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Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall Lauds Bench-Bar Partnership
in Annual Address to the Legal Community
Chief
Justice for Administration & Management Robert A.
Mulligan
Presented Distinguished Service Award by the National Center for State
Courts
In
her Annual Address to the Legal Community today, Supreme
Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall praised
the partnership and communication between judges and
lawyers in their efforts to improve the delivery of justice
in the Massachusetts court system. Sponsored by the Massachusetts
Bar Association, the event was held in the Great Hall
of the John Adams Courthouse with more than a hundred
lawyers, judges, and court staff in attendance.
“The
Judiciary’s groundbreaking management reforms could
not have come about, and cannot be sustained, without
the full cooperation of the organized bar,” said
Chief Justice Marshall. “We often are called a
nation of lawyers. In my view, this is a high compliment.
Only a nation of lawyers could maintain a fierce commitment
to the rule of law…only when the bench and bar
work in partnership can our system of justice flourish.”
Chief
Justice Marshall said the courts have solicited the views
of attorneys and court employees on management reforms
and have welcomed their participation in openly discussing
their assessments with judges in five regional “Open
Dialogue” forums held throughout the state in recent
months. Close to 900 people, including the Trial Court
Chief Justices, have attended the five bench-bar meetings,
co-sponsored with the Court Management Advisory Board,
Massachusetts Bar Association and local bar associations.
She
cited several pilot projects to provide more efficient
court time with lawyers, including a teleconferencing
project in the District Court in western Massachusetts
and the pursuit of new videoconferencing programs with
sheriffs in Essex and Worcester counties. She said that
by the end of the year each Trial Court department will
have identified changes to be implemented as a result
of views expressed at the “Open Dialogue” meetings.
Chief
Justice Marshall credited the leadership of Chief Justice
for Administration & Management Robert A. Mulligan
for implementing many positive changes to court culture
and operations, including time standards to improve case
management, staffing models to allocate resources where
needed, metrics reports to measure data on the courts’ administrative
progress, and surveys in courthouses to elicit the views
of court users on their experiences in the courts.
“For
five years, Chief Justice Mulligan has been the touchstone
for deep institutional reform of our trial courts,” said
Chief Justice Marshall. His appointment to another
five-year term at the helm assures a steady hand through
the current financial crisis, and an unbroken journey
on the path to excellence in judicial administration.”
Today
Chief Justice Mulligan received the Distinguished Service
Award, one of the highest honors given by the National
Center for State Courts (NCSC), headquartered in Williamsburg,
Virginia. The award was presented by NCSC President Mary
McQueen to Chief Justice Mulligan for his “impressive
abilities not only as a jurist but as an innovative court
manager” and “for establishing a record of
dedication to the justice system and working diligently
to improve the public’s confidence in the courts.”
Chief
Justice Marshall also discussed the financial crisis
as it affects the judicial branch and emphasized that
the courts will take strong measures to reduce spending
without sacrificing the core mission of delivering justice.
She said a Fiscal Task Force has been formed to identify
cost saving measures and efficiencies across all courts
departments.
“We
are committed to shouldering our fair share of budget
cuts while safeguarding the essential functions necessary
to maintain our mission and constitutional imperatives,” said
Chief Justice Marshall.
The
Chief Justice discussed the judicial evaluation program
instituted by the courts to evaluate judges’ performance
and encouraged lawyers to continue to complete the surveys.
She said that judicial evaluations have been conducted
in each county twice and each judge has received an average
of 117 evaluations from attorneys. To date, the program
has received 98,500 attorney evaluations, 23,400 employee
evaluations, and 11,900 juror evaluations. She said that
a new comprehensive program of professional development
for all Trial Court judges is being developed. She also
described her own experience of having a specialist critique
her performance on the bench.
Other
major projects of interest to lawyers, judges, and self-represented
litigants that Chief Justice Marshall discussed included
the new Massachusetts Guide to Evidence, a comprehensive
compilation of existing Massachusetts evidence law in
one user-friendly document, which will soon be available
in hard copy and on the courts’ websites, and the
successful Limited Assistance Representation (LAR) pilot
projects in three counties to help people who cannot
afford full legal representation. She said that the LAR
pilot projects have been named as a “best practice” in
the national Self-Represented Litigants Network, a premier
think tank on such matters.
As
a strong proponent of civic and law related education,
Chief Justice Marshall described the John Adams Courthouse
as a”hub of law related activities in the Commonwealth.” More
than 21,000 guests, including school children, teachers,
lawyers, law students, international delegates, and members
of the public, have visited the courthouse for tours,
dramatic plays, or educational events since May of 2006.
“How
proud John Adams would be that the most significant
public building bearing his name plays such an
important role in perpetuating his legacy of reverence
for the rule of law,” Chief Justice Marshall
said.
Read
the Speech 
View
Photos from the Event
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