six years was questioned by the Governor's Council last week about his background as a prosecutor and private attorney. ...

Notices from the Courts: October 2, 2006.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Division of Insurance announces hearing date COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation DIVISION OF INSURANCE NOTICE OF HEARING In...

Commentary: Requests to relocate with minor children make for tough decisions.(Column)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Edward M. Ginsburg This column offers readers an opportunity to ask questions of a former judge with 25 years of experience on the bench. To contact Judge Ginsburg with your question, e-mail SeniorLawyers@aol.com. Question: How...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: October 2, 2006).
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff No. SJC-BD-2006-006 IN RE: MALCOLM J. BARACH Last known address: P.O. Box 1681 Brookline, MA 02446 Order of Term Suspension entered by Cowin, J., on August 31, 2006 MEMORANDUM OF DECISION...

Commentary: Hire investigators at your own peril.(Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, law firms and lawyers )
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff The stunning revelation that investigators who were hired by Hewlett Packard to locate the source of boardroom leaks impersonated reporters in order to hack into those reporters' telephone records...

Universal frustration seen over split Fall River court.(Fall River District Court )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff This is another in an ongoing series in which Lawyers Weekly -- after spending a day in one of the commonwealth's courthouses -- reports on the issues observed there. A trip to Fall River...

Red tape at the RMV is driving lawyers away.(modifications of internal procedures at Registry of Motor Vehicles)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David E. Frank It was not so long ago that the Registry of Motor Vehicles was a good place for lawyers to do business. Flexible rules and hearing officers empowered with significant discretion allowed for the possibility that...

Q&A with Susan L. Kantrowitz, WGBH Educational Foundation VP, general counsel.(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff In this recurring feature, Lawyers Weekly interviews attorneys at Massachusetts-based businesses and nonprofit entities about the role of outside counsel in their in-house operations. This week,...

1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Arbitration Alteration of award - Forfeited challenge Where (1) a union filed suit in district court to enforce an Aug. 16, 2004 arbitration award and (2) the employer argued that the...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Securities Fraud - Class action Where a plaintiff seeks class certification in a securities fraud case, that request must be denied, as the plaintiff has not satisfied the standard set by...

U.S. Magistrate Judges Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil rights Statute of limitations Where a plaintiff has filed a civil right action against the defendant town of Egremont and several codefendants, I find that several of the...

MA Lawyers in the News: October 9, 2006.(Jeffrey C. Whieldon joins Fish and Richardson)(Richard L. Neumeier from Morrison Mahoney is honored)(David H. Hennessy from .S. Attorney's Office receives award)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff New associations Jeffrey C. Whieldon has joined the Boston office of Fish & Richardson as of counsel in the litigation group. Kathleen B. Patton has joined the Boston office of Day, Berry...

The Big Picture: October 9, 2006.(DLA, Piper, Rudnick, Gray, Cary changes name to DLA Piper)(Foley Hoag L.L.P sues Foley & Lardner)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Name that firm The large law firms of Foley Hoag and Foley & Lardner have emerged from U.S. District Court in Boston with a settlement agreement clarifying the use of "Foley" by...

Verdicts & Settlements October 9, 2006: Drywall finisher injures ankle during mall project.(negligence)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $1.25 million settlement The plaintiff, a drywall finisher, was injured while using Baker staging to tape and finish drywall during the renovation of a strip mall. A wheel of the staging...

Verdicts & Settlements October 9, 2006: 80-year-old suffers severe burns from radiator.(Sharpe v. Kindred)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $285,000 verdict While a resident of the defendant nursing home, the 80-year-old decedent suffered second- and third-degree burns to her legs as a result of her bed being placed too close to...

Verdicts & Settlements October 9, 2006: Patient undergoes heart procedure, later has stroke.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $250,000 settlement The 59-year-old decedent was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation after being hospitalized for complaints of chest pain. A myocardial infarction was ruled out and the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 9, 2006: Man suffers heart attack while on cruise ship.(diagnostic errors)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $250,000 settlement The 70-year-old plaintiff was seen by his primary care physician in February 1999 for a physical exam. He was noted to have elevated blood pressure, an arrhythmia on EKG...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff BBO Public Reprimand No. 2006-14 IN RE: RICHARD S. WEISS Last known office address: 15 Court Square Boston, MA 02108 Order (public reprimand) entered by the Board August 18, 2006 SUMMARY...

