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Our Board...
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Board of Directors
From the Nominating Committee:
It is almost time to elect directors for the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. But first, nominations!
Please nominate yourself or your colleagues to serve as directors! Any of our current directors would be happy to talk with you about what the job involves. Our Association has been extremely active this year, and we look forward to continuing to grow in scope, influence and numbers. One of our goals is always to get a group of directors from diverse practice areas, ages and identities.
Please nominate yourself or someone else to serve as a director by May 27. Please email your nomination to Ari Kristan, M. Barusch, Ryan Malloy, or Richard Moore. We will then need a bio of each candidate by May 30 so that we can get a ballot out to you by June 1.
The following seats are up for election:
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Three seats designated for female-identified people
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Four seats designated for male-identified people
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One seat designated for a transgender or genderqueer identified person*
*Please note that transgender or genderqueer identified people may run for a transgender or genderqueer designated seat or a seat associated with any gender with which they identify.
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 M. Barusch ("Barusch") is Co-Chair of the Mass LGBTQ Bar, and an active member of Mass LGBTQ Bar's Committee on Transgender Inclusion ("CTI"). As a Mass LGBTQ Bar board member, Barusch co-chairs the Mentorship and Nominations Committees. Barusch was a founding advocate at Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates and presently serves as an Attorney Mentor there, supervising law students who represent low-income transgender clients. Barusch serves on the Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, has been one of several members of CTI to present workshops for lawyers on representing transgender clients, and has helped plan social and community events for transgender and ally lawyers. In the last few years, Barusch has worked several places, including as a Law Clerk at the Massachusetts Appeals Court and as an Associate at the Law Offices of Joyce Kauffman. Barusch is now a proud Public Defender in Roxbury and Dorchester at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Email Barusch at barusch@gmail.comor co-chairs@masslgbtqbar.org. |
 Rolando Medina is Co-Chair of the Mass LGBTQ Bar. He is an attorney at Choate, Hall & Stewart. Rolando has served as a mentor to law students of color through the Boston Lawyers Group and has been a supporter of local LGBTQ institutions and organizations. Rolando received his B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Westminster College of Salt Lake City, his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as president of OUTlaw. When he is not pursuing patent protection for biotechnology clients, Rolando enjoys entertaining friends at his home, gardening, and attending the theatre, museums, and galleries as often as possible. Rolando is excited to have been elected to the Board and is looking forward to serving the Mass LGBTQ Bar community. Email Rolando at rmedina@choate.com or co-chairs@masslgbtqbar.org. |
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 Elizabeth Roberts is in her second year as the Clerk of the Mass LGBTQ Bar. Elizabeth joined the Board of Directors in 2011. She is the former chair of the Family Law Section, the former chair of the Sections, and the former co-chair of the Dinner Committee. Currently, she serves as co-chair of the Dinner Committee. Professionally, Elizabeth is an Associate at Todd & Weld LLP. She joined Todd & Weld LLP's Domestic Relations practice in Fall 2008, following the completion of a judicial clerkship with the Massachusetts Probrate and Family Court. She is a 2001 graduate of Vanderbilt University (B.A.) and received her J.D. in 2007 from Suffolk University Law School. In addition to being an active member of the Mass LGBTQ Bar Association, she is also a member of the Boston Bar Association; the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the American Bar Association, including the ABA Alternative Families Committee for the section of Family Law. She was a panelist at the Mass LGBTQ Bar Association and GLAD seminar entitled "Representing Transgender Clients in the Family Setting" in May 2011, and she is the author of Removal in Massachusetts: the Silent Statute, 25 Mass. Fam. L.J. 19 (2007). Elizabeth resides in Cambridge with her wife and fellow Mass LGBTQ Bar Association member, Liz Doherty. You can email Elizabeth at eroberts@toddweld.com.
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 Daniel E. Levin is the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Treasurer. He first joined the Mass LGBTQ Bar during the fall of his first year of law school and found the organization to be a vibrant and welcoming group. Since that time, Dan has taken full advantage of the many board meetings, networking events, workshops and special events that the Mass LGBTQ Bar organizes throughout the year and makes it his mission to encourage others to do the same. Dan is very excited to have the privilege of sitting on the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Board of Directors and to serve as the organization's Treasurer. Email Dan at daniel.levin@ropesgray.com. |
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 Kelly Bonnevie is a partner at Wilson, Marino & Bonnevie, PC, in Newton where she handles real estate and employment matters. Her practice has included representing members of the LGBTQ community in numerous employment discrimination matters. In 2006, she was named one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s “Lawyers of the Year” for her work on a landmark race and sex discrimination case. She has been named a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” from 2006-2010. Email Kelly at bonnevie@wmblawfirm.com.
