The Lawyer for the Day Program is being held in the Norfolk County Probate & Family Court, Dedham. An attorney volunteers and delivers services on their scheduled day, and assists the public who arrive in court that day on any matter that may be heard in the Probate and Family Court.

Each week an attorney is scheduled to meet with inmates at the Norfolk County Correctional Facility for approximately four to five hours to discuss any problems or issues they may have. The pro bono panel of attorneys provides legal assistance to the inmates. If you are interested in participating, please call our office for further information.

The Bar Association of Norfolk County sponsors free legal seminars on a continuous basis addressing all areas of the law. Some of the topics are bankruptcy, divorce proceedings, automobile insurance, criminal & registry matters to name a few. The seminars are held in courthouses in Norfolk County.

Over one hundred attorneys have responded by placing their name on a list which is publicized in the newspapers of Norfolk County and radio stations as public service announcement. The attorneys make themselves available to local business groups, organizations, and community agencies to speak on specific areas of the law.

Each year a Legislative Breakfast is held in Norfolk County. Historically this breakfast has been very well attended by local attorneys, the judiciary sitting in Norfolk County, State Senators and Representatives. Over 90% of Norfolk County's representatives and senators have attended. This meeting successfully acts as a vehicle of communication between the Bar and our State Legislators.

As a member of the Bar Association of Norfolk County you may also join the Referral Service. Dues for the Referral Service are $100.00 after the initial Bar Association membership dues of $75.00 per calendar year. Last year over 1000 telephone calls were made to the Referral Service requesting attorney services. Once a telephone call is received a referral by our office is made to a member of the Referral Service Panel in the area of law requested by the caller. These calls are made on a geographical and rotational basis. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Referral Service, watch for our notices which will be mailed out in early October, 2011. Information regarding our Referral Service Panel will be included along with your Membership Notice. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.

Funded in part by the Massachusetts Bar Foundation the Evening Legal Clinics are sponsored monthly, usually the first Tuesday of each month, free of charge to the members of the community at a courthouse in Norfolk County from the hours of 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Attorneys agree to participate on a pro bono basis by assisting the client on a one-on-one consultation. The public outreach is through newspaper advertising, radio and television advertisements, public service announcements, as well as notices posted in community service organizations.

A partnership has been established with the Quincy Schools, and soon to include other public high schools in the County. Various legal topics are discussed and delivered to the students by attorneys willing to participate in the program. This may include specific legal topics, and/or Mock Trial presentations where the student body actively participates, usually followed by a question and answer period.

The Bar Association of Norfolk County will offer the use of their Conference Room to be utilized by any attorney member by telephoning our office and scheduling a time and date.

A mentor panel includes attorneys willing to act as Mentors to new attorneys beginning their law practice but is open to other attorneys seeking further legal assistance.

The observance of Law Day which is held annually at Superior Court, Dedham, Mass. is usually held on the first day of May. Through our Law Day Program we strive to expand people's awareness of our heritage of liberty under the law and help them appreciate how we strive to assure equal justice for all. The Law Day theme allows us to examine equality of justice through the perspectives of both the legal profession and the public it serves. It includes effort by the bench and the bar to promote equality of justice, and so encourages the participation of both lawyers and judiciary. The Bar Association of Norfolk County has held over forty eight Law Day celebrations. Speakers and awards are presented at the ceremony. All are invited to attend the ceremony as well as the reception which follows the Law Day ceremony.

Each year the Bar Association holds 3 council meetings and four general meetings which includes the Annual Legislative Breakfast Meeting.

Our Officers for 2011/2012

Attorney Marybeth Hopkins, President
Attorney Patrick W. McDermott, President-Elect
Attorney Richard J. Sweeney, Vice President
Attorney Joseph P. Hurley, III, Secretary
Attorney Robert Harnais, Treasurer
Adrienne C. Clarke, Executive Director

The Bar Association of Norfolk County delivers services to clients on an individual non-discriminatory manner without regard to the client's race, sex, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, or national origin. The Bar Association continues to serve a racially diverse low income population.

For further information regarding membership in the Bar Association of Norfolk County please call Adrienne Clarke, Executive Director at 617-471-9693. (Norfolkcountybar@aol.com)

The Norfolk Law Library, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, MA, along with the other sixteen Trial Court Law Libraries, offers free 24/7 access to the Hein Online and Retrievelaw databases from your home or office computer. Retrievelaw has Massachusetts and Federal law, cases, court rules and regulations. Hein Online contains thousands of full text law journal articles. All you have to do is stop by one of the libraries and get a library card, which is also good for borrowing material from any Trial Court Law Library. The systemwide library catalog and over 150 topical webpages with many useful links are available on the website. You can also ask eReference questions or chat live with library staff online. Consult the website for a description of all services and location information. Website: www.lawlib.state.ma.us/ Of course, you can always call the library to speak directly to the Norfolk staff at 781-329-1401.

The Bar Association of Norfolk County along with the Women's Bar Foundation and DOVE, Inc., have joined the Family Law Project agreeing to represent on a pro bono basis, DOVE clients who are low-income victims of domestic violence. Mentors who are experienced family law practitioners have also joined the Family Law Project.