Boston, MA—October 8, 2014–The Boston Bar Association has named Laredo & Smith, LLP Partner Mark D. Smith as secretary of the Association and its governing Council, effective for their 2014-2015 program year.
The Boston Bar Association held its annual seminar on The FCPA, Public Corruption and Government Prosecutions on April 3, 2014. Program co-chair and moderator Mark D. Smith helped lead a panel on government trends in high profile public corruption prosecutions, trends in False Claims Act cases and the impact of recent ethics reform laws.
Attorneys from the Massachusetts Bar Association will celebrate Law Day this May by looking at our rights to freedom of speech. Lawyers and judges volunteer their time to meet with students around the state to consider questions such as: Can you criticize President Obama on Facebook? Do free speech rights extend to clothing? Partner Marc Laredo once again co-chairs the MBA’s Law Day task force.
Mark Smith co-chairs the Boston Bar Association’s “Cutting Edge Issues in Criminal Law” Continuing Legal Education program on January 30, 2014. A distinguished faculty of federal and state courts judges and practitioners will discuss topics including the Supreme Judicial Court’s recent decision in Commonwealth v. Woods that requires prosecutors to provide a Miranda-like warning to certain grand jury witnesses.
Marc Laredo spoke to a class of Northeastern University entrepreneurship students in November 2013 on the role of a lawyer in a new business: why entrepreneurs need lawyers and how to hire a lawyer who’s a good match for the company.
On September 26, 2013, Marc Laredo chairs “Representing the Closely-Held Entity—How to Avoid Disputes and Resolve Them When They Arise,” a Massachusetts Bar Association continuing legal education course. The discussion will include selecting the proper type of entity; the appropriate structure of funding; the importance and type of written agreements and other documents for owners; and tax compliance, as well as practical guidance on how to handle disputes that do arise.
Partner Mark Smith joined Hon. Carol S. Ball, Hon. Frances A. McIntyre, James H. O’Brien, and Penny Haney, PhD as speakers at the May 15, 2013 Boston Bar Association Criminal Law Section seminar on state court white collar sentencing. The group discussed white collar sentencing and disposition strategy, strategy for using the lobby conference to enhance sentencing advocacy and the sentencing impact of recent research and legal cases that deal with adolescent brain development. “A criminal conviction can be devastating for a business client, so sentencing advocacy in such cases is absolutely essential,” said Smith.
Partner Marc Laredo served as co-chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Law Day 2013 committee. Attorneys celebrated Law Day in May with presentations at nine high schools from Amherst to Fall River. This year’s topic was “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All,” honoring the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Partner Mark Smith co-chaired and spoke at the Boston Bar Association Continuing Legal Education course “Recent Developments in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Public Corruption and Government Prosecution,” held February 12, 2013. He also moderated the panel on Public Corruption and Fraud Prosecutions, which included discussion on the new emphasis on prosecuting public corruption and government fraud and new legislation that can enhance penalties for offenders.
Cutting Edge Issues in Criminal Law was the focus at the BBA on January 15, 2013 when L&S Partner Mark Smith moderated discussion of recent changes and issues for 2013, including new priorities for the Inspector General’s office and the status of the state crime lab investigation.
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