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State Rep. Christopher M. Markey (D-Dartmouth)

The Massachusetts Bar Association will honor State Rep. Christopher M. Markey (D-Dartmouth) with its Legislator of the Year Award at the May 9 Annual Dinner. 
 
The MBA's Legislator of the Year Award is presented annually to a state or federal legislator who has distinguished him/herself in public service through outstanding contributions to the legal profession, courts and administration of justice.
 
“As a practicing attorney for more than 20 years, Rep. Markey has built his legislative career on respect for the rule of law and close collaboration with the legal community,” said MBA Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy. “He is a highly regarded voice on Beacon Hill with a keen interest in policy issues raised by the MBA, and we applaud his record of service to the organized bar, the judiciary and the citizens of the commonwealth.“
 
First elected to represent the Ninth Bristol District in 2011, Markey currently works to uphold public trust in state government as chair of the House Committee on Ethics. A longtime former assistant district attorney in Bristol County, Markey brought his intimate knowledge of the court system to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary while serving as its vice chair in 2013. Two years later, Markey was appointed by state leaders to serve on a 25-member criminal justice working group, whose policy efforts became a precursor to the bipartisan reform bill enacted last year. 

Most recently, Markey filed MBA-sponsored legislation aimed at providing additional liability protections to joint tax filers who bear no responsibility for understatements reported by their spouses. Signed into law in January by Gov. Charlie Baker, the measure ensures that innocent spouses who qualify for relief under the Internal Revenue Code are also exempt from liability on their state tax returns. 
 
During his tenure in the House, Markey has also been a member of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture; the Joint Committee on Transportation; and the Joint Committee on Housing. 
 
Outside of the Legislature, Markey maintains a local law practice with Pamela Gauvin, focusing on civil litigation, corporate and business development, and estate planning. Markey co-founded New Bedford-based Markey & Gauvin in 2013, after spending the previous six years as a sole practitioner.
 
Before his entry into the private sector, Markey worked for 12 years as an assistant district attorney in the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, including as second district attorney from 2006-07. His employment with the Bristol County DA’s Office officially spanned 16 years, beginning in 1990, when he served as a victim-witness advocate while enrolled part time in law school. Through his experience as an attorney and prosecutor, Markey has tried cases at the District and Superior court levels, and argued before the Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
 
Markey has also worked as an adjunct instructor at the University of Massachusetts School of Law, and has held faculty roles for the MBA, the National District Attorney Association at the National Advocacy Center, and the Massachusetts District Attorney Association.
 
In his home community of Dartmouth, Markey has coached youth sports and volunteered as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, vice chair of the Housing Authority Board of Directors, and a board member of the Community Preservation Committee. He has also served on the Executive Council of the New Bedford Bar Association and as a trustee of the New Bedford Industrial Foundation.
 
The Annual Dinner will include a keynote address by nationally renowned trial attorney, professor and DNA-evidence pioneer Barry C. Scheck; the presentation of the MBA's Chief Justice Edward F. Hennessey Award to U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman; the 2019 Access to Justice Awards; the Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship; and more. 

Consider attending this annual event as a sponsor. Click here for a sponsorship form. Opportunities include:

• Champions of Justice ($10,000)
  Up to two tables for 10, full page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website, additional prominent recognition at the dinner

• Platinum Sponsor ($5,000)
  Table for 10, full page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website

• Gold Sponsor ($3,500)
  Table for 10, 1/2 page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website

• Silver Sponsor ($2,500)
  Table for 10, 1/4 page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner