Family Law News

Court Reappoints Four Members To Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court recently reappointed Attorneys Paul K. Connolly, P. David Engle, Susan Stefan, and Steven L. Wollman to the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee for four-year terms, pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 221, §34E. Their terms will expire on May 1, 2010.
 
Established in 1973, the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee is composed of fourteen judges and lawyers appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court for four-year terms on a staggered basis. The Committee secures and protects the legal rights of persons involved in mental health and retardation programs in the Commonwealth.

Paul K. Connolly, Jr., of Weston, is the Vice President and General Counsel of Energy East. He was formerly Managing Partner of the Boston office of the law firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP.

David Engle, of Shelburne, has practiced law in Northampton for twenty years. He directs the Disability Benefits Unit of the Center for Public Representation and represents mentally and physically disabled Social Security Disability Insurance clients. He has served on the Human Rights Committee of the Department of Mental Health.

Susan Stefan, of Rutland, is an attorney with the Center for Public Representation. Formerly, she was a Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law where she taught mental health law, disability law, and criminal law. A recognized scholar in the field of disability law, she served as a consultant on the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. She is the author of numerous books and articles on mental health law.

Steven L. Wollman, of Peabody, is a partner in the Swampscott law firm of Davids and Wollman, and focuses his practice on mental health law, juvenile law, and family law. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, former president of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, and served as chair of the Community Services Committee.

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	Did You Know?
	There is a definition for marital status. Marital status refers to the lawful recognition of the agreement between a man and a woman to be husband and wife. Along with the legal marital status of being married, the husband and wife acquire rights and obligations to their respective spouses. The rights and obligations begin when the couple is married and may continue, to a certain extent, even after the termination of the marriage. A family lawyer can help you further define marital status in your state.