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 Alex Coleman currently practices psychology, primarily with gender-nonconforming children and adults and their families. In the past, Alex’s practice has included serving as an attorney and guardian ad litem for children and families in child protection cases, and as a hearing officer for the Board of Special Education Appeals. Alex is a 1974 graduate of Boston University School of Law and earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University in 1982. Alex has been a Mass LGBTQ Bar member from its inception and is an active member of the Committee on Transgender Inclusion (CTI). Alex has served as a director on many diverse boards, including the Association of Women in Psychology, Brookline Mental Health Center, Am Tikva, and Boston Women’s Fund. Alex plays banjo, electric-acoustic guitar, and percussion in 3 AM, a folk-rock band. |
 Jennifer Collins joined the Board of Directors of the Mass LGBTQ Bar in June 2008 and is currently the chair of the Membership Committee. She is currently a member of Nixon Peabody’s Private Clients Group where she advises individuals on sophisticated estate planning matters. Jen serves as the co-chair of Nixon Peabody’s GLBT Affinity Group and also serves on the board of directors of East Boston Social Centers, Inc. Jen loves traveling, cooking (and eating!), exploring and reading. She lives in Needham with her wife and their two daughters. Email her at jcollins@nixonpeabody.com. |
 Catherine Deneke is a litigation associate at Foley Hoag LLP where she specializes in complex commercial disputes and business litigation. At Foley, she maintains an active pro bono practice involving civil rights claims. Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. During law school, she served as a co-chair of Outlaw and coordinated with other student leaders to establish a city-wide LGBTQ law student association. Since joining the Mass LGBTQ Bar, she has been an active member of the Committee on Transgender Inclusion. She also served as a co-chair for the 2012 Lawyers for Transgender Rights fundraiser for the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. |
 Matthew Duffy joined the Board of the Mass LGBTQ Bar in 2011. He is a member of the Duffy Law Group. Email Matthew at mtd3@comcast.net. |
 Bernadette Harrigan chairs the Western Mass. Committee. She started her legal career in 1989 as a staff attorney for New York City and then as a civil trial lawyer in the New York metropolitan area. In 2000, Bernadette relocated to Western Massachusetts where she continued her civil trial practice. In 2007, she joined the MassMutual Life Ins. Co., Law Department as an AVP/Counsel. In addition to her position with Mass LGBTQ Bar, she is an active member of the Massachusetts, Hampden County, Hampshire County and Women's Bar associations, and is the chairperson of PRIDE: MassMutual's LGBTA Employee Resource Group. Email Bernadette at bharrigan@massmutual.com. |
 Ari Kristan joined the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Board of Directors in 2012 and is Co-Chair of the Committee on Transgender Inclusion. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, she clerked for the Hon. Joette Katz of the Connecticut Supreme Court and then joined Ropes & Gray, LLP as a litigation associate. At Ropes & Gray, Ari had the honor of representing LGBTQ applicants for political asylum through pro bono work with the PAIR Project. Through the firm's New Alternatives Program, she is currently serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Administrative Law Division of the Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley. Ari also co-teaches a course at Tufts University titled Love, Law, and the State: The Evolving Right to Marry. She gets irrationally excited for Patriots pre-season games and enjoys hiking, camping and trail running with her partner, Suzanne and her dog, Ruby. |
 Timothy Lynch co-chairs the Communications Committee. He is a partner at Swartz & Lynch LLP. He has dedicated himself to complex tort cases and has a wealth of trial experience dealing with complex legal matters. While the partner in charge of the Products Liability and Personal Injury Practice in the Boston office of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP, Mr. Lynch handled cutting-edge work, such as tobacco litigation. Mr. Lynch has many and varied interests in the law, including products liability, premise liability, negligent security, negligent hiring, and medical malpractice. Mr. Lynch has a number of publications and honors to his credit, but is particularly proud of his work with Friends of CASA, Inc. He is President of this charitable organization devoted to advocacy for abused children. Email Tim at tlynch@swartzlynch.com. |
 Ryan Malloy joined the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Board of Directors in 2013 and chairs the Law Student Committee. A graduate of George Washington University Law School and Bowdoin College, Ryan now works as an associate in the Litigation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including bankruptcy-related litigation, consumer financial services disputes, non-compete and trade secrets cases, product and premises liability actions, and breach of contract disputes. In addition to his work with this association, Ryan is an attorney volunteer with Discovery Justice, a Boston-based education non-profit and, in 2010, he traveled to Haiti with the Global Volunteer Network to assist with earthquake relief efforts. He can be contacted at rmalloy@seyfarth.com.
