Events Archives - Pioneer Public Interest Law Center

PNELF AND ABA TO HOST EVENT ON STEWARD HEALTH COLLAPSE

July 27, 2025/in Events, News /by Amie O'Hearn

WHEN: September 4, 2025 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Sullivan and Worcester, LLP Post Office Square, Boston, Mass

At its height, Steward Health Care was the largest private hospital system in America. But in May 2024, it collapsed into Chapter 11 bankruptcy—leading to hospital closures, thousands of layoffs, and a scramble to preserve care in vulnerable communities.

What went wrong? What happens next? And what does it mean for the future of healthcare?

Join us for a timely and important conversation featuring Andrew Troop, Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, who represented the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the bankruptcy proceedings, Samuel Maizel, Partner at Dentons LLP and head of the firm’s healthcare industry restructuring efforts, and Hon. Frank J. Bailey (Ret.), former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge and current President of Pioneer New England Legal Foundation.

Register now to hear how the Commonwealth fought to protect its communities, the court’s decisions on hospital sales and closures, and what this case signals about the future of healthcare systems under financial stress.

This program is sponsored by the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Seats are filling fast! Be sure to RSVP today on Eventbrite to secure your spot! The Steward Healthcare Case Demystified

Special Event: Who Wrote This Ruling: A Judge or A Machine? The Role of AI Detection Software

July 27, 2025/in Events, News /by Amie O'Hearn

Special Event: Who Wrote This Ruling: A Judge or A Machine? The Role of AI Detection Software

WHEN: Tuesday, August 5 · 12 – 1pm EDT

WHERE: 185 Devonshire St, Suite 1101 Boston, MA Livestream available via Zoom

WHAT: Join Frank J. Bailey, President of the Pioneer New England Legal Foundation, for a special demonstration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection software. The event will be conducted via Zoom with a limited number of in-person seats available.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into legal practice, legal professionals must understand both its capabilities and inherent risks. While AI offers powerful tools to support legal analysis, it simultaneously raises serious concerns regarding accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical application.

To address these critical issues, PNELF’s summer interns undertook a comprehensive project modeling a hypothetical legal case using various legal AI platforms. Their objective was to assess whether these technologies produce outputs meeting the rigorous standards required for professional legal practice. Concurrently, they examined the broader policy implications of AI adoption through the lens of academic integrity in higher education—a domain where these challenges have already manifested.

Through this dual examination of both practical applications and policy considerations, this program provides a timely and essential analysis of how legal professionals can engage critically and responsibly with AI tools. The ultimate objective is to ensure that artificial intelligence enhances rather than undermines the fundamental integrity of our justice system.

Register here: Who Wrote this Ruling, a Judge, or a Machine? Tickets, Tue, Aug 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

PPILC Spotlights Judicial Reform in Ukraine

May 15, 2023/in Events /by Chris Sinacola

BOSTON — On Thursday, June 15, Pioneer Public Interest Law Center will host “Judicial Reform in Ukraine: A Challenge That Must Be Met,” an event featuring Justice Robert J. Cordy (ret.) of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

A country must have an impartial, fair, and honest judiciary to construct a system of social justice and economic and political progress. In June 2021, the Ukrainian government announced the formation of the Ukrainian Judicial Ethics Council, which evaluates the integrity of present members and selects new members of Ukraine’s highest judicial governing body, the High Council of Justice.

Justice Cordy, a member of the six-person Ethics Council, will speak on his experiences and insights on the Council’s work, which was recently substantially concluded, as well as the ongoing legal reform efforts in Ukraine. Bohdan Vitvitsky, a former federal prosecutor and U.S. diplomat in the American Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, will join him in the discussion.

We’re holding our free event at the University of Massachusetts Club at One Beacon Street in Boston and via livestream. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with the program following and a post-reception at 7:30 p.m.

Seating for this thought-provoking and informative discussion is limited, so reserve your spot today—or consider becoming an event sponsor.

Registration and Sponsorship Information

“Reasonable Minds Can Differ”: Major Cases Now Before the U.S. Supreme Court

March 7, 2023/in Events, News /by Chris Sinacola

Several recent polls have shown that confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court is at historic lows, but interest in the cases that come before the nation’s highest court remains strong.

The implications of several cases currently before the Court were explored at a March 1 forum, “Reasonable Minds Can Differ,” sponsored by PioneerLegal, the Federal Bar Association, and the Social Law Library.

More than 100 people gathered to hear Boston University School of Law Professors Gary Lawson and Jessica Silbey lay out the facts of five cases currently before the Court. Use the timestamps below to navigate to the portion of the program that deals in detail with each of the five cases discussed.

09:22-25:15 — Tyler v. Hennepin County

“In twenty-first-century United States all private land is held of the state — if you don’t pay the property tax assessment mean people are going to come, they’re going to grab the land, put it up for a judicial auction, and use the proceeds to pay off your debt.”

25:20-39:38 — National Pork Producers Council v. Ross

“The question is whether that extraterritorial effect is so burdensome that it violates the dormant Commerce Clause principles, and that California cannot export its morals legislation, its policing legislation, to the rest of the United States.”

39:40-55:08 — 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis

“The question … is whether applying a public accommodation law like this compels a web designer (or an “artist”) to sell web designing services (or to “speak”) — whether it violates the free speech clause … Is this a services case … or a speech case.”

55:30-1:06:34 — Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh

“The Court will consider whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 should shield tech platforms from liability when they direct third-party content to individuals who are radicalized by that content and then participate in terrorist attacks.”

1:06:40-1:19:25 — Moore v. Harper

This case may decide whether state legislatures alone get the last word on how federal elections are conducted. “Here’s the bottom-line question—and this is a law professor’s dream: When the Constitution talks about those state bodies, is it talking about them as institutions or as functions?”

PioneerLegal is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public-interest law firm that defends and promotes educational options, accountable government, and economic opportunity. Through legal action and public education, PioneerLegal works to preserve and enhance liberties grounded in the constitutions and civil rights laws of the United States.

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