News and Noteworthy

BOSTON, MA – At a ceremony in the John Adams Courthouse on Thursday, October 29, Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elizabeth N. Dewar presented awards to lawyers and a law student, who were selected by the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services in recognition of their exceptional dedication to providing volunteer services for persons who cannot afford an attorney. 

The committee also recognized the achievements of attorneys, law students, and legal organizations who qualified for the Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll. 

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elizabeth N. Dewar will present the annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards on behalf of the SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services to the following recipients, in recognition of their exceptional dedication to providing volunteer legal services for persons who cannot afford an attorney.

See for yourself whether Vincent AI can increase your productivity by improving your legal workflows.  Social Law Library members can add the Vincent AI tool to their vLex Fastcase accounts at a discounted rate of 25% off the current monthly fee!

As law firms evaluate their technology stacks and finalize their budgets for the coming year, one line item is drawing unprecedented scrutiny: artificial intelligence.

Members have online access to PLI Course Handbooks through Social Law Library’s subscription to PLI PLUS, the Practising Law Institute’s award-winning database.

Social Law Library members can search state court dockets in Massachusetts and 44 other jurisdictions on Trellis.  You can search across states dockets without specifying the court, even if you don’t have a party’s full name; or search by any keywords of your choosing – statutory cites, attorney and firm names, pleadings, common actions, and more. Members can find real-world examples of motions and pleadings.

Read Social Law Executive Director Kyle K. Courtney's recent piece in The Library Journal - "Moving Beyond the Publisher Playbook: Why State-level Contract Law is Essential to the Future of Digital Library Rights."

The Massachusetts Superior Court seeks to fill four Research Attorney I positions. The Research Attorney position is a professional, permanent position within the Administrative Office of the Superior Court. Among other things, Research Attorneys help the Justices by conducting legal research and drafting memoranda, decisions, and orders.  We are looking for individuals to assist all the Justices of the Superior Court but primarily those justices sitting in Suffolk County (Boston), Bristol County (Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton), Western Massachusetts, and possibly another location.  

BOSTON, MA -- The Massachusetts Trial Court, in partnership with the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), today announced the launch of the MBA Volunteer Mediation Pilot Program, an initiative designed to expand access to mediation services in the Civil Session at the Suffolk County Superior Court. Beginning August 3, 2026, the pilot program will provide free mediation services in selected civil cases in which at least one party lacks the financial means to engage a private mediator.