In honor of Veterans Day, Lawyers Journal is including
brief profiles of some of the Massachusetts lawyers who have served
in the armed forces.
Kurt Kusiak
Partner, Sally & Fitch, Boston
Specialty: Corporate litigation
Service: U.S. Air Force, 1984-88 (the first two
years in the U.S., the last two in Germany)
Comment: "It was a great way to see the world. I
oversaw an office of 50 people when I was still in my twenties and
helped negotiate contracts for everything from computer systems to
weapons. Sitting across the table from corporate lawyers, it became
apparent to me that if I was really going to compete with these
guys, I needed to get a law degree."
Thomas Martin
Professor, Massachusetts School of Law, Andover; Principal at
Mason & Martin LLP, Wellesley
Specialty: General practice with an emphasis on
health care
Service: U.S. Navy, 1964-67; Vietnam
1965-66
Awards: Commendation ribbon for service in
Vietnam
Comment: "I have no regrets. It was involuntary
on my part - I was going to be drafted. I didn't know the U.S. was
going to have a war. When I went to Vietnam as a naval officer
instead of an infantryman, my prospects for returning safely were
greatly enhanced. I was involved in a highly secret program to
carry the war to North Vietnam with PT boats, acting as a planning,
administration and personnel officer."
Isaac Mass
Intern, Appeals Unit of the District Attorney's Office,
Northwestern District in Northampton. Passed the Vermont bar,
Massachusetts Bar admission pending (Graduated Western New England
University School of Law cum laude, May 2011)
Service: Massachusetts Army National Guard,
sergeant, 1995-2003. Deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina 2001-02
Comment: "I joined the military a year out of
high school. I joined to help pay for school. I served with some of
the very best soldiers the service has seen. The military provides
leadership training, attention to detail and self-discipline, some
of the characteristics I think are essential for a new
attorney."
James B. Re
Partner, Sally & Fitch, Boston
Specialty: General, civil litigation
Service: U.S. Army, 1966-68
Comment: "It was a great experience. It taught me
self-discipline. I think everyone ought to get drafted when they
are 19."
Francis T. Reynolds
Sole practitioner, Francis T. Reynolds, Attorney at Law,
Lexington
Specialty: real estate and probate law
Service: U.S. Marine Corps, 1962-67
Comment: "The last 13 months of my service were
spent in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. After my active duty
concluded, I served in both the Marine Corps Reserve and Army
National Guard as a legal officer and helicopter pilot until 1986,
at which time I retired. I consider my military service and my
legal career to have been time well spent, with ample opportunities
for challenges and achievements.
The legal and military professions have both earned my greatest
respect in large part because of their common trait of service
rather than self indulgence. My father, a World War II Navy flight
surgeon, whose sentiments I share, greatly admired the lawyers and
military personnel who played pivotal roles throughout history
without compromising integrity.
I remember fondly my comrades in the military and in the practice
of law and related activities at the Massachusetts Bar Association,
the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and the Massachusetts Legal
Assistance Corporation."
Gerald C. Rovner
Sole practitioner, Law Office of Gerald C. Rovner, Boston
Specialty: Family and employment-based
immigration issues, as well as naturalization and consular
processing
Service: U.S. Army Military Assistance Command
Group, legal clerk, (effectively an acting judge advocate), in II
Corps, Pleiku, Vietnam, the only attorney in the command of
approximately 2,000 soldiers. Vietnam, 1968-69
Awards: Bronze Star
Comment: "Being the only attorney in a corps, I
was able to effectively render some legal assistance to both the
personnel of the corps as well as the commanding general. It gave
me some training in management and in dealing with people and
problems."