Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Announces First-of-its-Kind Amicus Advisory Board

 

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Announces First-of-its-Kind Amicus Advisory Board

 

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce announced that it created an Amicus Advisory Board today, the first advisory board of its kind among business associations in the region. The newly formed Board will identify and evaluate opportunities for the Chamber to submit or join amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs to appellate courts, guide the Chamber’s arguments, and manage the drafting and approval of briefs. The group will focus on cases for which decisions would have significant or far-reaching impact on the state’s economy, the business community, the conduct of commerce, and the Chamber’s key policy priorities. An amicus brief submission by this Advisory Board may not be in support of an individual company, but instead indicates the Chamber’s advocacy, policy positions, and broad effect on commerce and the business community.

“The formation of the Amicus Advisory Board is one of the ways that we’re ensuring that the collective voice of the business community meets the judicial process, helping the courts recognize the priorities and needs of the people and businesses in the region,” said James E. Rooney, President & CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Court cases, including those from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (S.J.C), have a meaningful, long-standing impact on business. This Advisory Board, with its focus on the judicial branch, will allow the Chamber to elevate its existing public policy efforts and ensure its members’ voices are heard at all stages of the policymaking process. This effort will build off of recent amicus brief submissions, including

·        Defense of Marriage Act, amici argued that overturning DOMA and affirming that all couples share in the right to marry;

·        Calixto, et. al. v. Coughlin, et. al, highlighting the reach and scope of the Massachusetts Wage Act; and

·        Bostock v. Clayton County, GA, holding that employees fired for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Composed of 14 distinguished appellate and in-house attorneys from Chamber members, the Advisory Board is co-chaired by Ian Roffman, Chair of the Securities Enforcement and Litigation practice at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, and Ed Kenealy, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer at Liberty Mutual. Carolyn Ryan, Senior Vice President, Policy and Research, will staff the Board for the Chamber. The Amicus Advisory Board convened virtually for the first time in October 2020.

The board’s mission is to:

·        evaluate amicus opportunities (either self-generated or requests from litigants) to assess whether submitting an amicus brief in a particular case would have broad impact on the business community and commerce as well as be consistent with the Chamber’s mission;

·        make a recommendation to the appropriate Chamber person or committee as to whether to submit a brief;

·        identify a drafter; and

·        supervise the drafting and approval of the final brief to make sure the arguments are sound and consistent with the Chamber’s mission and values. 

 

Members of the Amicus Advisory Board are:

·        Edmund C. Kenealy, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Advisory Board Co-Chair

·        Ian Roffman, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, Advisory Board Co-Chair

·        Felicia H. Ellsworth, Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

·        Jason Frank, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

·        Angela Gomes, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP

·        Kurt Hemr, Partner, Litigation, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP

·        Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Senior Counsel, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

·        Jodi Luster, Vice President and Senior Counsel, State Street

·        R. Daniel O'Connor, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP

·        Allison O'Neil, Partner, Locke Lord LLP

·        Paige Scott Reed, Partner, Prince Lobel Tye LLP

·        George Skelly, Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP

·        Madeleine Timin, Senior Vice President, Regional General Counsel, Boston Properties

·        Megan F.S. Tipper, Assistant General Counsel, National Grid