Boston—The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court recently announced the twenty-one members of the newly established Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission . The Commission was created by the Court on February 28, 2005, in response to a proposal developed by the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Civil Legal Services. The members, who were designated by the various organizations and entities, represent the judiciary, bar associations, legal services programs and clients, and social service agencies.

          The Commission's goal is to provide leadership, vision, coordination, and continuity to the many organizations and interests involved in assuring access to civil justice for low-income families and individuals in the state. It is the successor organization to the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Civil Legal Services.

          Former Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Herbert P. Wilkins was named as chairperson by the Commission. He also served as chair of the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Legal Services.

         The other members, who were appointed to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, are the following:

         Judge Peter W. Agnes, Jr., is an Associate Justice of the Superior Court. He was a member of the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Civil Legal Services.

           Maxa S. Berid, of Lowell, an attorney in private practice, has served as Chair of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and President of Merrimack Valley Legal Services. A former president of the Greater Lowell Bar Association, Ms. Berid is a member of the board of the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee.

           Jacquelynne J. Bowman, of Stoughton, is Associate Director of Greater Boston Legal Services. She has chaired the Massachusetts Bar Association's Access to Justice Council and the Public Policy Committee of Jane Doe, Inc. and served as Commissioner of the American Bar Association's Commission on Domestic Violence.

           Judge Dina E. Fein is Associate Justice of the Western Division Housing Court. She was a member of the Massachusetts State Planning Board for Civil Legal Services.

           Robert B. Foster, an associate at Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster, serves as Co-Chair of the Real Estate Section of the Boston Bar Association and as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. He is a member of the Planning Board in the town of Natick.

           P. Keyburn Hollister, of Gobel and Hollister in Pittsfield, is former chair of the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee and former president of the Berkshire County Bar Association. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.

           Bettina M. Holton is a sole practitioner in Brockton. She is an officer of the Plymouth County Bar Association and member of the Board of Directors of the New Center for Legal Advocacy.

           Young Soo Jo, of Worcester, is an attorney specializing in disability issues and government benefits at the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts.

           Nancy King is Executive Director of South Middlesex Legal Services. She is a member of the Executive Board of the South Middlesex Bar Association and a member of the Legislative Committee of the Equal Justice Commission.

           Robert W. Lavoie is a real estate attorney with the Andover firm Devine, Millimet & Branch. Mr. Lavoie serves on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission as the Amesbury Commissioner and Vice Chair and is past president of Merrimack Valley Legal Services.

           Ann Bailey Leavenworth, of Springfield, is an administrator with Holy Family Catholic Church and a member of the boards of Western Massachusetts Legal Services and the Spanish American Union. She is a former client and has served as President of the boards of two national organizations, the Center for Law and Education and the Alliance of Legal Rights.

           Joy McGrail, a resident of Ashland, was a client of South Middlesex Legal Services. She is a member of the board of the Federation of Children with Special Needs.

           David W. Rosenberg is founder of the Boston firm Rosenberg & Shapiro. A former partner at Hill and Barlow and General Counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Mr. Rosenberg has served as President of the Greater Boston Legal Services Board of Directors and was the founder and director of the Boston University Legal Aid Program.

           Eileen Ryan, of Gloucester, is a former client and the current Vice President of the Board of Neighborhood Legal Services of Lynn. An Air Force veteran, Ms. Ryan also is a member of the Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Legal Services Client Council and the boards of Action, Inc. and Essex County Community Organization.

          Richard A. Soden is President of the Boston Bar Foundation and a fellow of the Boston and American Bar Associations. A partner in the Business Law Department of Goodwin Procter in Boston, Mr. Soden formerly served as President of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.

           Leonard Spinner, of New Bedford, is a client member of the Board of Directors of the New Center for Legal Advocacy, designated by the New Bedford Area AIDS Consortium.

           Paula J. Tolan, of Swansea, is a Program Manager of the Home Assistance Program at Family Services Association of Fall River. She has a master’s degree in social work and is Director of Safe Havens, a federal grant project.

           James T. Van Buren, of Fitchburg, an attorney in private practice, is former president of the Worcester County Bar Association. He chairs the Human Rights Committee of the North Worcester County Association for Retarded Citizens.

           Jamie R. Williamson, of Holyoke, is Executive Director of the Housing Discrimination Project. Ms. Williamson is a former business owner and former Councilor-at-Large for the city of Pittsfield.

           Toni G. Wolfman, of Cambridge, is Executive in Residence at the Institute for Women in Leadership at Bentley College. Ms. Wolfman is a former partner at Foley Hoag, where she coordinated the pro bono publico program and founded the domestic violence prevention project. She previously served on the SJC's Gender Bias Study Committee and its Committee for Professional Responsibility for Clerks of Court.