Product Description

The premier yearly event for appellate practitioners, MCLE's 7th Annual Appellate Practice Conference 2021 features a concentrated focus on the appellate process. This year, the theme of the Conference is "Opportunities to Serve." The Conference is structured around ways attorneys can better serve their communities and clients. It features opportunities to bring appellate expertise to pro bono matters; a panel composed of state and federal judges and persons who have led both state and federal judicial selection processes brought together to encourage a diverse group of candidates to consider applying to openings in the state and federal courts; and a panel on how appellate practitioners in particular can address the grave issues identified in the Supreme Judicial Court Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being's February 4, 2021 Report Summarizing Affinity Bar Town Hall Meetings. The Conference also includes panels featuring judges' perspectives on how appellate practitioners can serve as a true "friend of the court" in their amicus practice and how practitioners can best serve clients in seeking interlocutory review, as well as a panel delivering insights from members of our state and federal appellate courts' clerk's offices on recent developments in the courts' operations, particularly those that have come out of the COVID-19 crisis.

This outstanding Conference is essential for both new and experienced appellate litigators to strengthen their skills, hear from the judiciary, and learn from experts. Take advantage of this valuable opportunity to become a more effective appellate lawyer.

Agenda & Materials

• 9:30 am - 9:34 am

  Welcome and Introduction

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  Hon. Elizabeth N. Dewar, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Joseph F. Stanton, Esq., Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  
• 9:34 am - 9:55 am

  Chief Justice Kimberly Budd Shares Her Perspective on Service

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  Hon. Kimberly S. Budd, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. Geraldine S. Hines, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Ret.) , Boston
  
• 9:55 am - 10:30 am

  Opportunities to Serve as Pro Bono Counsel: An Array of Organizations Explain How Your Appellate Expertise Can Serve Others

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  Amy Anthony, Esq., Harvard Legal Aid Bureau , Cambridge
  Irene Freidel, Esq., PAIR Project , Boston
  Melissa Gonzalez, Greater Boston Legal Services , Boston
  
• 10:30 am - 11:07 am

  Ensuring Our Courts Serve Everyone: Concrete Steps Toward Eliminating Identity-Based Discrimination in Our Appellate Courts

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  Gavin F. Alexander, Esq., Massachusetts Supreme Judical Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being , Boston
  John G.C. Laing, Executive Office of the Trial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  
• 11:07 am - 11:17 am

  Morning Break
• 11:17 am - 11:45 am

  Serving During COVID-19 and Beyond: The Clerks' Perspective

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  Anastasia A. Dubrovsky, Esq., U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit , Boston
  Hon. Francis V. Kenneally, District Court Department, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Joseph F. Stanton, Esq., Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  
• 11:45 am - 12:37 pm

  Serving Clients Interlocutorily: Strategic Considerations in Single Justice Practice

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  Maura S. Doyle, Esq., Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. Elspeth B. Cypher, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (ret.) , Boston
  Hon. Joseph M. Ditkoff, Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  
• 12:37 pm - 1:15 pm

  Lunch Break
• 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm

  Serving as a True "Friend of the Court": Best Practices for Amicus Briefs

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  Hon. Elspeth B. Cypher, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (ret.) , Boston
  Hon. Gregory I. Massing, Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Andrew Manuel Crespo, Esq., Harvard Law School , Cambridge
  
• 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

  Serving on the Judiciary: Perspectives from the Bench

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  Joseph F. Stanton, Esq., Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. Kenneth V. Desmond, Jr., Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. Vickie L. Henry, Appeals Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. O. Rogeriee Thompson, US/Court of Appeals/1st Circuit/Boston , Boston
  
• 2:45 pm - 3:33 pm

  Serving on the Judiciary: How to Apply, Why You Should, and Q & A

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  Hon. Roderick L. Ireland, Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston
  Hon. Nancy Gertner, US/District Court/Massachusetts , Boston
  E. Macey Russell, Esq., Choate Hall & Stewart LLP , Boston
  

Cochairs

Faculty