Past Presidents

Richard P. Campbell

2011 - 2012

Firm: Founder and chairman of Campbell, Campbell, Edwards & Conroy PC in Boston.

Education: B.A., University of Massachusetts-Boston, 1970; J.D., Boston College Law School, 1974, cum laude.

Legal Career: Campbell's firm primarily represents Fortune 100 corporations in multi-district litigation, class actions, aviation disasters, mass torts, toxic tort, product liability and major commercial disputes. Campbell is one of seven national trial counsel for Caterpillar Inc. and currently serves as lead counsel for one of the commercial airlines in the 9-11 litigation pending in federal court in New York City. In addition, Campbell organizes and leads his firm's pro bono project, educating parents, students and school administrators about civil and criminal laws applicable to underage drinking in private homes.

MBA Service: A past MBA secretary, vice president and president-elect, Campbell chaired the MBA's Peremptory Challenges Task Force and has served on the MBA's governing body, the House of Delegates, for more than seven years; on the Criminal Justice Section Council for five years; and currently as a Massachusetts Bar Foundation trustee and Oliver Wendell Holmes Fellow.

Additional Service: Campbell is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Campbell is also a past chair of the 34,000-member Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association. Campbell served seven years as the chair of the Board of Overseers for Boston College Law School.

Additional Information: Campbell lives in Cohasset.

Denise Squillante

2010 - 2011

Firm: Denise Squillante PC.

Education: B.S., Roger Williams College, 1980; J.D., New England School of Law, 1983, magna cum laude.

Legal Career: Squillante established a solo practice in Fall River nearly 30 years ago and now has a small-firm. She concentrates in family law, corporate law, injury and estates, and also provides business and legal consulting services to corporations.

MBA Service: Long active in the MBA's Family Law Section Council and its associated committees, Squillante has also lent her energy to the MBA's Presidential Task Force on Terrorism, the Amicus Committee and the Joint Bar Committee. A former recipient of the MBA's Pro Bono Publico Award, Squillante is a longtime member of the House of Delegates and a Massachusetts Bar Foundation Fellow. Squillante has testified in front of the Massachusetts Legislature on behalf of the MBA and is a frequent guest lecturer for MBA continuing legal education programs. She was instrumental in establishing the MBA's General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section, as well as leading the MBA's efforts to assist lawyers who are transitioning in or out of the practice of law.

Additional Service: A former president of the Fall River Bar Association, Squillante will become president of the New England Bar Association in October and is a member of the Bristol County Bar Association Executive Board. Squillante is also a member of a legislative task force to study alimony created by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary and was co-chair of the joint MBA/Boston Bar Association Alimony Task Force. An MBA delegate to the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, Squillante is a member of the Probate Court Modification Task Force, a trustee of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. and on the National Conference of Bar President's Program Committee. She also represented the MBA on the Equality Commission - a collaborative effort of the MBA, BBA and the Women's Bar Association. Highly involved with efforts to address domestic violence in Fall River, Squillante was recently awarded the John S. Brayton Jr. Memorial Community Service Award by the Fall River Chamber of Commerce. A former member of the board of directors for the Katie Brown Educational Program, YMCA-Fall River and Domestic Violence Task Force, Squillante is also a former visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State College and Bristol Community College.

Additional Information: Squillante lives in Fall River.

Valerie A. Yarashus

2009 - 2010

Firm: Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow PC, Boston

Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1987; J.D., Harvard Law School, 1990.

Legal Career: Yarashus concentrates in plaintiff's civil trial practice, including medical malpractice, product liability and a wide variety of general liability cases.Yarashus was awarded the prestigious Weidemann-Wysocki "Citation of Excellence" from the American Association for Justice for her commitment to the civil justice system. In 1997, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named Yarashus one of the "Rising Stars" in the legal profession, and in 2006, inducted her into its Up-and-Coming Lawyers Hall of Fame. Since 2004, she has been named in every edition of Best Lawyers in America. Also, Yarashus has been listed by Boston Magazine's "Best of Boston" as a "Super Lawyer" in the field of personal injury every year since 2004, and as one of the top 50 female attorneys in Massachusetts (including every practice area) annually since 2005.

MBA Service: A past-chair of the Health Law Section Council and House of Delegates member, Yarashus served as treasurer following two consecutive terms as vice president. Yarashus spearheaded the MBA Task Force on Diversity in 2005-06 and continues to chair this committee that works to increase diversity in the law profession and encourage young, minority students to consider legal careers. A Civil Litigation Section Council member from 1994 to 1997, Yarashus is a frequent speaker and writer for continuing legal education. In addition, she co-chairs a bench-bar task force for plain English jury instructions.

Additional Service: Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; co-authored the sample jury instructions used by many Superior Court judges in personal injury and wrongful death cases; frequent speaker and writer for continuing legal education.

Additional Information: Yarashus lives in Holliston.

Edward W. McIntyre

2008 - 2009

Education: New England School of Law, Saint Bonaventure University, and Assumption College.

Legal Career: 1987-2007, solo practitioner in Clinton, concentrating in civil litigation in state and federal courts. Concentration emphasizes spinal cord & brain injury. Appellate experience: U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, Supreme Judicial Court, Massachusetts Appeals Court. 1982-1992 Schneiders & McIntyre, in Canton; 1983-1987, McGrail, McQuoid, McIntyre & Gibbons, in Clinton.

Professional Service: Delegate, Massachusetts Bar Association House of Delegates, 1998-2004; Executive Management Board 2002-2004; President’s Task Force on Judicial Evaluation 2003-2004; Judicial Administration Section Council, chair, 2003-2004, vice-chair, 2002-2003; member 2000-2004; MBA’s ABA Nominating Committee 2003, 2004; Mock Trial 1998-2004; Conversations 2004; Fellow, Massachusetts Bar Foundation. MBF Grant Review Committee, 2000-2004.

