MassBar Beat

Hosted by Massachusetts Bar Association

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Aug 2026

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About the show

MassBar Beat is the podcast of the Massachusetts Bar Association -- the preeminent voice of the legal profession in Massachusetts.

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60 recent

August 6, 202622 min

Representing Youth on Appeal- CPCS Youth Advocacy Division Juvenile Appeals Panel

The Youth Advocacy Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services is seeking excellent appellate advocates to join its Juvenile Appeals Panel. Panel attorneys represent young clients adjudicated of committed crimes as delinquents or youthful offenders in Juvenile Court (or convicted of murder in Superior Court). In this episode, attorney Eva Jellison of Jellison & Nathanson LLP in Boston, will speak about her experiences handling cases on the Juvenile Appeals Panel, the growing need for appellate advocates in this area, and how the appellate process works. CPCS will be holding a virtual information session on August 27, at 1 p.m., to learn more about an upcoming YAD appeals training in November. It's open for anyone to register and learn. Register here: https://wkf.ms/4aSZDBu Interested attorneys who are ready to apply to be on the YAD Appeals Panel can visit the application portal here: https://panelcertification.publiccounsel.net/login For more information, view the detailed YAD Appeals training announcement: https://www.publiccounsel.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nov-2026-YAD-Appeals-Panel-Certification-Announcement.pdf

May 27, 202631 min

Lawyer Well-Being: Aging and End-of-Life Decisions

This episode of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s MassBar Beat podcast looks at aging and end-of-life decisions for our parents and ourselves: what all lawyers need to know before it’s too late. Hosted by Jordan Rich, guests include Marianne LeBlanc, an attorney at the Sugarman law firm in Boston, who is also a member of the MBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee; Alex L. Moschella Jr. of Mulvena Winston PC in Stoneham, who is also chair of the MBA’s Elder Law Advisory Committee; and the Hon. Cathleen Campbell, a judge on the Massachusetts Superior Court. It is co-sponsored by the MBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee and the MBA’s Elder Law Advisory Committee. Tell us what you thought of this well-being podcast and what kind of topics you’d like to hear in the future by taking this three-question survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GYWWZRC.

October 22, 202523 min

CAFL Appeals: Helping Children and Families in Need

Hosted by Jordan Rich, this episode of the MassBar Beat podcast looks at Children and Family Law Appeals and how attorneys from the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the state public defender agency, help children and families in need when the state intervenes. Arlington attorney Laura Openshaw, a private attorney who is on CPCS' appellate panel for Children and Family Law Appeals, discusses her path to this critical area of law, what the work entails, and how other private attorneys can get involved by joining CPCS' upcoming Appellate Panel Certification Training in January 2026. Related links: https://www.publiccounsel.net/CAFL/Professional/Appellate-practice-tools-and-resources https://www.publiccounsel.net/train/cafl/

August 13, 202532 min

How Did I Get Here? Ep. 12: Erich Bryant of Ahern, DeWitt & Bryant in Lowell

“How Did I Get Here?” is a series on the MassBar Beat podcast exploring the path from new lawyer to partner through in-depth interviews with lawyers at law firms, solo practitioners, in-house counsel and government employees about their unique path to a partner-level position. In this episode, host Michael D. Molloy, who is chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, talks with attorney Erich Bryant, a partner with Ahern, DeWitt & Bryant in Lowell, who also teaches at Boston University's Metropolitan College. Bryant discusses how he got to where he is today with his practice, which includes criminal law (as a bar advocate) and also some personal injury and construction litigation. In addition, he talks about the impact of having a mentor, and gives litigation and courtroom tips for newer lawyers.

May 15, 202538 min

How Did I Get Here? Ep. 11: Adam C. Ponte, Fletcher Tilton PC, Boston

“How Did I Get Here?” is a series on the MassBar Beat podcast exploring the path from new lawyer to partner through in-depth interviews with lawyers at law firms, solo practitioners, in-house counsel and government employees about their unique path to a partner-level position. In this episode, host Michael D. Molloy, who is chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, talks with attorney Adam C. Ponte, a shareholder with Fletcher Tilton PC who chairs the firm's Litigation Department and also manages the firm's Boston office. Ponte recalls his journey from law school to law partner, discusses the value of mentors, and explains his responsibilities as a member of the firm's management committee.

March 8, 202535 min

How Did I Get Here, Ep. 10: Nicole Paquin, Law Office of Nicole Paquin, Newton

“How Did I Get Here?” is a series on the MassBar Beat podcast exploring the path from new lawyer to partner through in-depth interviews with lawyers at law firms, solo practitioners, in-house counsel and government employees about their unique path to a partner-level position. In this episode, host Michael D. Molloy, who is chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, talks with attorney Nicole Paquin, who founded her own firm and also serves as the chair of the MBA's Access to Justice Section. Paquin recounts how she made the jump to start her own solo immigration practice after previously working as a partner in an insurance defense firm and as an attorney in a plaintiffs' personal injury firm.

December 18, 202439 min

A Multigenerational Discussion on Lawyer Well-Being: How Can We Help Each Other?

In this episode presented by the Massachusetts Bar Association's Lawyer Well-Being Committee, host Jordan Rich talks with a multigenerational panel of lawyers, who discuss the unique challenges affecting lawyers' health and well-being at different stages of their careers. Panelists include: Marianne C. LeBlanc (partner, Sugarman and Sugarman PC), Heidi S. Alexander (director, Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being), David Rosenblatt (board member for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and retired former managing partner of Burns & Levinson LLP) and Michael P. Dickman (senior associate, Kenney & Sams PLLC).

December 9, 202434 min

How Did I Get Here? Ep. 9: Anne Selinger, Beth Israel Lahey Health

“How Did I Get Here?” is a series on the MassBar Beat podcast exploring the path from new lawyer to partner through in-depth interviews with lawyers at law firms, solo practitioners, in-house counsel and government employees about their unique path to a partner-level position. In this episode, host Michael D. Molloy, who is chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, talks with attorney Anne Selinger, who is the executive director of system services operations at Beth Israel Lahey Health. They discuss how Selinger obtained her current position and prior roles, which have included serving in Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration, working at a prestigious law firm and clerking for the U.S. District Court in Springfield. Selinger also talks about the importance of mentors in her career.

October 3, 202436 min

How Did I Get Here? Ep. 8: Steven M. Ayer, Partner, Casner & Edwards LLP, Boston

“How Did I Get Here?” is a series on the MassBar Beat podcast exploring the path from new lawyer to partner through in-depth interviews with lawyers at law firms, solo practitioners, in-house counsel and government employees about their unique path to a partner-level position. In this episode, host Michael D. Molloy, who is chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, talks with attorney Steven M. Ayr, who is a partner at Casner & Edwards LLP where he handles corporate law, including helping early-stage companies and founders get their businesses off the ground, serving as outside general counsel to his corporate clients, and handling sell-side M&A work. Their discussion touches on how Ayr became a partner at an established Boston law firm several years after opening his own practice, and some of the events and mentors that helped along the way.

September 19, 202429 min

Help and Hope for Suicide Prevention, People in Recovery

September is Suicide Prevention Month and also National Recovery Month. In this episode, host Jordan Rich talks with Amanda Rowan, chair of the MBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee and an assistant clerk magistrate in Middlesex Superior Court; Dr. Shawn Healy, PhD., director of administrative operations and a clinical psychologist at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers in Massachusetts (LCL); and Massachusetts Bar Association President Victoria M. Santoro about the importance of de-stigmatizing conversations about suicide and recovery -- and how community support is critical for both of these well-being issues.