The Latest on the Law: Updates from the Boston Bar

MA Health Connector: Health Insurance Tax Credit and Appealing Penalties For Not Having Health Insurance

Hear it from the source. Staff from the Massachusetts Health Connector will describe the appeals process for taxpayers who did not have Minimum Creditable Coverage and face income tax penalties, and will also introduce advocates to some of the inner workings of the Health Connector. More specifically:  

 

1. What is the health insurance mandate in Massachusetts? 
2. Who can appeal a health care penalty, and how?  
3. Who qualifies for assistance to pay for health insurance?  
4. How do you avoid having to pay back the premium tax credit?  

 

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Divorce Fundamental Series - The Initial Divorce Filing Complaint

How to complete the Complaint or Joint Petition and what forms must accompany them. The differences between each process and the timeline for each process. Discussion will include Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.  

In the Motion practice segment, we will discuss when and how to file a Motion for Temporary Orders, what should be included, when the Motion should be supported by an affidavit and when to request an evidentiary hearing.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Impacts to Massachusetts from SCOTUS’s decision in Sackett v. EPA

A conversation discussing how the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA will impact wetland and waterway protections in Massachusetts. The webinar will cover how to we got to where we are, impacts from the holding and subsequent rule makings, and predictions for the future.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Challenging Blended Families: The Intersection of Trust Administration and Fiduciary Litigation when Two Families Become One

The program will focus on the myriad of challenges presented during the administration of trusts involving blended families.  The panelists will provide practical tips from their collective experiences on the common issues which arise from trusts involving blended families and how to avoid, limit, or pursue litigation and ensure smoother administration when representing beneficiaries or fiduciaries in these scenarios.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

 

Divorce Fundamentals Series - The Divorce Client Interview

The discussion will include the format and content of the divorce client initial intake interview and advising the client about the divorce process.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Five Things to Know: Recent Business-to-Business Chapter 93A Claims

Chapter 93A is ubiquitous in Massachusetts business litigation. Courts continue to shed new light on business-to-business claims. This program highlights some recent decisions from the state and federal courts with an eye toward providing attendees with five things they need to know.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Pro Bono Opportunities with Prisoners’ Legal Services

Please join us this Pro Bono Month to learn about the important work that Prisoners’ Legal Services does on behalf of incarcerated people in Massachusetts and to explore our many pro bono opportunities. Our pro bono offerings are suitable for attorneys of all experience levels and practice settings; they range from small one-time research projects, to limited scope representation such as medical parole petitions, to a growing referral network for attorneys looking to take on civil rights cases on a pro bono or contingency fee basis. 

 

Through our pro bono program, attorneys have the ability to radically change the lives of people incarcerated in Massachusetts jails and prisons while also developing valuable skills like relationship-building with clients, litigation skills, and more.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Cori Sealing Clinic Training

Join the Boston Bar Association and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) in learning the skills needed to volunteer at the virtual CORI Sealing Clinic. This volunteer opportunity is open to licensed attorneys.

 

This project was launched in partnership with GBLS to serve our low-income communities in Boston. As CORI records can present a significant barrier to housing, employment, and educational opportunities, assisting clients with sealing is an important way that volunteers can make a difference in someone’s life.

 

Following the training, attendees will be able to volunteer with GBLS to accept referrals from the virtual CORI Sealing Clinic. We ask that in exchange for this free training by subject matter experts, Pauline Quirion and Ventura Dennis, attendees agree to accept at least one case in 2023-2024. 

 

At this training you can expect to learn:

 

• What is CORI
• CORI and the various levels of access to CORI by employers and others
• The waiting periods to seal records
• How to seal criminal and juvenile records through the administrative process
• How to seal criminal records in court
• How to expunge records and how expungement differs from sealing
• FBI provisions in the law related to CORI
• New provisions in the law for automatic sealing of "not guilty" dispositions 
• New case law and new statute on expungement

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Climate Change and the MCP

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued its final Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) regulatory revisions on September 1, 2023, which will become effective March 1, 2024.  Among the changes, for the first time, the regulations will require consideration of foreseeable climate change impacts that may affect the permanency of a disposal site cleanup.  This program will update stakeholders on these changes and provide tools for understanding how to consider climate impacts when complying with the MCP.    Panelists are among members of the Climate Change Subcommittee of the LSP Association made up of Licensed Site Professionals, climate consultants, and DEP.  

 

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org

Privacy in the Home From Voice Assistants to Vacuums—Children, Privacy and Our Daily Lives

The home is increasingly a hub of technology.  We use voice assistants to help organize our lives, watch smart TVs, and rely on virtual security solutions to protect us.    Even our vacuum may learn the layout of our house to more efficiently clean.  But what are we teaching our technology about ourselves?  How does that technology learn?  And does it change the equation when our technology talks back?  This panel will assess the risks and also the benefits of using technology in the home and will discuss the ways that our laws and regulations are coping with these challenges.  It will pay particular attention to the needs of children in the context of connected technologies and what companies, legislators and parents can do to ensure they are protected.

Questions? Inquiries about program materials? Contact Trenon Browne at tbrowne@bostonbar.org