The Commissioners

Hon. Charles B. Swartwood III, Chair (ret.)

Hon. Charles B. Swartwood, III (ret.) was appointed as the Chair of the Commission by Governor Deval Patrick in 2009.  He currently serves as a Mediator and Arbitrator for JAMS in Boston.  Chairman Swartwood previously served as the Chief Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as a Special Justice for the Central District Court of Worcester, as a Commissioner for Judicial Conduct, as Vice Chair of the Board of Bar Overseers and as a town selectman.  Chairman Swartwood is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law.

Matthew N. Kane, Vice-Chair

Matthew N. Kane was appointed to the Commission by Governor Mitt Romney in 2005.  He is a Partner in the law firm Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar, LLP, where his practice focuses on business law and litigation.  Prior to joining DCG, Commissioner Kane was a Junior Partner at Hale and Dorr, LLP (now Wilmer Hale) and a Special Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County.  He previously served as a member of the State Ballot Law Commission.  Commissioner Kane graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and cum laude from Boston University School of Law. 

Jeanne M. Kempthorne

Jeanne M. Kempthorne was appointed to the Commission by Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly in 2005.  Commissioner Kempthorne’s private legal practice focuses on criminal defense and state and federal appellate matters.  She previously served in the U.S. Attorney's Office and was a partner at the law firm Hill & Barlow.  Commissioner Kempthorne is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of California-Berkeley School of Law.

David L. Veator 

David L. Veator was appointed to the Commission by Governor Mitt Romney in 2006.  He is with the law firm Greenberg Traurig, where his practice focuses on public law.  Commissioner Veator previously served as Chief Legal Counsel to Acting Governor Jane Swift, as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.  Before entering public service, Commissioner Veator was a litigator in private practice.  He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Duke University School of Law.

Hon. Patrick J. King (ret.)

Hon. Patrick J. King (ret.) was appointed to the Commission by Secretary of State William Galvin in 2008.  He currently serves as a Mediator and Arbitrator for JAMS in Boston and as Settlement Counsel for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  Previously, Commissioner King was a trial court judge for 26 years, and also served as the President of the Massachusetts Judges Conference, as Chairman of the Massachusetts Ballot Law Commission and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Lawyers Project for the Boston Bar Association.  Commissioner King graduated cum laude from Northeastern University and is a graduate of Boston University School of Law.