Boston School March Madness

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March Madness:

March Madness is upon us — maybe literally, considering how stir-crazy we are after the winter. But we’re thinking of a different Madness: the yearly basketball frenzy that descends in a sudden plague of brackets at this time of year.

We might not know much about basketball, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to get in on the fun; and when it comes to higher education, Boston reigns supreme. We’re willing to bet that many of our members have attended undergraduate programs or law school here – or even sent their kids to a school nearby. Which bring us to the big question…

Who Has the Most School Spirit?

It’s time to find out with a head-to-head challenge! We’ve set up a bracket with sixteen major schools in the Greater Boston area, with pairings arranged by drawing names out of a bowl. Don’t believe us? Check out the photo evidence of our highly scientific process below, featuring BBA Director of Communications Kerry Crisley:

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Kerry CrisleyTo be picked

 

 

So How Is This Going to Work?

Vote in the first round for your school, your former school, your kid’s current school, or a school you really like, by the end of Wednesday, March 18. We’ll publish the results with new match-ups in the next day’s BBA Week. Lather, rinse, and repeat every week until we’re down to the final two!

What Do We Win?

The last school standing earns the pride and joy of knowing they have some of the most enthusiastic students and alums in the area – but, we hasten to add, in this bracket, everyone wins.

Can I Vote More than Once?

If your school pride is split among multiple area institutions that are in different ‘brackets,’ feel free to vote more than once…just know that it may come down to some tough decisions in the final round!

So who will it be? We mean it one hundred percent when we say: it’s up to you to decide.

Boston Proper

New England School of Law vs. Emmanuel College

  • New England School of Law (73%, 16 Votes)
  • Emmanuel College (27%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 22

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Boston University vs. Simmons College

  • Boston University (83%, 20 Votes)
  • Simmons College (17%, 4 Votes)

Total Voters: 24

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Boston College vs. Suffolk University

  • Boston College (58%, 14 Votes)
  • Suffolk University (42%, 10 Votes)

Total Voters: 24

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Northeastern University vs. Emerson College

  • Northeastern University (71%, 12 Votes)
  • Emerson College (29%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 17

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Outside of Boston

Umass System vs. Brandeis University

  • Umass System (62%, 13 Votes)
  • Brandeis University (38%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 21

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology vs. Bentley University

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (53%, 9 Votes)
  • Bentley University (47%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 17

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Harvard University vs. Cambridge College

  • Harvard University (62%, 13 Votes)
  • Cambridge College (38%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 21

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Lesley University vs. Tufts University

  • Tufts University (85%, 17 Votes)
  • Lesley University (15%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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Change, Like Spring, Is in the Air

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“Since when do I click on ‘Voices of the Bar’ and wind up on a blog?” you might be asking yourselves. It’s a fair question — and, if we’re being honest, one we’re asking ourselves as well. A ‘Voices of the Bar’ blog? How did that happen?

Ultimately, we couldn’t be more excited. See, we love sending out the weekly ‘Voices of the Bar’ question and finding out what our members think about subjects ranging from pro bono work to favorite comedians, and we know that you do too; but we realized that there are so many other opportunities to hear from our members. The ‘Voices of the Bar’ question goes out every week to a limited number of people, meaning that most of our members aren’t reached on a weekly basis, and some may never have had the chance to answer at all!

That’s why we decided to have ‘Voices of the Bar’ live on a blog platform where we could expand it and hear more from all of you — and have some fun along the way. We’ll still continue the tradition of asking a group of members the question of the week, so you always have that to look forward to every Thursday in BBA Week. If that’s all you want to read, then that’s great! But if you’re curious about what else we have up our sleeves, check back during the week for more material. We’ll be including Q&A sessions with members, open questions, photo sets, polls, and much more — basically, adding even more ways to hear, learn about, and interact with all 12,000+ Voices of the Bar that we consider ourselves so lucky to have as our membership.

Plus, we’ve already posted a picture of a puppy dressed as a superhero….so we think we’re off to a pretty good start.

Voices of the Bar 3/12/15: What are you most looking forward to for spring?

