Day: November 14, 2018

SPRINGFIELD — Kelly Bowman was elected to be the 2019 president of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), a nonprofit trade association with 1,800 members. A general membership meeting was held on Nov. 8 at the Delaney House in Holyoke for the purpose of electing the RAPV 2019 leadership team.

Bowman is the broker/owner of Trademark Real Estate, LLC which has offices in South Deerfield and Greenfield. She has been active in real estate since 1997. As a former co-owner of Upton Enterprises Inc., a custom home-building company, she brings practical building knowledge to transactions with clients. She has served on the RAPV board of directors for four consecutive years and was involved in several committees, including the grievance committee, professional standards committee, and professional development committee.

In addition to the president, the 2019 RAPV officers will include Susan Drumm as president-elect, Elias Acuna as treasurer, Russell Sabadosa as secretary, and Edward Alford as immediate past president. Directors will include Shawn Bowman, Julie Chartier-Warczeka, Peter Davies, Janise Fitzpatrick, Sara Gasparrini, Sharyn Jones, Cheryl Malandrinos, and Clinton Stone.

Leadership representation at the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors will include Dawn Henry as board of directors treasurer, and Brian Sears will serve a two-year term as director-at-large. State directors will be Alford, Bowman, Sabadosa, and Sears. Named substitutes are Drumm, Lou Mayo, and Vincent Walsh.

SPRINGFIELD — The Human Service Forum (HSF) will present a training on Tuesday, Dec. 4 titled “Effective Conflict Resolution Strategies: What Should I Try Now?” The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield.

Dealing with conflicts between employees? Ineffective supervisory relationships? Teams not working well together? Workplace conflict can harm relationships, reduce productivity, increase costs, and decrease a team’s effectiveness. One study found that an average workplace conflict eats up to three hours a week.

This workshop, led by Debbie Lynangale of the Mediation & Training Collaborative, will explore the range of conflict-resolution tools available, including one-on-one communication strategies, conflict coaching, mediation, and larger group processes. Together, attendees will identify circumstances which may make one approach work better than others, steps to ensure better success with the chosen techniques, and ways to combine various strategies to deal with challenging workplace dynamics.

The cost is $115 for HSF members and $225 for non-members. Morning coffee and a buffet lunch is included in the program fee. To register, click here.

SPRINGFIELD — Best Lawyers, in partnership with U.S. News and World Report, has included Bulkley Richardson in its 2019 “Best Law Firms” list, ranking the firm in the top tier for 10 practice areas, the most of any Springfield law firm. They include bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, commercial litigation, corporate law, criminal defense: general practice, criminal defense: white-collar, litigation: labor and employment, medical-malpractice law: defendants, personal-injury litigation: defendants, tax law, and trusts and estates law

To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers. Bulkley Richardson has 13 of its lawyers included on the 2019 Best Lawyers list, the most from any Springfield law firm. Two of the firm’s partners, John Pucci and Liz Sillin, were also named 2019 Springfield Lawyer of the Year. The rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations and peer reviews from leading attorneys in their field.

SPRINGFIELD — Robinson Donovan, P.C. announced that Associate Jeffrey Adams recently received two prominent appointments. He became a fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. (MBA) Leadership Academy and accepted a position on the board of directors at Dakin Humane Society.

“We are excited for Jeff to be recognized with both of these leadership opportunities,” said Partner James Martin. “We have observed his leadership skills and fully expect that these new leadership opportunities will enhance his development as a leader and greatly benefit both organizations.”

The MBA Leadership Academy works to develop and nurture future leaders of the bar by teaching fellows how to be compassionate, open-minded, and thoughtful leaders.

At Dakin Humane Society, Adams will act as part of the governing body that is responsible for overseeing the organization’s activities. Dakin is a community-supported animal-welfare organization that provides shelter, medical care, spay-and-neuter services, and behavioral rehabilitation for more than 20,000 animals each year.

“Advocacy is one of the foundations of being a successful lawyer,” Adams said, “and I look forward to providing a voice for less-fortunate animals that don’t have one.”