News  Governor Healey to Nominate Judges for Probate and Family Court, Superior Court

Boston — Governor Maura Healey will later today nominate Alessandra Petruccelli, Mark Lee and Elena Tsizer to serve as Associate Justices of the Probate and Family Court and Gillian Feiner to serve as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court. Following their nomination, the four will be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation.  

“All four of these attorneys will bring decades of experience to the Courts and are dedicated to upholding the law. I know they will strengthen our bench and help our residents navigate the legal system,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I am thankful to the Governor’s Council for working with us on confirming over ninety high-quality judges since I took office” 
 

“I am excited to work closely with the Governor’s Council to confirm these four excellent attorneys and am excited to see the important work they will do on the bench,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.  

The Superior Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts and is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes. 

Governor Healey has previously nominated eighteen judges to the Superior Court: Tracy Duncan, John Fraser, Ira Gant, Emily Karstetter, Keren Goldenberg, Julie Green, Charles W. Groce, Sarah Hamilton, Adam Hornstine, Sarah G. Kim, Amy Karangekis, Matthew Nestor, Michael Pineault, Adam Sisitsky, Deepika Shukla, Jeffrey Trapani, Thomas Townsend and Asha White. 

For more information about the Superior Court, visit its homepage. 

The Probate and Family Court Department handles court matters that involve families and children, like divorce, child support, and wills. The Probate and Family Court Department's mission is to deliver timely justice to the public by providing equal access to a fair, equitable, and efficient forum to solve family and probate legal matters and to help and protect all individuals, families, and children impartially and respectfully. 

Governor Healey has appointed 16 judges to serve as Associate Justices of the Probate and Family Court: Jennifer Bingham, Colleen Carroll, Caryn Mitchell-Munevar, Laurel Barraco, Bethany Brown, Evelyn Patsos, Brian Salisbury, Tim Horan, Lyonel Jean-Pierre, Jr., Manisha Bhatt, Bernadette Stark, Michelle Yee,Jessica Dubin, Alexandra Flanders, Mikalen Howe, and Carla Salvucci. Governor Healey also appointed Stephanie L. Everett, Esq. to serve as the Suffolk Register of Probate, and Mark Ames to serve as the Hampshire Register of Probate. 

For more information about the Probate and Family Court, visit its homepage. 

About the Nominees: 

Alessandra Petruccelli has, for the past 20 years been the Managing Attorney of a solo practice in East Boston, focused on family and domestic relations law, as well as real estate transactional work. As managing attorney, she has built a respected reputation in the field of family and domestic relations law. She has extensive experience litigating matters involving divorce, child custody, property division, spousal support, care and protection cases, guardianships, and the removal of children from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As lead counsel, Attorney Petruccelli has tried over 100 cases in both the Juvenile Court and the Probate and Family Court. She has also represented clients in numerous evidentiary hearings, including contempt proceedings and requests for restraining orders. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. She lives in Lynnfield. 

Mark Lee has, for the past 18 years been the Managing Attorney of a solo practice in Worcester where he has focused on all aspects of family and domestic relations law, including cases involving divorce, custody, child support, removal, division of assets, and the probating of estates. Additionally, Attorney Lee has been appointed a Special Master several times by various courts in Massachusetts to resolve accounting disputes and oversee real estate sales. He is a long-time volunteer at the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, where he was recognized as a Louis D. Brandeis Life Fellow in 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stonehill College and a Juris Doctor from New England School of Law. He lives in Oxford.  

Elena Tsizer is the Founder and Principal Attorney at Tsizer Law, where she owns a solo practice based in Framingham focused on domestic relations and family law, probate law, estate planning, and bankruptcy. She has significant experience representing clients in cases involving divorce, custody, child support, and complex asset divisions. She began her legal career as a a judicial law clerk in the Bristol, Middlesex, Suffolk and Worcester Divisions of the Probate and Family Court. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Temple University and a Juris Doctor from New England Law.  

Gillian Feiner previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for fifteen years, including as Chief of the False Claims Division and Senior Enforcement Counsel for the Health Care and Fair Competition Bureau. As an Assistant Attorney General, Attorney Feiner directed and led the multi-state team that investigated and sued Purdue Pharma LP and members of the Sackler family for their deceptive marketing of OxyContin that led to a crisis of opioid addiction across the country. To resolve the matter, Purdue and the Sackler family have agreed to pay a total of $7.4 billion, including a payment of up to $108 million directly to Massachusetts.  As an Assistant Attorney General, Attorney Feiner also led teams investigating the three largest drug distributors in the country (AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal and McKesson) and drug maker Johnson & Johnson for their roles in the opioid crisis, and automakers Volkswagen and Fiat-Chrysler for environmental and consumer protection claims arising from emissions-tampering. Since 2023, Attorney Feiner has served as Senior Counsel at States United Democracy Center, where she leads a program focused on the rule of law and works with a team that provides legal counsel and support to government officials and law enforcement leaders as they work to protect public safety and uphold the rule of law. First Lady Joanna Lydgate has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of States United Democracy Center since 2020. Attorney Feiner holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.