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The Honorable Jeffrey Abber was a beloved Associate Justice of the Middlesex County Probate and Family Court in Cambridge, Massachusetts when he passed away far too early at age 55 following a battle with cancer. He was also an active member of the Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inn of Court and had previously served as a Board Member. Over 20 years prior to his being appointed to the bench, Jeff maintained a law practice in Malden, Massachusetts where he focused on probate and family law. He served as a judicial mentor to new judges as well as on the Education Committee of the Probate and Family Court where he developed and shaped judicial education programs for the entire bench. Jeff also advanced and taught many continuing legal education programs for the Massachusetts Bar Association and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education. In 2015, Jeff was recognized with the Jurist of the Year Award by the Middlesex County Bar Association. One of Jeff’s primary goals while serving on the bench was steering litigants to alternative dispute resolution options. He was a great believer in all forms of alternative dispute resolution as he truly understood the burden on the Massachusetts Court system, and its Probate and Family Courts in particular. After his death, members of our Inn considered how Jeff could best be honored. Former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court Paula Carey, Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Judge Angela Ordonez and Inn member, Paticia Saint James, in consultation with Jeff’s widow, Maureen, conceived and formed the Honorable Jeffrey Abber We C-A-N (Counsel Assisted Negotiation) Settle Initiative. The program currently operates in four counties (Norfolk, Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk). It is staffed by volunteer “Negotiators,” all members of our Inn or the Greater Boston Family Law Inn of Court, many of whom were Jeff’s contemporaries. When the project was first conceived, the goal was to offer free conciliation services in cases involving high net worth individuals. However, it soon evolved into one serving all high-conflict cases, including those with one self-represented party and counsel on the opposing side. While the commitment is for approximately one half-day of service, the volunteer Negotiators have gone above and beyond, oftentimes working over one full day. Once a negotiation session has concluded, a report form is completed and submitted to the Initiative for statistical purposes, as well as to the referring court.
The Initiative has been very successful. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, most negotiation sessions were held via Zoom. One of the goals of the “We C-A-N Settle Initiative” is mentorship by matching a senior Negotiator with a junior attorney who may or may not be an Inn member. The feedback from the junior Negotiators has been extremely positive and the benefit for them is exposure to ADR at an early point in their careers, allowing them to appreciate the value in settling a case outside of the courtroom.
One of the benefits of using the Judge Abber Initiative is the fast turn-around for assignment, which usually happens within a week. Other benefits are the experience of the Negotiators who accept assignments and the fact that it costs nothing. Our goals for this Inn year are to have all of our members accept one case and to present information about the program to the judges of all four counties that participate.
The Initiative has been very successful. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, most negotiation sessions were held via Zoom. One of the goals of the “We C-A-N Settle Initiative” is mentorship by matching a senior Negotiator with a junior attorney who may or may not be an Inn member. The feedback from the junior Negotiators has been extremely positive and the benefit for them is exposure to ADR at an early point in their careers, allowing them to appreciate the value in settling a case outside of the courtroom.
One of the benefits of using the Judge Abber Initiative is the fast turn-around for assignment, which usually happens within a week. Other benefits are the experience of the Negotiators who accept assignments and the fact that it costs nothing. Our goals for this Inn year are to have all of our members accept one case and to present information about the program to the judges of all four counties that participate.
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2024-2025 Judge Abber We CAN Settle Initiative Committee
Rosemary Purtell (Chair) Gayle Stone-Turesky (Chair) Robert B. Setterbo II Hon. Michael Anderson Amy Saunders Barbara Zicht Richmond Jennifer Bingham Kathleen Morrissey Rose Ellen McCaig Sandy Pesiridis James L. Brick Alethea Shaddox Marty Kane Mary Ferriter Rosanne Klovee Joan Canavan |
Please Click Below to Download the Stipulation
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