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Erin K. Higgins has been appointed to the Education Committee of the Boston Bar Association. The Committee is responsible for overseeing and implementing all of the Boston Bar Association's legal education programming. |
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James B. Peloquin and Erin K. Higgins secured a two part victory in the prosecution of a collection claim on behalf of a law firm, and the defense of the law firm's former client's legal malpractice claim. The malpractice claim was dismissed as a matter of law on summary judgment. The collection claim proceeded to trial, at which time the law firm was awarded a default judgment in its favor as a sanction for repeated discovery abuse by the former client, including the client's failure to comply with an order mandating the exchange of trial exhibits. |
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Russell F. Conn and Amy C. Stewart obtained a plaintiff's verdict for their client, a prominent local structural engineering firm, from a Suffolk Superior Court jury following a one week trial. The client had sought recovery of significant professional fees and faced a counterclaim for malpractice relating to the design and construction of a Stop & Shop superstore in Woburn. The jury deliberated approximately one hour and returned responses to special verdict questions unanimously awarding the firm's client the full amount owed, to the penny, while rejecting the counterclaim. Defendant paid the full amount of the verdict, plus interest and costs. |
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Neil R. Schauer has joined the firm as a partner. Mr. Schauer, formerly a partner at Donovan Hatem, advises clients on corporate and transactional matters as well as sophisticated estate and succession planning and asset protection. In addition, Elise Wald, formerly an associate at Donovan Hatem, has joined the firm as an associate practicing in the area of estate planning and administration. |
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James Gray Wagner, Constance McGrane and Ronald Jacobs acted as Panelists and Faculty Critics in the MCLE seminar, Taking Deposition Workshops, coaching and evaluating the deposition techniques of participating lawyers. |
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Thomas E. Peisch spoke at a Boston Bar Association CLE titled "Disciplinary Matters At The Board of Bar Overseers: From Initial Grievance to Final Disposition." Mr. Peisch is the immediate past Vice-Chair of the Board of Bar Overseers, and formerly served as a BBO Hearing Officer. Erin K. Higgins served as the program chair and as moderator during the panel discussion. |
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Thomas E. Peisch and Carol A. Starkey successfully defended a real estate developer accused of wrongdoing by a former partner. After nine days of trial in the Suffolk Superior Court, the judge directed a verdict in favor of the firm's client as to all twelve claims made against him. The case featured a complicated series of allegations, which included, amongst other charges, violations of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (the so-called "RICO" statute), fraud, conversion, and violations of the consumer protection laws. |
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Honored among "the top young lawyers in Massachusetts," five Conn Kavanaugh attorneys were named Rising Stars in the May 2005 edition of Massachusetts Super Lawyers published by Law and Politics and Boston Magazine: Associates Michael Bernardo (Employment Law), Kurt B. Fliegauf (Litigation), Ronald M. Jacobs (Litigation), Johanna L. Matloff (Litigation), and Amy C. Stewart (Litigation). Rising Stars are age 40 or younger or have been practicing for ten or fewer years. Only 2.5% of Massachusetts attorneys were named Rising Stars. To select this year's Rising Stars, 1,727 Massachusetts Super Lawyers were balloted. |
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James F. Kavanaugh, Jr. received the Boston College Law School's 75th Anniversary Alumni Award. Recipients of the Alumni Award were recognized for their outstanding talent, leadership and dedication to the Law School. Mr. Kavanaugh served as President of the Boston College Law School Alumni Council from 1999 - 2001. He also served as Chairman of the Law School's Leadership Gift Committee. From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Kavanaugh was an Adjunct Lecturer and Litigation Specialist at the Law School. |
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At the Boston Bar Association's Ninth Annual Bench Meets Bar Conference, Thomas E. Peisch participated in a panel discussion titled "Firm and Credible Trial Dates." The panel, which consisted of five Superior Court Judges and two attorneys, addressed a new initiative to improve the predictability of trial dates in the Superior Courts in an effort to reduce expenses and uncertainty. |
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Russell F. Conn is quoted in the LA Times article "Dismissal May Spur New Exec Romance Rules." |
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Russell F. Conn, Erin K. Higgins, and Kurt B. Fliegauf secured a summary judgment in favor of a major insurance broker in the Court of Common Pleas for Auglaize County, Ohio. The plaintiffs, fifty-two property owners and their subrogated insurers, alleged that the insurance broker was negligent for not recommending the purchase of additional umbrella insurance coverage, and had sought $9,000,000 in damages. |
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After six days of trial, a Superior Court jury returned a defense verdict on behalf of the firm's client in a medical malpractice case. Thomas E. Peisch, assisted by paralegal Pia M. Guarnaccia, successfully defended the client after rejecting a settlement demand of $2 million. |
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In two separate opinions, the Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed the results of a two-week jury trial in which Thomas E. Peisch represented a law enforcement officer and his employer against allegations of civil rights violations and other misconduct. The trial resulted in a minimal damages award, which the plaintiffs unsuccessfully appealed. |
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Thomas E. Peisch and Michael R. Bernardo successfully defended an accountant sued for negligence and other wrongdoing in connection with the insolvency of a family business. The Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed the trial judge's award of summary judgment in favor of the client accountant. |
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James B. Peloquin and Erin K. Higgins obtained a summary judgment on behalf of an attorney client dismissing all legal malpractice claims brought against the attorney and his law firm. |
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James B. Peloquin became a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), the oldest and most prestigious organization of attorneys representing corporations and insurers. Membership in the IADC is by invitation only after a peer-review process. IADC members are distinguished by their professional achievements and contributions to the civil justice system. |
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Michael T. Sullivan recently secured a defense verdict in a jury trial on behalf of a large, multi-national construction design firm. Mr. Sullivan also obtained findings from the jury that allowed the client to recover substantially all of its legal fees from a co-defendant. The case involved private property damage that occurred during the course of a complex public works construction project. |
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George M. Ford of Conn Kavanaugh's Family Law Practice Group moderated the annual Family Court Judicial Forum sponsored by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE). This year marks Ford's 27th year as moderator of the Forum. Ford designs hypothetical fact patterns which are analyzed and discussed by a panel of Probate and Family Court Justices. The process enables practitioners to become more familiar with the decision-making processes of the Judges, and is an invaluable tool in negotiating settlements as well as determining how to present a case at trial. The Forum has grown from a single venue to include four different panel discussions throughout the Commonwealth made up of Judges from nine different counties. |
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Eleven Conn Kavanaugh lawyers were named Massachusetts Super Lawyers in the November 2004 issue of Boston Magazine: Russell F. Conn, George M. Ford, Thomas J. Gallitano, Erin K. Higgins, James F. Kavanaugh, Jr., Thomas E. Peisch, James B. Peloquin, Bob B. Rosenthal, Carol A. Starkey, Michael T. Sullivan, and James Gray Wagner. This honor was awarded to only five percent of the 37,000 lawyers in Massachusetts. |
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