The Middlesex Defense Attorneys would like to congratulate Dan Callahan for being recognized for his professional achievements.

The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Foundation presented five awards at the Access to Justice Awards Luncheon held in January. Dan was honored with the Defender Award.

Dan, a longtime member of the MDA Board of Directors, is also active in the Greater Lowell Bar Association, and has worked for the Committee for Public Counsel Services since 1978.

In January 2004, Thomas Brant was hired as the newest supervising attorney for the Middlesex Defense Attorneys. Attorney Brant replaces former supervising attorney George Murphy and is responsible for supervising MDA attorneys that practice in the following courts: Cambridge District Court, Somerville District Court, Malden District Court, Newton District Court, and Middlesex Superior Court.

Attorney Brant is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School, and has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1988. He has his own practice located in Boston, and has been a bar advocate in Middlesex County since 1998.

The Board of Directors, supervising attorneys, and MDA staff would like to welcome Attorney Brant!

Two Supervising Attorney positions are available at Middlesex Defense Attorneys. Responsibilities include the supervision and evaluation of panel attorneys, providing technical assistance and training, and the investigation of complaints regarding the performance or conduct of assigned counsel. Supervising Attorneys are required to work ten (10) hours a week. Positions are in Lowell area and Framingham area. Qualified applicants are Superior Court qualified, possess sufficient expertise and jury trial experience in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases, and have not received any public discipline by the Board of Bar Overseers in the preceding five years.

Interested candidates please send resume, by May 1, 2004, to both:

Jeff Travaline
Middlesex Defense Attorneys
40 Thorndike Street 3rd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02141

and

Nancy Bennett
Committee for Public Counsel Services
44 Bromfield Street
Boston, MA 02108

The Tri-City Mental Health Center, a comprehensive provider of behavioral healthcare services, offers Driving Under the Influence substance abuse education and counseling programs for first- and second-time offenders. The Driving Under the Influence Program serves all the towns in Middlesex County and is located at 173 Chelsea Street, in Everett. They are currently accepting referrals for immediate enrollment for individuals who are court mandated to undergo treatment. Both afternoon and evening DUI groups are offered. Most forms of health insurance are accepted for the second-offender treatment-oriented groups. Please tell your clients about this DUI program. For more information about the program or to make an appointment, call Connie Callahan at 781-324-2220.

Training incorporates an overview of the laws of Miranda and how it specifically applies to juveniles. There will be a discussion / analysis of the factors the court considers along with psychological and developmental issues that can be raised regarding your juvenile client and the "interested adult". We will also discuss when you should hire a psychologist and what "red flags" the attorney should be looking for in determining whether to litigate a Miranda issue.

Please RSVP to Deitra Schneeberg at Middlesex Defense Attorneys by May 7, 2004. 617.225.0259 / dschneeberg@mdalaw.org.

The First District Eastern Middlesex Bar Association cordially invites you to a reception congratulating the newly appointed presiding Justice of the Somerville District Court, Maurice R. Flynn, III.

Thursday, April 29,2004
5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Anthony's Restaurant
105 Canal Street
Malden, MA

Kindly R.S.V.P by April 19, 2004 to: 781.246.4280

$28.00 per person
Checks are to be made payable to "FDEMBA" and forwarded to:
Judith A. Egan
President, FDEMBA
25 Chestnut Street
Wakefield, MA 01880
781.246.4280
Fax: 781. 245.7970

2003 was an extremely busy year for MDA! The move from Lowell to the offices at the Cambridge Courthouse took place in February, and in November a complete staff change occurred. As most of you know by now, Tracy Demers has taken over as the Program Administrator and Deitra Schneeberg is the new Scheduling Coordinator.

We have a lot of extra space here at our new location, and so we have been able to set aside some space for our panel attorneys. We have created a small library with a computer, and a conference room for your use. We also have a refreshment center with coffee, tea, and snacks. We invite you to use the space for client meetings, to do work, or just to relax with a cup of coffee.

2004 promises to be another busy year. We have settled into our new roles and our new space and plan on making changes which we hope will improve the overall administration of the program. In the meantime, please come see us on the 3rd floor of the Cambridge Courthouse – we look forward to meeting and seeing you often!

MDA has a group of new bar advocates that will begin taking duty days this month. We would like to welcome the following group to the Middlesex Defense Attorneys:

• Christine Breslin
• Karen Swenson
• David Levinson
• Stephen Linehan
• Roseline Bazelais
• Paul King
• Deborah Downs
• Dudley Goar
• Andrew Crouch

During the next few weeks, MDA will implementing a formal mentoring program. Each panel attorney will be assigined to a "Resource Attorney". Your Resource Attorney is a qualifed attorney in the program who is available to you to answer questions and provide assistance. The list of Resource Attorneys has been identified, and during the next few weeks, assignments will be made. You will receive the a NAC form with the name of your resource attorney. Attorneys that are Superior Court qualified or Youthful Offender attorneys will not be assigned a Resource Attorney.

Throughout the year, Staff Attorneys are required to conduct performance evaluations on MDA panel attorneys. This is a CPCS requirement, and all panel attorneys will be evaluated. The Staff Attorneys have been assigned to conduct evaluations in the following courts:

Thomas Brant
Cambridge District Court
Somerville District Court
Malden District Court
Newton District Court
Middlesex Superior Court

Doug Parigan
Lowell District Court
Lowell Juvenile Court
Ayer District Court
Concord District Court
Woburn District Court
Woburn Juvenile Court

Joe Shields
Marlborough District Court
Framingham District Court
Framingham Juvenile Court
Cambridge Juvenile Court
Natick District Court
Waltham District Court

Medford - Shared office space available in Medford Square near Route 93 / Route 60 Rotary. Share space with attorney who spends more than 50% of his time out of the office. Rent is less than $300 per month. Please call Stephen Gomes for more information: 781.395.2200

Boston - Two office spaces available at 11 Beacon Street (next door to Fifteen Beacon XV hotel). Top floor, new paint & carpet. Nice architectural details. Large skylight in conference room. Share with one other attorney. Call Charles Lyons if interested: 617.570.8094

• Small office with one window, approx. 10'x7', $550
• Larger office with three windows, approx. 13'x9', $850.

We received notice this week that the Governor signed a supplemental budget that contained $16.0M for CPCS to pay private assigned counsel for work done in FY'04.

Central Middlesex Bar Association will host a Law Day gathering at the Concord District Courthouse on April 27, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. Come and enjoy the opportunity to meet and socialize with other local attorneys. Guest speaker will be Andrew M. Padellaro, Legal Counsel for the Registry of Motor Vehicles. He will discuss license suspension issues and the new OUI law, with ample time for questions. Please RSVP to centralmdlsxbar@yahoo.com.

Suffolk Lawyers for Justice is holding its First Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 6, 2004 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. There will be a panel discussion by individuals wrongly convicted of crimes and exonerated with the assistance of the New England Innocence Project. The evening will also include the presentation of the First Annual SLJ Justice Paul Liacos Award. The award will be presented to two SLJ panel members who consistently exemplify an extraordinary dedication and commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of indigent criminal defendants and whose actions best embody SLJ's mission and goals. Tickets are $60 or $45 for Bar Advocates, and $35 for Law Students. Please contact Sara Roitman at SLJ for more information. 617.348.0088 / sroitman@sljinc.org