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It’s official: temperatures hit fifty degrees this week, so we’re going ahead and saying spring is just around the corner. Who cares about the current cooler temperatures and the snow forecast for the weekend? We’re ready to start thinking about warmer-weather activities!

With this in mind, BBA Week reached out and asked:

“What are you most looking forward to for spring?”

If you would like to respond to a future Voices of the Bar, make sure you send a headshot, and contact Gabrielle Guarracino at gguarracino@bostonbar.org.

(Psst — have you noticed that something is a little different? You’re not imagining things: ‘Voices of the Bar’ has its very own blog! Check out our main page for more content.)

Cohen_FrancesFrances S. Cohen – Office of the Attorney General
“No more snow! I’m looking forward to taking my two restless terriers running along the Charles River. We already have new light at the end of the day. Soon the sycamore trees will be in leaf, the fruit trees will blossom and grass will cover the banks. Right now though, it’s a muddy, slushy mess.”

Fleming_JenJennifer T. Fleming – Steffensen, Fleming & Associates, LLC
“I’m most looking forward to a collective lifting of everyone’s spirits!”

 

Parton_CaitlinCaitlin Parton – Disability Law Center
“I am looking forward to exploring Boston without being bundled up, being able to sit outside at restaurants, and meeting other recently licensed Massachusetts attorneys at BBA events.”

Voices of the Bar 3/5/15: What was your favorite game to play as a kid?

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We couldn’t be more excited about the BBF’s Casino Night for Summer Jobs coming up on March 12. There will be appetizers, a silent auction, and a magician — but, of course, the main attraction is the array of games, from Texas Hold ‘Em to roulette, that transform 16 Beacon Street into a virtual two-level casino.

With this in mind, BBA Week reached out and asked:

“What was your favorite game to play as a kid?”

If you would like to respond to a future Voices of the Bar, make sure you send a headshot, and contact Gabrielle Guarracino at gguarracino@bostonbar.org.

Amanda K. Notarangelo – Holland & Knight LLP
“When my brother and I were kids, in addition to playing the usual board games at home, our parents invented games to keep us entertained (and well behaved) in the car. My favorite of these was “I see the bridge!”. Whenever we were driving to or from the Cape, the first person to see the Sagamore Bridge and yell “I see the bridge!” won. The fact that there was no actual prize didn’t stop us from taking the game very seriously.”

Cole M. Young – Strang, Scott, Giroux & Young, LLP
“Monopoly was always my go-to (and still is).  I am pretty sure no one ever knew the exact rules so, as you played, you were able to make them up as you went along.  Plus, there were always a few people who “had enough” after a few hours.  So, if you could hang in there, you were bound to win at some point.  I once declared a “merger,” which meant I was teaming up with the other person who was losing pretty badly and we simply combined our money and property.”

Michael B. Abasciano – Floyd Advisory
“My favorite game to play as kid was “Sharks and Minnows”.  My friends and I were all on the swim team and very competitive so we had a lot of fun playing.  We would play all the time, whether it be before or after swim practice or at my friend’s pool in the summer.  We’d even find ways to play in the ocean.  Thankfully none of us drowned, but our competitive nature certainly yielded several skirmishes and bumps and bruises along the way.”

Joshua D. Nadreau – Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen P.C.
“By far my favorite and the most memorable game I played as a kid was the almost daily Scrabble matches with my grandmother. Not only was it fun, but it taught me from an early age the importance of spelling and a strong vocabulary. As an endorsement to Casino Night (which everyone should attend), I’ve played my fair share of Texas hold’em over the years as well.”

Deborah Silva – Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation
“One of my favorite games to play when I was a kid was a card game – Rummy 500 – which I used to play with my mother.  She was a very competitive card player and I almost always lost, which was very frustrating at times, but I couldn’t resist the challenge.  On the few occasions when I did win, the victory was all that much sweeter because of the tough battle.  Now I play cards with my daughter and she is a fierce competitor, too – just like her grandmother!”

Christopher D. Strang – Strang, Scott, Giroux & Young LLP
“I didn’t play games as a child…I was busy getting ready to be a lawyer.”

 

Jennifer L. Mikels – Duane Morris LLP
“Monopoly Junior – I liked owning the purple board spaces!”