The Massachusetts Bar Association has named its longtime general
counsel and acting executive director Martin W. Healy as its first
chief operating officer.
Healy, who will also serve as the association's chief legal
counsel, became general counsel in 1997 and has worked at the MBA
since 1989.
"We are honored to pair Marty Healy's proven leadership in the bar
and on Beacon Hill with this top position with the Massachusetts
Bar Association," MBA President Denise Squillante said. "MBA
leadership looks forward to working with Marty to further advance
the association's strategic goals concentrating on membership
retention and recruitment and technological advancement, among
other areas of focus."
Healy is also a member of the Board of Bar Examiners, a group
appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court that prepares, administers
and grades examinations for admission to the Massachusetts bar;
evaluates applicants' requirements; and issues reports. From 2000
to 2006, he was a Hearing Committee member on the Board of Bar
Overseers.
"Marty Healy possesses both an extraordinary knowledge of the
legislative process and a wealth of experience in dealing with
legislators," Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. "I
congratulate Marty and the Massachusetts Bar Association and wish
him well in his new role."
The bylaw changes that led to Healy's new position were created by
a governance committee led by Past President Warren Fitzgerald and
convened by Past President Edward W. McIntyre. The work of the
committee was carried out during the term of immediate Past
President Valerie A. Yarashus.
"Marty Healy is a phenomenally effective and respected leader who
has been instrumental in many of the MBA's accomplishments over the
last 20 years. In everything from passing legislation to managing
the staff to improving member benefits, he knows how to turn ideas
into action," Yarashus said.
A member of pro bono defense counsel for the Committee for Public
Counsel Services, Healy also sits on the
editorial board of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the SJC
Judiciary-Media Committee.
Prior to his arrival at the MBA, Healy was a law clerk in the
Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and in the Law Office of
William F. Coyne in Boston. He also served as a senior legislative
aide in the Massachusetts Senate.
Healy received his law degree, cum laude, from Suffolk
University Law School and his bachelor's degree from Suffolk
University. A South Boston native, he resides in Wilmington with
his wife, Celeste, and three sons.