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 Paul C. Wagoner has been a member since 2007. He is an Assistant District Attorney in the Appeals Division of the Essex D.A.’s office. Previously, Paul externed for the Hon. Margot Botsford of the Supreme Judicial Court, externed for the Hon. David Mills of the Appeals Court, clerked for the Justices of the Superior Court (Business Litigation Session), and worked as a summer associate in the commercial litigation department of a large firm. Paul served on the International & Comparative Law Review at BC Law. A Midwestern native, he enjoys playing flag football, skiing, and exploring Boston. Email Paul at wagoner.paul@gmail.com. |
| Christine R. Williams. Bringing her legal expertise to the policy arena, since leaving Foley Hoag's Administrative Law practice in 2007, Christine has served as Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development during Governor Patrick's first term, Special Advisor to the President and Deputy General Counsel at Bentley University, as Director of Policy Development and Government Affairs at Year Up, and now serves as Associate Director of Workforce Training for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. She is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina School of Law. She has served on the Mass LGBTQ Bar Association Board since 20111, and serves as chair of the Legislative Commmittee. She may be contacted at cwilliams@bhe.mass.edu or at cwilliams@alumni.unc.edu.
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 Michael G. Xavier joined the Mass LGBTQ Bar Association Board of Directors in 2012. Michael is an associate in the Domestic Relations practice group at Prince Lobel Tye LLP, where his practice includes many cutting-edge legal issues, including same-sex marriages, adoptions, and assisted reproductive technology. He works closely with his clients in same-sex marriages in areas such as child custody, especially in states where their marriage isn’t recognized, the tax implications for same-sex couples who are legally married, but where their marriage is not recognized by the federal government, and he helps clarify the rights and interests of sperm donors, egg donors, and surrogates. Since 2010, Michael has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers. Michael graduated from Northeastern University School of Law and has been elected to their alumni association Board of Directors. You can reach Michael at mxavier@PrinceLobel.com. |
Ex-Officio Members |
 Richard Moore, Ex-Officio, is a former Co-Chair of the Mass LGBTQ Bar. He is the Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Planet Fitness Worldwide. He's an alumnus of Ropes & Gray LLP, a founding member of GLAD's Boston Leadership Council, the 2012 and 2013 Co-Chair of GLAD's Spirit of Justice Dinner Committee, and Commissioner of Boston's Friend's, Lesbians and Gay (FLAG) Flag Football league. Email Richard at Richard.Moore@pfnolunks.com. |
 Lisa Wilson, Ex-Officio, is a former Co-Chair of the Mass LGBTQ Bar. Lisa has been a board member since 2005. She is a partner in the law firm of Wilson, Marino & Bonnevie, P.C, in Newton. Her practice includes all areas family law and real estate law. Lisa represents the Mass LGBTQ Bar on the MBA/Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments and also serves on the BBA Family Law Steering Committee. Lisa has been selected as one of the "Massachusetts Super Lawyers" in the field of family law by Boston Magazine for the past three years. Contact Lisa at wilson@wmblawfirm.com. |
 Patience ("Polly") Crozier, Ex-Officio. Polly is a principal of Kauffman Crozier LLP. Her practice includes all areas of family law, particularly co-parent adoption, divorce, paternity and guardianships, with a focus on serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and non-traditional families. Polly has volunteered with a number of community legal organizations including the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates and the Volunteer Lawyer’s Project. Polly has been honored by the National LGBT Bar Association as a Top Lawyer under 40, by Boston College Law School with the Daniel G. Holland Recent Graduate Award, and Massachusetts Lawyer's Weekly as an Up and Coming Lawyer. From 2009 through 2011, Polly has been recognized as a Rise Star by Super Lawyers. Polly grew up in the Boston area and attended Yale University and Boston College Law School. Email Polly at polly@kauffmancrozier.com. |
Administrative Staff |
| Sue Stamos is the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Administrative Assistant. Email her at administrator@masslgbtqbar.org. |
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