New England Biz Law Update
As I begin my term as president of ACC-Northeast, it is with some trepidation, as I have big shoes to fill!
Bill O’Brien, our immediate past president, brought enormous experience and some great, innovative plans to the chapter, and I will make every effort to continue in the same tradition.
We are fortunate to have two new members to strengthen our Board of Directors – Christine Nickerson, Senior Legal Counsel at CVS/Pharmacy in Woonsocket, R.I., and John Opperman, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of TD BankNorth, Inc. in Portland, Maine.
In addition to bringing considerable experience to the board, Christine and John will be able to help us strengthen our presence in Rhode Island and Maine, as we continue our outreach in these states.
On a less happy note, we have lost two long-time board members and former presidents – Tom Farrell and Scott Squillace, both of whom have moved into private practice. Their advice, energy and leadership over the years have been invaluable, and we will miss their presence on the Board.
We have a strong roster of sponsors this year, and are busily planning the program schedule for 2008. As an alumnus of Choate, Hall & Stewart I am delighted that the firm will be our Platinum sponsor for 2008. We will be working with them to develop one monthly educational program in addition to our all-day conference in November. Choate has been a strong supporter of the chapter over the years, and we are happy to be working with them again.
Our Gold sponsors, who will be developing other monthly programs with us, and who are also dinner sponsors for the Law Student Ethics Awards dinner in April, are:
Silver sponsors will work on programs reaching out to our members in Maine, western Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island, and include:
With this large and well-rounded list of sponsors, I am sure we will be bringing excellent and innovative programs and value to our members again this year.
Looking ahead, our chapter is over 900 members strong, the largest it has ever been. It is my sincere hope that as we continue to develop signature initiatives in the areas of ethics, diversity and pro bono opportunities, and continue to offer high-quality, pertinent educational programming, we will have more opportunities to tap into the energy of our members and make the chapter even stronger.
I look forward to meeting and working with more of you in the coming years.
Paul G. Cushing is President of the Northeast Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. He is Legal Counsel at Partners HeathCare System, Inc., where he leads the litigation and compliance group.
