The past few years have changed the procedural landscape of the Housing Court, including changes and updates to scheduling and the manner of conducting hearings. The host is pleased to reconvene for the fourteenth time the Housing Court Judicial Forum 2025 back by popular request. With regulations and statutes first adopted during the emergency and put into practice since, the Housing Court has continued to adapt to those changes and challenges by being flexible and responsive, including tremendous progress in the use of technology and creative use of scheduling to meet the challenges created by that situation and to address the shifting needs of practitioners and litigants. There are lessons to be learned and improvements to be kept from this challenging time. Additionally, there are changes that are underway, to both process and procedure, that will have real world impact on attorneys who practice in the Housing Court and their clients.Meet the judges of the Housing Court
Hear Forum participants engage in a lively discussion of the real-world impact of those changes, including the challenges and opportunities involved. Judges from all divisions of the Housing Court, joined by the chief Justice of the Housing Court, engage in a frank dialogue with attending practitioners and review key issues confronting Housing Court practice today including discussion of the efficacy of policies and programs currently in place as well as ideas for providing additional access to justice for all litigants.
Under the guidance of two experienced practitioners, the panel also reviews significant developments in regulatory and case law which may affect your practice in the Housing Court.
This Forum offers you a unique opportunity to gain valuable practical insight into judicial discretion in the Housing Court. Attendees have the opportunity to ask the panel questions and hear directly from the judges on how to better prepare and try cases. Don’t miss this chance to participate in an important dialogue with members of the Housing Court.
Course Content
2:00 - 2:15 pm - Welcome and IntroductionCatherine F. Downing, Esq.,
Downing Van Dyke LLC, Natick
Deena Zakim, Esq.,
Harvard Legal Services Center Housing Clinic, Jamaica Plain
2:15 - 2:45 pm - Procedural and Administrative Issues Vision For the Future
Hon. Diana H. Horan,
Chief Justice, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
2:45 - 3:30 pm - Regulatory and Procedural Changes to Court Process:
Resolution of Eviction Actions, including Uniform Agreement for Judgment Form
Hon. Diana H. Horan,
Chief Justice, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Judicial Panel Discussion
Hon. Diana H. Horan,
Chief Justice, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. Sergio E. Carvajal,
Central Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester
Hon. Jonathan J. Kane,
Western Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Springfield
Hon. Joseph E. Kelleher, III,
First Justice, Eastern Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. Donna T. Salvidio,
First Justice, Southeast Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Salem
Hon. Neil K. Sherring,
First Justice, Metro-South Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Mass., Canton
3:30 - 4:00 pm - Questions and Answers on Resolution of Eviction Actions
Panel
4:00 - 4:15 pm - Regulatory and Procedural Changes to Court Process: Eviction Sealing Statute
Catherine F. Downing, Esq.,
Downing Van Dyke LLC, Natick
Deena Zakim, Esq.,
Harvard Legal Services Center Housing Clinic, Jamaica Plain
4:15 - 4:35 pm - Resolution of Eviction Actions, including Uniform Agreement for Judgment Form
Panel
4:35 - 5:00 pm - "Ask the Experts" Q&A Session and Key Takeaways
Panel
Speakers
CochairsCatherine F. Downing, Esq.,
Downing Van Dyke LLC, Natick
Deena Zakim, Esq.,
Harvard Legal Services Center Housing Clinic, Jamaica Plain
Faculty
Hon. Sergio E. Carvajal,
Central Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester
Hon. Gustavo A. del Puerto,
First Justice, Northeast Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. Diana H. Horan,
Chief Justice, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. Jonathan J. Kane,
Western Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Springfield
Hon. Joseph E. Kelleher, III,
First Justice, Eastern Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. Donna T. Salvidio,
First Justice, Southeast Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Salem
Hon. Neil K. Sherring,
First Justice, Metro-South Division, Housing Court, Commonwealth of Mass., Canton