Press Release  Supreme Judicial Court Announces New Board of Bar Overseers Officers and Members

BOSTON, MA — The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) today announced the appointments of a new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Bar Overseers and three new Board members.

The SJC appointed Attorney Richard C. Van Nostrand as Chair of the Board of Bar Overseers for a one-year term, beginning on July 1, 2025. Attorney Van Nostrand will succeed Professor R. Michael Cassidy who will step down at the end of June after serving a one-year term as Chair and three years as a member of the Board.

Attorney Van Nostrand is General Counsel at Mirick. He previously served as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association; president of the New England Bar Association; and president of the Worcester County Bar Association. He also previously served on the Judicial Nominating Commission, and as a Director of Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. For more than twenty years, he has served as a trustee of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE), and recently completed a two-year term as MCLE’s president. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and Duke University School of Law.

The SJC also appointed Attorney Phyllis E. Federico as Vice-Chair of the Board for a one-year term, beginning on July 1, 2025. She is a partner at Warner, Federico & Ryan, LLP. Throughout her career she has participated on committees and pilot programs created by the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court, and she spearheads the Child Focus Facilitation Conference in a number of courts. She has served as president of the Board of Trustees of MCLE, and the Massachusetts Probate and Family Inn of Court. She is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School.

The SJC appointed the following new Board members:

• Nick Nesgos is a partner at Arent Fox Schiff where he has extensive trial and appellate practice in the prosecution and defense of business disputes. He has previously been a Hearing Officer for the BBO. He is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Connecticut College.
• Bernard Guekguezian is a partner at Adler, Cohen, Harvey, Wakeman, Guekguezian, LLP, where he has extensive trial experience in the prosecution and defense of medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury tort cases. He has previously been a Hearing Officer for the BBO. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law and Harvard University.
• Paul Lannon is a partner at Holland & Knight where he represents clients in complex civil litigation and represents educational institutions. He is a graduate of University of Virginia School of Law, Harvard Divinity School, and Harvard College.

The Board of Bar Overseers consists of twelve volunteer members who are appointed by the Court for four-year terms. Eight of the members are attorneys; the other four are public members.

The activities of the Board are governed by Supreme Judicial Court Rule 4:01 and the Rules of the Board of Bar Overseers. Although it is an official body subject to the supervision of the Supreme Judicial Court, no public funds are spent to support it. The Board's revenues come solely from the annual registration fees paid by lawyers.

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