Commentary: A drive for due process.(driving license)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Since the advent of the motor vehicle, our courts have held that a driver's license is a privilege and not a right. Great authority has been placed in the Registry of Motor Vehicles to act as the...

List of nominations for Lawyers Weekly's "2006 Unsung Heroes".(Susan Arsenault from Kenney and Sams, Framingham)(Karen Borofsky from Lowrie, Lando and Anastasi)(Cheryl Bray from Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, Springfield)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Where would lawyers in Massachusetts be without the key members of their support staff who, behind the scenes, quietly make it all happen? Let's face it: Those lawyers would have it rough. For...

Commentary: Coach's Corner: Is everybody in your law office on the team?(law firm, human resource management)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Edward Poll I firmly believe that running a law firm in a businesslike way improves the professionalism of the practice of law. A law firm run as a business will approach client service more efficiently -- returning phone calls...

Interview with hiring partner at Massachusetts law firm about filling associate slots.(Thomas J. Gallitano from Conn, Kavanaugh, Rosenthal, Peisch and Ford in Boston)(Interview)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff In this feature, Lawyers Weekly interviews a hiring partner at a Massachusetts law firm to gain insight into his or her decisions about who will be employed by the firm -- as partners, associates,...

Massachusetts lawyers give their opinions on preferences for practice areas.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff In this space, Lawyers Weekly interviews Massachusetts lawyers for their opinions on issues related to the business of law. This week, reporter Noah Schaffer asks about preferences for practice...

MA governor signs bills: October 9, 2006.(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff 304. An act exempting Craig Blake from the maximum age requirements for appointment as a firefighter in the Town of Norton. App. and eff. Sept. 26, 1 page. 305. An act establishing a special...

MA Appeals Court rules inmate may not participate in full-contact wedding ceremony in prison.(Massachusetts)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Although a prison inmate may have the right to marry while behind bars, he can't necessarily put a ring on his bride's finger and kiss her, according to a recent Appeals Court ruling. After...

Long-established Boston personal-injury firm is breaking up -- amicably.(Sarrouf, Tarricone & Flemming )
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff A long-established Boston personal-injury firm, whose members include a couple of bright lights in the local legal firmament, is breaking up -- amicably, according to one of the name partners. ...

MCAD chair points to record of improved performance.(Letter to the editor)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: I write in response to "Candidates debate CORI, MCAD reform" (Sept. 11), which covered the gubernatorial candidates' forum at Roxbury Community College. The item reports...

Superior Court rules N.H. auto insurance carrier subject to MA jurisdiction under long-arm statute.(National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania v. Concord Group)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Eric T. Berkman A commercial auto insurance company could seek a declaratory judgment in Massachusetts against a New Hampshire policyholder's personal auto insurance carrier for coverage of a rental-car accident that occurred in...

Parent co. can be liable for 100-year-old contamination, rules MA Appeals Court.(Massachusetts)
October 9, 2006... Byline: David E. Frank A parent company could be held responsible for clean-up efforts of environmental contamination, even where the damage in question was created more than 100 years before by the subsidiary company of its...

MA state and local bars split over payee notification rule proposal.(Massachusetts)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Noah Schaffer State and local bar associations are split over a hotly debated proposal from the Clients' Security Board that would require insurance companies to notify claimants when their attorney receives a settlement check from...

Councilors to consider Boston Municipal Court's Judge Curran for Superior Court.(Dennis J. Curran )(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Noah Schaffer Gov. Mitt Romney announced the nomination of Boston Municipal Court Judge Dennis J. Curran for a seat on the Superior Court. The slot opened following the recent retirement of Superior Court Judge Suzanne V....

Notices from the Courts: October 9. 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Land Court issues order on claims for judicial review COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT LAND COURT DEPARTMENT STANDING ORDER NO. 2-06 (Effective September 26,...

MA attorney Charles Cronis, a Lynn attorney, dies September 19, at 85 years of age.(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Charles Cronis, a Lynn attorney who had recently been honored as a conciliator/mediator by the Essex County and Greater Lynn bar associations, died Sept. 19 at Union Hospital in Lynn. He was 85....

Commentary: Will independent contractors become extinct in Mass.?(regulation)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Alexander Klibaner Employers and workers should be aware that important consequences ride on the distinction between an independent contractor and an employee. Does the employer or the independent contractor pay payroll taxes...

MA Appellate Tax Board Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Taxation Responsible person - Sales taxes Where a corporation's investor was held personally and individually liable for unpaid sales taxes, this was proper, as the investor constituted a...

