David A. Hoffman Scholarship Fund

David A. Hoffman
Founding Member, Boston Law Collaborative LLC

A passionate mediator dedicated to excellence and service, key player in the development of collaborative law, and mentor to countless dispute resolution practitioners.

December 15, 2015—A committee of close friends and colleagues have joined together to establish a named scholarship fund to honor David A. Hoffman, a nationally-renowned mediator whose outstanding service to dispute resolution, inspirational leadership in the field of ADR for over 25 years, and commitment to the education and training of others exemplify the best of our profession’s rich legal heritage. Each year, scholarships from this fund will benefit lawyers who serve the public interest, including practitioners who accept pro bono cases, legal aid staff attorneys, and other deserving lawyers who, without financial assistance, would not be able to attend MCLE programs. MCLE is grateful to the committee which is helping to launch this scholarship fund in David’s name: Peter E. Ball, Russell Beck, Michael B. Bogdanow, Daniel Bowling, Michael Bradley, John A. Fiske, Michael S. Greco, Melinda S. Milberg, Susan M. Miller, Forrest S. Mosten, and Karen Richards.

A mediation trainer and frequent speaker around the country, David has taught dozens of courses at MCLE on ADR, collaborative law, family law, employment law, trial advocacy and other litigation topics and authored the seminal book on mediation for lawyers and other professionals. He also serves as the John H. Watson, Jr. Lecturer on Law in the Mediation course at Harvard Law School. For his leadership in and significant contributions to the field, he received the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s highest honor, the D’Alemberte-Raven Award in 2015, as well as the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Civil Trial Mediators. In 2014, he also was honored with MCLE’s Scholar-Mentor Award for his exceptional contributions to MCLE and continuing legal education.

Anyone who knows David understands the tremendous influence that he has had—and continues to have—on the practice of law in Massachusetts and, in particular, the role of mediation. Much of his career has been devoted to learning and to teaching and mentoring others, especially on how to make the world a better place by resolving disputes in the least contentious way possible. To know David is to know that he cares passionately about excellence, service to others, and continually striving to be a better lawyer and mediator, values which he instills in every one of the hundreds—if not thousands—of students he has taught over the years. And so it is our hope that endowing scholarships annually for public service lawyers to attend MCLE training programs will be a fitting way to honor David’s personal commitment to the profession and the education of the bar.

Thank you for considering a gift to help us honor David in this lasting and meaningful way.

DONORS

R. Lisle Baker
Peter E. Ball
Bruce S. Barnett
Patrick J. Bannon
Beck Reed Riden LLP
Thomas H. Belknap
Gregory P. Bialecki
Martha Born
Nonnie and Rick Burnes
Sheila Cizauskas
Boston Law Collaborative, LLC
Jerry Cohen
Holly B. Cratsley and Hon. John C. Cratsley
Denise Earl
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
John A. Fiske
Ginsburg Leshin Gibbs & Jones LLP
Joseph W. Glannon
Lisa C. Goodheart
Michael S. Greco
Katherine A. Hesse
Lee & Rivers, LLP
Karen J. Levitt
Winifred I. Li
Daniel W. Keleher
Seth Kosto
The Mediation Group
Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, PC
Melinda S. Milberg
Richard S. Milstein
Alexander W. Moore
Forrest S. (Woody) Mosten
Christopher L. Noble
Stephen M. Nolan
Robert J. O’Connor, Jr.
Mary W. Olsson
Sian E. Owen
Gail S. Packer
Hon. Gail L. Perlman
Jeffrey Petrucelly
John M. (Jack) Reilly
Reynolds, Rappaport, Kaplan & Hackney, LLC
Lynda Robbins
Robert F. Schwartz
Mary W. Sheridan
Lisa J. Smith
Robert H. Smith
Joseph D. Steinfield
Michael J. Tuteur
Michael D. Vhay
Barbara Freedman Wand
Kim U. Whelan