News Release

December 2007

Continuing Education, Westfield Athenaeum and Special Committee: BR&G Lawyers continue to volunteer their time.

David Parke will serve as the program co-chair for the Fifth Annual In-House Counsel Conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Bar Association. According to the MBA, the theme of this year’s conference relates to the fundamentals of in-house practice. David will draw on his extensive experience in working closely with in-house counsel at some of our larger clients, and serving as general counsel at others.

Katy Robertson will serve as program chair and moderator for a seminar entitled “Electronic Discovery: New Rules of Practice and Emerging Issues – What Litigators Should Know.” This seminar, sponsored by the MBA, also features the Honorable Kenneth Neiman, Chief Magistrate Judge of the U. S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Vanessa Smith and Chris Scott will be the sole presenters of a seminar entitled “Confidentiality, Risk Management and Litigation Issue Concerning Medical Record and Patient Information in Massachusetts.” This seminar will cover matters concerning medical records including HIPAA compliance and mandatory disclosures of confidential records based on statues, regulations, subpoenas and court orders.

Chris was recently elected a corporator for the Westfield Athenaeum, a quasi-public charitable organization that maintains the public library in the City of Westfield. Corporators hear and vote on the reports of the officers and committees of the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of the Athenaeum. Corporators also act as "good-will ambassadors" for the Athenaeum.

Liz Sillin was recently appointed as a member of a committee formed by the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association to consider revisions to the Massachusetts spousal elective share statute. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has pronounced that the current statute is “antiquated.” Spousal elective share statutes provide an elective share right to a surviving spouse, entitling the surviving spouse to receive at least a certain minimum amount of the deceased spouse’s wealth. The committee will consider and recommend changes to the Massachusetts statute.