Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces New Leadership for Board of Bar Overseers

In a move that shakes up the legal landscape in Massachusetts, the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has ushered in a new era for the Board of Bar Overseers with the appointment of a fresh chair, vice-chair, and three new members, according to an announcement by the Massachusetts government. The newly appointed chair, Attorney Richard C. Van Nostrand, will take the helm starting today taking over from Professor R. Michael Cassidy, who ends his term after a yearlong tenure as chair and three-year stint on the Board.

Van Nostrand brings to the table a deep well of experience, including past roles such as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and New England Bar Association, and a longstanding presence in various legal capacities that include presiding over the Worcester County Bar Association, serving on the Judicial Nominating Commission and the Board of Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, and facilitating legal education as a trustee and recently as president of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. He is backed by academic credentials from Binghamton University and Duke University School of Law.

The vice-chair position will see Attorney Phyllis E. Federico stepping up, starting from the same date; her background is robust with involvement in committees and pilot programs led by the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court and she’s known for pioneering the Child Focus Facilitation Conference across various courts, her leadership also extends to presidencies in the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Massachusetts Probate and Family Inn of Court, Federico is a Suffolk University Law School alumna.

A trio of new members, each with their distinct mantle of expertise, are joining the Board: Nick Nesgos, a partner at Arent Fox Schiff with a rich trial and appellate practice history in business disputes; Bernard Guekguezian, partner at Adler, Cohen, Harvey, Wakeman, Guekguezian, LLP, brings his skilled hand from medical malpractice and personal injury tort cases to the table and Paul Lannon, partner at Holland & Knight, supports the team with his prowess in complex civil litigation and educational institution representation, these appointments are vital in framing the future direction and the standard of legal practice in the state.

With eight lawyers and four public members, the Board of Bar Overseers is a volunteer conglomerate tasked with maintaining professional oversight among attorneys in the Commonwealth, their actions are defined by the Supreme Judicial Court Rule 4:01 and the Rules of the Board of Bar Overseers and are financially self-sufficient, relying entirely on lawyer registration fees for revenue, emphasizing an autonomy from public funding, underscoring its commitment to self-regulation within the legal community.