Supreme Judicial Court Appoints New Member to Board of Bar Examiners;
Attorney William F. Kennedy Appointed Chair

 

           The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court recently announced the appointment of Michael K. Callahan of Marblehead to the Board of Bar Examiners for a five-year term, ending on September 30, 2011, in accordance with G.L. c. 221, §35. The Justices also appointed Board Member William F. Kennedy of Quincy as Chair. As the new Chair, Mr. Kennedy succeeds Robert J. Muldoon, Jr., whose term expired.

           The Board of Bar Examiners, consisting of five members appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court, makes rules with reference to examinations for admission to the Massachusetts bar and the qualifications of applicants, in accordance with SJC Rule 3:01. The Board prepares, administers, and grades the bar examinations, evaluates applicants’ requirements, and issues reports to the Supreme Judicial Court.

           Mr. Callahan is Assistant General Counsel for NStar Electric & Gas. Previously, he was a litigation attorney at Peabody & Brown, now Nixon Peabody LLP, in Boston for seven years and a litigation attorney in the Boston firm of Roche, Carens & DeGiacomo from 1987 to 1990. He was a law clerk in the Superior Court for two years. Mr. Callahan received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School and a B.S. degree, cum laude, from Suffolk University. He has graded bar examinations for approximately fifteen years. 

           A partner in Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP in Boston, Mr. Kennedy practices in the Business Department and chairs the Public Policy Group. Before joining the firm in 2001, he served as chief of staff and chief legal counsel to the former Massachusetts Speaker of the House of Representatives, Thomas M. Finneran, and from 1992 to 1996, he was chief of staff and chief legal counsel for then-Representative Finneran, who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee. From 1990 to 1992, he served as an assistant clerk to the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County. He has also been a member of the adjunct faculty of Suffolk University Law School, and a member of the Judicial Nominating Committee. He serves as a board member of several charities and institutions. Mr. Kennedy graduated with a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School, and received a B.A. degree from the College of the Holy Cross.