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Chief Justice
for Administration and Management Barbara A. Dortch-Okara
Reappoints Honorable Sean M. Dunphy as Chief Justice
of the Probate and Family Court
Boston, MA--Chief
Justice for Administration and Management
Barbara A. Dortch-Okara today announced the
reappointment of Honorable Sean M. Dunphy as the Chief Justice
of the Probate and Family Court Department of the Trial Court
for a five-year term, which becomes effective on November
3, 2002. The reappointment by the Chief Justice for Administration
and Management is in accordance with G.L. c.211B,§ 5.
In
announcing the reappointment, Chief Justice Dortch-Okara stated,
"Chief Justice Dunphy has proven to
be a knowledgeable and effective advocate for the
Probate and Family Court and for the entire Judiciary. During
his stewardship, the Probate and Family Court has undertaken
new initiatives and
formulated progressive policies that have been of
enormous benefit to the bar and to families in crisis throughout
the Commonwealth."
A
lifelong resident of Northampton, Chief Justice Dunphy was
first appointed to the bench in 1978 and served as the First
Justice of the Hampshire Division of the Probate and Family
Court. Prior to that, he was chairman of the Massachusetts
Appellate Tax Board from 1975 to 1978 and served as Mayor
of Northampton from 1970 to 1975. He practiced law with the
firm of Stevens and Dunphy from
1965 to 1975.
In
1996, Chief Justice Dunphy received the Haskell C. Freedman
Award from the Massachusetts Chapter of the
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
and the Judicial Excellence Award
from the Massachusetts Judges Conference. He was also a recipient
of a Special Public Service Award from the Massachusetts Bar
Association in 1995. He has authored several
manuals and law journal articles, as well
as Massachusetts
Practice Volumes 21 & 22
and Probate
Law and Practice with Forms. He is a Trustee of the
Clarke School for the Deaf.
A
graduate of Fairfield University and Boston University School
of Law, Chief Justice Dunphy also
served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
Chief
Justice Dunphy said, "I am pleased to have the opportunity
to serve a second term as Chief Justice. Despite an initial
shortage of judges and the recent budget cuts, the past five
years have been a time of unprecedented activity and productivity
in the Probate and Family Court. With the help of judges,
registers, probation officers, other court staff, members
of the bar, legislators, mental health professionals, educators,
ADR providers, and parent education providers, we have undertaken
a number of initiatives to uniformly improve caseflow management
and make access to justice less burdensome to lawyers and
litigants. There is much more to be done. This is a new beginning.
I am confident everyone involved will take advantage of this
opportunity and continue to work with me to achieve the goal
of having an accessible and child-focused court, which is
more efficient and responsive in order to improve public trust,
confidence and support for our court."
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