John J. Carroll, Jr., is a partner at Meehan, Boyle, Black and Bogdanow. He is a graduate of Boston College (1968) and Boston University School of Law (1974). Between college and law school, John served on active duty as a Naval officer. From 1976-1977, he worked for South Dakota Legal Services, providing legal assistance to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Sioux Reservations. He has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1974, and became a member of the South Dakota Bar in 1976, while living there. In the late 1970s, John Carroll spent two more years in the legal services field with Merrimack Valley Legal Services and then two years as an in-house counsel for an insurance company. In 1980, he joined Parker, Coulter, Daley and White, an insurance defense firm. In 1985, he left to join the firm then known as Meehan, Boyle and Cohen. He has been there ever since.
While practicing law and raising a family consumed much of his time, John continued to be active in associations which provide legal representation to those most in need. Over the years, he has handled pro bono cases for the Volunteer Lawyers Project and has volunteered for the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild at the St. Francis House. He has been on the Board of Directors of Greater Boston Legal Services since 1996. He has been actively involved in the MBA since that time. John has served on the Judicial Administrative Council (Chair, 1997-1998), Individual Rights and Responsibility Council (Chair, 1989-1999), and the MBA Superior Court Case Flow Management Task Force (Chair, 2001-2002). In addition, John has been involved in the MBA Bench Bar Committee (Chair, 2003) and the MBA House of Delegates from 2003-2008. From 2001-2007, John served as a Hearings Officer at the Board of Bar Overseers and from 2002-2008 served on the Board of Governors of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. In 2008, John received the Massachusetts Bar Foundation’s President’s Award. In 2010, he became the MBA’s representative on the Equal Justice Coalition and was the Chair of the EJC from 2013 until he recently stepped down. In 2012, John was appointed to a six year term as a lawyer member of the Commission on Judicial Conduct. He was elected Vice Chairman of the Commission in 2014. John has been named a “Super Lawyer” for several consecutive years by Boston Magazine and is a member of the Pine Street Inn “President’s Circle.” In 2016, John was inducted into the Arlington Catholic High School Hall of Fame.
John’s fellowship project will be with the Equal Justice Coalition. Founded by the BBA, the MBA, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the EJC works to protect the state appropriation for civil legal aid, which funds programs that provide legal advice and representation to low-income Massachusetts residents facing civil legal problems. The EJC includes representatives from bar associations, law firms, and the legal services community. John will interview leadership, staff, and other stakeholders in the Massachusetts legal services community. From these interviews, and using other historical resources, John will author a collection of narratives tracing the origins of civil legal aid in Massachusetts and detailing the vital services provided by the 14 programs funded by MLAC. These narratives will be translated into a variety of formats for the EJC, MLAC, and civil legal aid programs to use in outreach, legislative advocacy, and other educational efforts.
2017 Update:
John Carroll (Class of 2016-2017) will continue his Fellows project with the Equal Justice Coalition (EJC). Founded by the BBA, the MBA, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the EJC works to protect the state appropriation for civil legal aid, which funds programs that provide legal advice and representation to low-income Massachusetts residents facing civil legal problems. The EJC includes representatives from bar associations, law firms, and the legal services community.
Last year, John interviewed leadership, staff, and other stakeholders in the Massachusetts legal services community and authored a collection of narratives tracing the origins of civil legal aid in Massachusetts and detailing the vital services provided by the 14 programs funded by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC).
John’s original goal for his Fellows project was to do brief biological/historical sketches of the early pioneers of these programs, as well as research and write about MLAC’s programs. This year he will focus on “The Builders,” conducting a series of interviews of those who were present at the beginning of the “War on Poverty.” Those builders will include, but not be limited to: Lonnie Powers, Gerry Senseng, Allan Rogers, Bob Sable, Monica Halas, the Honorable Geraldine Hines, Will Ogburn, Meg Connolly, and Maxa Berid.