Rising Legal Eagles List Released
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's "Up and Coming Lawyers" Announced

Contacts:

David L. Yas, Publisher
(800) 444-5297 X 8112

Aubrey Haznar
(800) 444-5297 X 8312
(781) 226-8616-Pager

BOSTON - (August 25, 2003)- One lawyer is helping to fight the stranglehold of gangs in the Merrimack Valley, another scored a record verdict against the MBTA and caused institutional changes after management retaliated against a "T" worker, yet another went to jail for his client, another attorney is helping the largest minority owned bank in America grow and one lawyer helped thwart opposition to the Mormon Temple's construction in Belmont. All five have been selected as this year's Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's "Up and Coming Lawyers." The complete list and details of each recipient's accomplishments can be found in the latest edition of the weekly legal newspaper and through the paper's web site, www.MassLawyersWeekly.com.

The Massachusetts bar contains more than its share of established "stars" in the legal profession. There are more than 50,000 licensed attorneys in the state. Veteran lawyers over an extended period of time have made names for themselves in one or another. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has selected what its editors believe are the top five "rising legal stars" in Massachusetts. These lawyers have been members of the bar for 10 years or less, and have already distinguished themselves in some manner from their colleagues and appear poised for even greater accomplishments.

"We often hear of high-profile, veteran attorneys working on prominent cases," said attorney David Yas, editor of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. "But Massachusetts also has many 'young guns' who have established themselves already by working on intriguing cases or aligning themselves with compelling crusades. Each year we comb the legal community and come up with some terrific rising stars, the cream of the crop, and this year is no exception."

The 2003 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's "Up and Coming Lawyers" are:

 

  • Jennifer A. Adreani-age 31-Mass. Assistant Attorney General-Assigned to Lawrence District Court, Adreani reviews every criminal case out of "District C" in the Methuen/Lawrence area and targets career criminals in an area dubbed "a cesspool for gangs." She also is a major part of the area's "Weed and Seed" program, designed to weed out the bad elements of a neighborhood and seed the good. Adreani grew up in Needham.

     

  • Inga S. Bernstein- age 41-Partner-Zalkind, Rodriguez, Lunt & Duncan, Boston-Bernstein and her co-counsel secured one of the largest verdicts against the MBTA in 2001. A jury awarded her client $7.6 million (the case was later settled for $2 million) after it was shown the T retaliated against a manager for filing a complaint alleging discriminatory hiring practices. She is currently involved in several high profile employment cases including the case of a Lowell cop who in 1998 was allegedly harassed by a group of fellow Lowell officers while on a union outing.

     

  • Donald A. Brisson-age 42-Sole Practioner, New Bedford-Brisson did something right out of Hollywood; he went to jail on behalf of his client. Brisson helped his client clear up motor vehicles charges, but New Bedford police refused to release the client because of a letter from the Navy requesting police detain his client. When police refused to let him sit in on their questioning of the client, the attorney complained and New Bedford Police locked him up. He is no stranger to the New Bedford police. Two years earlier, the defense attorney showed how two New Bedford Police officers lied on police reports, which later got his clients out of more serious charges.

     

  • Malcolm S. Medley-age 39-Legal Counsel, OneUnited Bank, Boston-The son of Jamaican government workers, attorney Medley is now one of two key lawyers who are helping to build the nation's largest black owned bank. OneUnited Bank's goal is to reach out to underserved urban areas with unique non-fee-based accounts. The bank now has assets of more than $500 million. Mr. Medley is a resident of Roslindale.

     

  • Edward J. Naughton-age 35-Partner, Holland & Knight, Boston-In the past two years, Naughton has taken three cases to the state's highest court and won each time. The intellectual property and appellate law specialist has helped get the controversial Mormon Temple in Belmont built and helped secure a ruling for the construction industry involving financing of large projects.

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    Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the paper's web site WWW.MassLaw.com are the Massachusetts legal community's most relied upon source for vital news, opinions, verdicts and settlements, analysis and more. Founded in 1972, Lawyers Weekly, Inc. publishes statewide newspapers in eight states in addition to Massachusetts, (Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia) as well as Lawyers Weekly USA, a national newspaper geared to smaller law firms and LawyersWeeklyUSA.com, an Internet resource site.

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