District Court/BMC Appellate Division Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Employment Overtime - Breach of contract Where a judge dismissed a complaint filed by plaintiffs alleging that they did not receive the overtime pay to which they were entitled, the...

Appeals Court Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Judgments affirmed Holmes, et al. v. Board of Appeals of Sudbury, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 81-766-05) (9 pages) (appeal of a Land Court judgment holding that the defendant had...

Land Court Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Real property Res judicata Where a plaintiff has filed suit seeking to quiet title in a piece of Boston property and to have a certain deed and certain mortgages declared invalid, I must...

Superior Court Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Contract School renovation - Direct payment Where a plaintiff subcontractor performed renovation work at Newton South High School, the plaintiff is entitled to direct payment from the...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: October 9, 2006.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Automatic stay Where (1) the California Superior Court entered an order in 1992 adjudicating the property interests in real estate that had been the subject of a will, (2) the...

Commentary: A familiar voice wants to make the call on judges.(radio host Ted Sarandis runs for Governor's Council elections)(Column)
October 16, 2006... Byline: David Yas Since the early 1990s, my brain has been slowly melted by something called sports radio. Each year it sucks a considerable amount of intelligence from me. By 2010 I'll be too dumb and disoriented to order a combo meal at...

Historic Preservation Project: Ye olde office in the Massachusetts town of Sturbridge.(preserving old law offices)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Historic preservation projects inevitably involve attorneys at one stage or another, especially those with an understanding of the legal intricacies of redeveloping architectural treasures. ...

Party's over for Franklin County man.(state law barred H. Peter Wood from inclusion as a Democrat)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Switching his affiliation from Republican to Democrat may have cost the register of deeds in Franklin County his job. When 12-year incumbent Register H. Peter Wood changed parties last year,...

Keeping her counsel at the MA Office of the Bar Counsel.(Massachusetts, search for new head begins as Daniel C. Crane resigns)(Brief article)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff More than three months have passed since Daniel C. Crane left his leadership post at the Office of the Bar Counsel on June 30 and Assistant Bar Counsel Constance V. Vecchione took over in an acting...

Trial Court needs policy for use of public buildings.(Letter to the editor)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: There seem to be many more issues of perception of approval or endorsement that need to be addressed when discussing the use of courthouses than just barring a voluntary judges...

Bar leader: public officials should know better.(Letter to the editor)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: Recently your newspaper published a News Brief detailing the reactions of our public officials to one of many difficult decisions made by our judiciary ("Police chief angry over...

RMV registrar takes issue with recent 'red-tape' story.(Letter to the editor)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff To the editor: I take issue with the title of the Oct. 2 article, "Red tape at the RMV is driving lawyers away." I would offer an alternative headline: "Lawyers frustrated that RMV holds the...

Suffolk Superior Court upholds ballistic testing method.(Case overview)
October 16, 2006... Byline: David E. Frank Criminal defense lawyers did not get the result they were looking for when a Suffolk Superior Court judge denied the motions of two defendants to have the long-standing method used by police in analyzing ballistic...

'Limited representation' plan to begin next month in Suffolk and Hampden counties.
October 16, 2006... Byline: Barbara Rabinovitz Probate & Family Court practitioners in Suffolk and Hampden counties will be able to provide limited representation to pro se litigants for specific legal tasks -- rather than for the duration of their cases --...

One-way ticket to trouble for Worcester attorney?(R. Norman Peters)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Noah Schaffer Lawyer's 'quid pro quo' gets him in hot water, leading others to debate where to draw the line Worcester attorney R. Norman Peters is among the city's most elite powerbrokers. He has raised millions for both...

MA Superior Court rules doctor can be held liable after patient hits biker.
October 16, 2006... Byline: Eric T. Berkman A motorcyclist who was struck and injured by an automobile could sue the driver's physician for failing to warn the driver not to operate a motor vehicle while taking medication to lower his blood sugar, a Superior...

MA Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 16, 2006.
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Judgments affirmed Advanced Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. v. Shahidi (Lawyers Weekly No. 81-785-06) (13 pages) (claims by a plaintiff corporation (1) that the trial judge erred by...

U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Case Summaries: October 16, 2006.
October 16, 2006... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Homestead - Simultaneous filing Where a Chapter 7 Trustee has objected to a declaration of homestead that was filed simultaneously with the debtor's bankruptcy petition, the...