We Live Life Outside The Law!


At Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge we work hard and play hard too! We take great pride in the diversity of our culture and in the activities we participate in when not practicing law. Our attorneys are businesspeople, scientists and engineers, but did you know that they are also Ironmen, extreme skiers, musicians and adventurers? The deeper we dig, the more fun we find, and we are delighted to share some of these experiences with you.

This woman is amazing! Paulette Brown, our firm's Chief Diversity Officer, led a delegation to monitor the first free and democratic elections in South Africa. In her role as President of the National Bar Association, Paulette was able to have that organization designated as an NGO for the elections in 1994. She led a delegation of several lawyers to monitor the elections in the Transkei Region (birthplace of Nelson Mandela) to ensure there were no irregularities. The most poignant moment, even more so than dancing the Toi Toi on stage with Mandela following his victory, was securing ballots from one town and delivering them to another that had run out. She has also rappelled from the Great Wall of China on a business trip with the Society of International Business Fellows.  As a team building exercise, the group was asked to rappel, trusting one of the Fellows to hold the rope. Talk about diversity!!!

An entertainer at heart, Dave Conlin is a jazz bassist who has one CD to his credit. He also sings tenor with the Apollo Club of Boston. His colleagues have had many opportunities to catch him in performance and agree that he is truly something to see and hear!

Patrick Rogers served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central Africa before law school. He spent two years building an elementary school in a remote, French-speaking, 150-person village without running water or electricity. It was one of the best experiences of his life. Today he regularly speaks to area students about Africa and his Peace Corps service.

Jeff Etherington is no stranger to dangerous situations, he was a fisherman and lobsterman in his youth.  Among the skills he developed was the ability to mesmerize lobsters before cooking.  He has had limited success in hypnotizing opposing counsel but has figured out how to avoid getting caught in their nasty clauses.

Elaine James taught English, Social Studies and Math to learning disabled and socially maladjusted teenagers in the South Bronx in the NYC Public School system before attending law school. Elaine may have changed professions, but has not given up teaching. Elaine is a litigator with very impressive wins under her belt; we've all learned to take notes when she takes on a case!

Jamie Armstrong sure knows how to put all the pieces together. In about 150 hours, over the course of two summers, he built a sea worthy kayak using a kit containing a flat board and epoxy resin. He fashioned Okoume wood, a type of African mahogany, into a 22 foot tandem kayak designed for distance travel and camping around the Chesapeake Bay.

The sound of a deal closing is music to her ears. Rebecca Lee has studied the piano since she was 5 and attended the High School of Music and Art in NYC. She has an undergraduate degree in music, and plays chamber music when her schedule permits. She devotes one week of each summer to attending "music camp" -- a chamber music camp for advanced amateurs who love making music with others (trios, quartets, quintets, etc.). For one week each year she is "Rebecca Lee Piano" (or so says her name tag).