Spring has definitely sprung and we are in high gear getting ready for our upcoming Annual Dinner as we celebrate 24 years of the MLGBA.  We hope you are able to join us -- and bring your friends, families and colleagues.  If you did not receive an invitation, or need more, you can find all the information and RSVP on our webpage, www.mlgba.org.

With the better weather come opportunities to get out and join your MLGBA colleagues in some lobbying efforts that we want to bring to your attention.  On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at 1:00 PM, we converged on the Grand Staircase at the State House to let our legislatures know the vital importance of well-funded judiciary to Massachusetts.  The judiciary's budget has already taken a significant hit, and next year will be worse, unless we are able to convince the legislature to support the combined core function budget of $622.7M.  More and detailed information about this issue can be found on our website, including contact information for your legislators and a Task Force Report on the judiciary by the Boston Bar Association.

Please also join us on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, at the State House as we join with Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and other allies and lobby for passage of "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes."  We'll be gathering on the Grand Staircase from 10 AM to 1 PM on that date.  Additional information can be found on the MTPC webpage, http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/lobbyday09.shtml.

At the last meeting of the MLGBA Board of Directors, we were fortunate to be visited by Arthur Bernard, Senior Advisor to Governor Patrick and Alethea Pieters, Director of Boards & Commissions.  The purpose of their visit was to encourage MLGBA members to apply for appointment to the multitude of state boards and commissions that need new members.  They have launched a new website to make it easy to understand the responsibilites of being on a board or commission, to search for vacancies, and to apply.  We encourage you to take a look and to consider serving the Commonwealth in this way.  The website is located here:  http://appointments.state.ma.us/.  We have also added a link to this from the MLGBA website.

Finally, we appreciate your membership.  In tough economic times, membership in a voluntary bar association may seem like a luxury, so we are thankful to all of you who continue to renew your membership.  It is through its members that the MLGBA gains its strength.

See you at the dinner on May 8th!

Sincerely,

David Eppley (deppley@rackemann.com)

Jane Rothchild (jane558@yahoo.com

MLGBA Co-Chairs