Press Release  Massachusetts Appeals Court Chief Justice Mark Green Announces Attorney Gina DeRossi as Appeals Court Administrator

BOSTON, MA — Appeals Court Chief Justice Mark V. Green today announced the selection of Attorney Gina L. DeRossi, Bristol County Register of Probate, to serve as the Court Administrator for the Appeals Court. She is expected to begin in her new position on or around November 26, succeeding Court Administrator Gilbert Lima, who is retiring on December 4.

"Attorney DeRossi brings a wealth of skills and experience to this important position," said Chief Justice Green. "She brings deep operational experience in the development and implementation of new policies and procedures in numerous areas including finance, budgeting, access to justice, cross training of staff, best hiring practices, and performance management. She has extensive knowledge of Trial Court Policy and Procedures and will be a tremendous asset to the Appeals Court."

Attorney DeRossi is currently the elected Register of Probate for the Bristol County Probate and Family Court. Following her election to that office in 2008, she began serving in January of 2009, and was subsequently reelected to a second consecutive six-year term. The Probate and Family Court has jurisdiction over family-related and probate matters, such as divorce, paternity, child support, custody, parenting time, adoption, termination of parental rights, and abuse prevention. The court also handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and changes of name. As Register of Probate for Bristol County, Attorney DeRossi is responsible for managing clerical employees within the registry office and for coordinating functions of the Bristol Probate and Family Court in collaboration with judges, the chief court officer and chief probation officer. She is also responsible for the administrative and legal duties set forth in state statutes and court rules, which include budget, personnel, information storage and retrieval systems and records, orders and contracts. In accepting the position as Appeals Court Administrator, Attorney DeRossi will formally step down from her current position and not serve out the remainder of her term.

Attorney DeRossi was engaged in the general practice of law for over 13 years, with a focus on probate, estates, family law, business, contracts, and housing matters. She worked in the law firm of Leontire & Shub in Boston from 1996 to 2000, and went on to establish a law practice at Scannell, Lynn & DeRossi, P.C., in New Bedford, where she worked from 2000-2004, then owned and managed the Law Offices of Gina L. DeRossi, P.C., in New Bedford from 2004 to 2009.

She is vice president of the New Bedford Bar Association and is a member of the Bristol County Bar Association; secretary for the Massachusetts Registers Association; and is an executive board member of the Massachusetts Association of Clerks and Assistant Clerk Magistrates. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Law School and Bristol Community College. Attorney DeRossi has a J.D. from New England Law | Boston and is a graduate of Providence College. She earned a certificate in Judicial Administration from Michigan State University in 2017.

The Appeals Court is a court of general appellate jurisdiction and has twenty-five statutory justices, including the chief justice. The court decides between 1,400 and 1,700 cases a year. The justices, who sit in panels of three, review decisions made by Trial Court judges in the seven court departments. In addition to its panel jurisdiction, the Appeals Court runs a continuous single justice session, with a separate docket.

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