Past MBA Presidents Endorse Candidates

To the Editor:

This week Massachusetts Bar Association members will begin receiving ballots for the elections of officers and delegates to the House of Delegates. There are some excellent and important choices, and we hope you will cast your vote as soon as the ballots arrive.As former presidents of the MBA, we have intimate knowledge of how the organization has been and should be run, and we are concerned about the many difficult issues facing lawyers and our bar associations in the coming years. We care deeply about the future of the MBA, which is why we have chosen to endorse candidates in the race this year.

• David White-Lief for vice president: David has an exemplary history of volunteerism at the MBA. He has chaired two sections and has served on numerous committees. He lectures often, including at the Annual Meeting, and has written several articles for MBA publications. It was David’s initiative last September that launched the efforts of the MBA to repeal the offensive Anniversary Fees on Superior and District court cases. David will continue his efforts on court funding and court management, which are so important for all lawyers and their clients. David will clearly bring needed energy and ideas to the vice president’s position.
• Denise Murphy for secretary: Denise presently serves on both the House of Delegates and the Executive Management Board. She is also active in the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and Women’s Bar Association. She has volunteered her time freely on MBA committees and educational programs. Denise will work on building the links between the many bar associations in Massachusetts, an effort which is so important for strengthening all of our organizations. Her experience and background in employment law are strong credentials that she will lend to the management of the MBA.

There are four delegate positions open in Region 9, which is Suffolk County. Of the five candidates running, we endorse Alice Burkin and Douglas Sheff.

• Alice Burkin is an experienced litigator who has long been active in the MBA. She is probably best known for the group within the MBA that she founded, Mothers-in-Law, which helped raise awareness about and gave support to women lawyers who were trying to balance their careers and parenthood. Alice will bring this important perspective to the House of Delegates. Having worked in a small, a medium and a large law firm in her 20 years of practice, Alice will also bring her awareness of the needs of law firms of all sizes.
• Doug Sheff has served on a number of statewide and national bar associations as a volunteer, as a delegate and as an officer. He is, for example, a former president of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and an ATLA delegate. He has devoted countless hours to important legislative issues, and has detailed knowledge of important policy issues facing our state and our country. His knowledge of the legislative process and his close working relationship with a great number of legislators will be an invaluable asset to the MBA House of Delegates.

Each of these candidates brings needed creativity, energy, ideas and drive to the MBA. We hope you will join us in voting for each of these fine lawyers.

Michael E. Mone, Boston (1993-1994)

James S. Dilday, Boston (1995-1996)

Marylin Beck, Dedham (1997-1998)

Camille F. Sarrouf, Boston (1998-1999)

Edward P. Ryan, Fitchburg (2000-2001)