In* flue* ence -- vt. 1. To have power over: affect. 2. To cause a change in the character, thought, or action of.
-- Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary (1994).
In the 25 years that Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has been publishing, hundreds of thousands of lawyers have practiced in the commonwealth -- including many wonderful attorneys, some of whom are no longer with us. A lot of them, fortunately, are still around enjoying active and prosperous careers.
In putting together this anniversary issue, the editorial staff of Lawyers Weekly has chosen 25 lawyers whose influence on the law and bar has been particularly compelling. In singling out these 25 lawyers, we do not mean to underestimate the great work done every day by thousands of Massachusetts lawyers.
LEO V. BOYLE
One of the leading plaintiffs' lawyers in the state, a former president of the MBA and currently an officer of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, he was at the forefront of lawyers who departed established firms in the 1980s to branch off on their own when he left Parker, Coulter, Daley & White to co-found Meehan, Boyle & Cohen.
EDGAR J. BELLEFONTAINE
Librarian of the Social Law Library in Boston for more than three decades, he has been on the cutting edge of ever-changing developments in legal research and has enhanced the SLL's stature as one of the great law libraries in the country.
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Although his gubernatorial ambitions were stymied, the three-term attorney general packed considerable wallop as the state's top law enforcer during a period of great flux in criminal law and in state enforcement of civil laws and has been credited with "professionalizing" the AG's office.
WAYNE A. BUDD
The first African-American president of the Massachusetts Bar Association (1979-1980), he proved to be one of the most eloquent and esteemed bar leaders of his era -- and went on to distinguish himself as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts during the Bush Administration.
THOMAS D. BURNS
Founder of the Boston firm Burns & Levinson, he has arguably been the most respected civil-defense lawyer of recent times, earning kudos for his courtroom abilities and out-of-court demeanor from both the plaintiffs' and defense bars.
JOHN J. CURTIN JR.
A former president of the Boston Bar Association (1979-1981), the Bingham, Dana & Gould partner went on to serve as leader of the American Bar Association (1990-1991) during a period of intense national focus on the legal profession.
ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
Loved by some and despised by others, Harvard Law's most recognizable prof has been involved in numerous important cases and always has something very public to say about those significant cases he hasn't been personally involved in.
MICHAEL S. DUKAKIS
As a three-term governor (1975-1978, 1983-1990), he had enormous influence over the laws that lawyers practice under, was a strong advocate of the Judicial Nominating Council and left an unprecedented judicial legacy on every court in Massachusetts.
BENJAMIN FIERRO III
General counsel of the Massachusetts Bar Association since 1986, he has been in the thick of every major legislative battle of concern to lawyers during that time and has quietly exerted more leverage on legislation than perhaps any lawyer in the commonwealth.
PAUL G. GARRITY
A former Superior Court judge, he helped spark a revolution in the private alternative dispute revolution field -- founding in 1986 what would be one of the giants of the burgeoning ADR business and leading a mini-exodus of judges who retired from the bench in favor of the greener pastures of the private sector.
NANCY GERTNER
Now a U.S. District Court judge, she was a passionate criminal defender in the 1970s prosecution of counterculture icon Susan Sacks and in other famous trials of that tempestuous era -- and went on to become a trailblazer in the area of civil rights law.
DAVID E. KELLEY
An associate during the 1980s at Boston's Fine & Ambrogne, he made his mark by leaving the now-defunct firm to become the head writer and executive producer of TV's "L.A. Law" during the heyday of that image-altering show and went on to create such law-related entertainments as "The Practice."
SANDRA L. LYNCH
As president of the Boston Bar Association (1992-1993), she was at the forefront of a contingent of bar leaders lobbying successfully for tort reform in the early 1990s -- and she was subsequently plucked from her partnership at Foley, Hoag & Elliot to become the first woman judge on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
ALICE OLSEN MANN
A partner in the female-dominated appellate department of Morrison, Mahoney & Miller, she has for a decade been a low-key but powerful force in the shaping of insurance law, winning numerous important cases in the Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court.
ANDREW C. MEYER JR.
With dozens of multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements under his belt, the co-founder of Boston's Lubin & Meyer has become the quintessential plaintiffs' advocate in the emotional -- and lucrative -- field of medical malpractice.
MICHAEL E. MONE
A past president of both the Massachusetts Bar Association (1993-1994) and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (1981-1984), he has long been in the thick of the action -- and has been the advocate of choice for many lawyers and other well-known clients.
KATHLEEN M. O'DONNELL
The first woman president of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (1995-1996), the Lowell lawyer successfully led the trial bar's fight against tort reform in the commonwealth and has served as a rare role model in a practice area that continues to be heavily dominated by men.
ROBERT K. RAINER
A founding partner of Rainer & Rainer, he helped popularize a new niche in law practice -- lead paint litigation -- that proved to be one of the booming specialties in the 1980s and 1990s and that prompted changes in laws that impact every landlord in Massachusetts.
ALICE E. RICHMOND
The first woman to serve as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association (1986-1987), she symbolized the growing importance and influence of women in the legal profession and paved the way for other female bar leaders.
JAMES G. SOKOLOVE
One of the first Massachusetts lawyers to advertise on television -- and easily the most visible -- he led the way for countless others, helping to alter the public perception of attorneys and to trigger a debate in the bar about how -- and whether -- TV advertising should be regulated.
JAMES D. ST. CLAIR
As counsel to the president during the waning months of the Nixon administration, he helped bring the curtain down on the turbulent Watergate era and, upon returning to Boston, played an important role in reforming the Boston Police Department as chairman of a special committee appointed by Mayor Raymond Flynn.
MAX D. STERN
One of the state's preeminent criminal lawyers, he began serving as counsel to the inmates challenging conditions at the Charles Street Jail in 1971 and has represented such other clients as Albert Lewin, whose indictments were dismissed in the in the face of charges of police misconduct.
WILLIAM F. WELD
In six-and-a-half years as governor (1991-1997), his efforts to overhaul the civil-justice system were thwarted, but his judicial picks have created a legacy that will last for decades and he used his prior position as U.S. attorney to make Massachusetts a leader in an era of federal crackdown on crime.
FLETCHER H. WILEY
The first African-American to serve as chairman of Boston's Chamber of Commerce, he has been a leader in the business community and, in co-founding what was then the state's largest minority-lawyer firm, was at the forefront of the emergence of minority-run law firms in Massachusetts in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
ROBERT G. WOOLF
The founder of Woolf & Associates, he was a trailblazer locally and nationally in the area of attorney as sports agent and helped shape the modern athletic culture through innovation and showmanship before his death in 1994.
September 22, 1997
