SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT JUSTICE JOHN M. GREANEY
TO PRESENT CLIENTS' SECURITY BOARD'S
WILLIAM J. LEDOUX AWARD TO ATTORNEY JERRY COHEN

Boston, MA-To recognize extraordinary efforts in helping a client recover significant financial losses resulting from the misuse of funds by an attorney, Supreme Judicial Court Justice John M. Greaney will present the fifth annual Clients' Security Board's William J. LeDoux Award to Attorney Jerry Cohen of Newton. The event will take place in the Supreme Judicial Court Courtroom in the Suffolk County Courthouse on Thursday, June 19, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. Through a portion of the annual registration fees paid by attorneys to the Board of Bar Overseers, the Clients' Security Board reimburses clients who have been victimized by instances of attorney misappropriations.

          Established in 1997 in honor of the late William J. LeDoux, a member of the Clients' Security Board from 1987 to 1997, the award is presented annually to an attorney who performs outstanding legal work in representing a claimant before the Board. Mr. LeDoux, who served as Chairman of the Board for seven years, is known for his many achievements in advancing the Board's goals in serving the public.

          Mr. Cohen, of the Boston law firm of Perkins, Smith & Cohen, LLP, was selected by the Clients' Security Board as this year's award recipient for the work he performed after a minor received a financial award from the Board. The minor had previously received insurance proceeds arising from the death of his father in excess of $200,000, and these were entrusted to an attorney, who distributed some of the money for the benefit of the minor and misappropriated the remainder. Subsequently, the attorney was disbarred, and the Clients' Security Board awarded $200,000 to the minor and remaining family, but suggested that they receive assistance in managing the money. At no charge to the minor and remaining family, Mr. Cohen served as custodian for the child under the Massachusetts Transfers to Minors Act, worked out a plan with the family of long term distribution, including set installment payments, special payments arising from new needs, and establishing an investment plan, all with a view to balancing long term and short term needs in an unusual situation, while respecting family relationships and the minor's growing ability for decision making.

          A partner at Perkins, Smith, & Cohen, LLP, Mr. Cohen has practiced law for more than 40 years, specializing in intellectual property law. Chair of the firm's Science and Technology group, he has served as Chair of the International Law Section of the Boston Bar Association and of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Business Law Section; President of the Boston Patent Law Association; and Editor-In-Chief of the Massachusetts Law Review. From 1994 to 1998, he was a member of the Board of Bar Overseers.

          A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he earned a J. D. degree, with distinction, from George Washington University Law School. He is an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School and at Roger Williams University Law School. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Lawyers Alliance for World Security.

          Established by the Supreme Judicial Court in 1974, the Clients' Security Board is composed of seven attorneys appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court who oversee the disbursement of funds to clients who have been victimized by attorney defalcation. The Board's Chair is Joseph D. Steinfield of Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye LLP.