News  Probation Commissioner and Judges serve on panel at Massachusetts Bar Association Tiered Community Mentoring Program Career and Networking Event

Pamerson Ifill, the newly-appointed Commissioner of the Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS), as well as Honorable David Weingarten, First Justice of the Boston Municipal Court-Roxbury Division, and Honorable Angela M. Ordoñez, Associate Justice Barnstable Probate and Family Court, served as featured speakers at this year’s Tiered Community Mentoring Program Career and Networking Event at the Massachusetts Bar Association headquarters in Boston Wednesday morning.

The event pairs students with professionals in the legal profession who spoke about their current roles and career journey. It also featured a panel discussion which included Probation Commissioner Ifill, First Justice Weingarten, Associate Justice Ordoñez, and Geoffrey E. Spofford of Lian Zarrow Attorneys of Worcester.

Commissioner Ifill spoke about his three-decade career at MPS and his life’s experience, beginning in Barbados, where he was born, raised, and left to pursue a career as a Golden Gloves boxing champion. He discussed his work in the courts and the Access to Justice initiatives he created such as the text reminder notification system which has improved court appearance rates. Commissioner Ifill is also responsible for a statewide departmental training program on racial and cultural equity as well as the annual Trial Court Cultural Appreciation Week celebration held in courthouses and communities throughout the Commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Bar Association created this annual event 15 years ago to provide high school, undergraduate, and law school students with a better understanding of the legal profession and to introduce them to career paths in criminal justice. The event was conceived by Associate Justice Ordoñez. 

Students from the following schools participated in this event.

• High Schools:  Boston Day & Evening Academy, Boston Latin Academy, Community Academy of Science & Health,  Doherty Memorial High School, The English High School and Worcester Technical High School.
• Colleges:  Bridgewater State University, Brandeis University, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Massachusetts – Boston and Roxbury Community College.
• Law Schools:  Northeastern University School of Law, Suffolk University Law School, University of Massachusetts School of Law and Western New England University School of Law.

The professional mentors included:

• Hon. Angela Ordoñez, Associate Justice at Barnstable Probate and Family Court and Claudine Bala, Assistant Chief Probation Officer at Norfolk County Probate and Family Court.
• Hon. David Weingarten, First Justice at Roxbury District Court and Sharon Shelfer Casey, Esq., Clerk Magistrate at Cambridge District Court.
• Rubby Wuabu, Esq., Policy and Cabinet Affairs Liaison at the Office of the Governor and Ticarmel Cherisme, Boston Police Crime Unit.
• Melaine Malcolm, Deputy Director for the Massachusetts Trial Court Department of Research and Planning and Manisha Bhatt, Esq., Greater Boston Legal Services Family Law Unit.
• Neil Sullivan, Chief of Threat Management at the Massachusetts Trial Court and Special Agent Karen Leck, FBI.
• Barry Bisson, Esq., Bisson Law and Geoff Spofford, Esq., Lian and Zarrow.