Additional Service: Supreme Judicial Court’s Clients’ Security Board, chair 2003-04, vice-chair 2003, member 1999-2004; Supreme Judicial Court’s Pro Bono Standing Committee, 1999-2004; member, Hearing Committee, Board of Bar Overseers, 1999-2005; president, Worcester County Bar Association 1998-99; director, Worcester Bar Foundation, 1998-2004; Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, 1982-1998; Board of Governors, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, 1992-1997; Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1982-1999; panel member, Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments 1997-1998; member, Worcester Courthouse Site-Selection Advisory Committee, 1998-1999.

Additional Information: Served in Vietnam, 173rd Airborne Brigade.

David W. White Jr.

2007 - 2008

Firm: Principal of Breakstone, White & Gluck of Boston.

Education: B.S., University of Vermont, 1976; J.D., Northeastern University School of Law, 1984.

Legal Career: Practice concentrates in personal injury, insurance company bad faith, medical malpractice and professional liability litigation. He also represents businesses in litigation, and represents attorneys in partnership disputes and other professional matters. A recipient of the 2004 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year Award, White was also chosen as a "Super Lawyer" in the field of plaintiff's personal injury law by Boston magazine in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and was one of Massachusetts Top 100 Lawyers in 2005 and 2006.

MBA Service: Has chaired the Civil Litigation Section Council and the Law Management Section Council; chaired the MBA Annual Conference in 2005. White also served on the Joint Bar Committee and the Governance Task Force and co-chaired the Anniversary Fee Task Force. He is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars and contributor to legal publications.

Additional Service: White has served on the Massachusetts Task Force on Human Subject Research, which exposed radioactive food experiments on children at the Fernald State School, and on the Fernald State School Human Rights Committee. In his community of Westwood, White advocates for and participates in land preservation projects. He is the founder of the non-profit corporation Westwood Land Trust, Inc., and has chaired the town's Organization for the Preservation of the Environment and Nature (OPEN).

Additional Information: Westwood resident.

Mark D Mason

2006 - 2007

Firm: Principal of Cooley, Shrair P.C. of Springfield.

Education: B.A., Columbia College, 1980; J.D., Boston University Law School, 1984.

Legal Career: Principle in firm's litigation department, where he concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and domestic law; and admitted to the state courts of Massachusetts and the U.S. District Courts of Massachusetts and Connecticut as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Massachusetts.

MBA Service: Vice President, 2003-2004; Secretary, 2002-2003; Treasurer, 2003-4; former chair of New Lawyers Section Council and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee; former secretary, Judicial Administration Section Council; current chair, Same Gender Marriage Task Force; co-chair, Anniversary Fee Task Force; and has served seven years on the MBA House of Delegates and Board of Delegates and six years on the Executive Management Board and Executive Committee.

Additional Service: Former Big Brother and Mentor; Community Music School of Springfield board member; March of Dimes of Western Massachusetts past president and board member; co-founder and past president of the Gay & Lesbian Civic Association of Greater Springfield; City of Springfield Cultural Council past chair and councilor; former member of the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution; coordinator of the Hampden County Probate and Family Court Volunteer Mediator Program; and recipient of the 2001 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year Award.

Additional information: Lives in Springfield.

Warren Fitzgerald

2005 - 2006

Firm: Fitzgerald Law Firm LLC; Fitzgerald Dispute Resolution LLC, Boston.

Education: B.A., Boston University; J.D., Boston University Law School.

Legal Career: Fitzgerald is the founding manager of Fitzgerald Law Firm and Fitzgerald Dispute Resolution. Prior to that, he was a partner with Meehan, Boyle, Black & Fitzgerald, and an associate with Parker, Coulter, Daley & White and with Hutchins and Wheeler. In addition to his MBA activities, Fitzgerald is a past president of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, a member of the American Association for Justice and the American, Boston, Women's and Essex County bar associations.

MBA Service: Fitzgerald has served as treasurer and vice president of the association and chairperson of its Civil Litigation Section. He has been a member of the Executive Management Board, the Budget and Finance Committee and the House of Delegates for many years and is a former chair of the Court Reform Task Force and co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on the Preservation of Rights, Liberties and Access to Justice. He is presently chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Additional information: Fitzgerald lives in Andover.

 

Kathleen O'Donnell

2004 - 2005

Firm: Marcotte Law Firm, Lowell.

Education: B.A., Wheaton College, 1977; J.D., Suffolk University Law School, 1980.

Legal Career: O'Donnell is an expert in auto insurance. She concentrates her practice in civil trial work, but also specializes in workers' compensation, criminal, probate and domestic law. A former instructor of legal practice skills at Suffolk University Law School (1980-82), she has lecture frequently on auto insurance issues at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

MBA Service: O'Donnell has held every position as an Officer of the Massachusetts Bar Association. In addition, she had served on the MBA's Presidential Task Force on the Preservation of Rights, Liberties and Access to Justice (co-chair, 2001-2004); Budget and Finance Committee (chair, 2002-2003); Amicus Committee (chair, 2001-2002) and Civil Litigation Section Council (chair, 2000-2001). She currently serves on the MBA's House of Delegates.

Additional service: She has been involved with a number of other major legal organizations, including the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (president, 1995-1996); Association of Trial Lawyers of America (member since 1995; State Affairs Committee co-chair 1998-2004); American Board of Trial Advocates (first woman elected to Massachusetts Chapter); Greater Lowell Bar Association (president, 1990-1991; director, GLBA Conciliation Program, 1989-1996); Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (vice president, 2002-2003; member, Board of Directors, 1998-present). In addition to her legal activities, O'Donnell has been involved in community service, including the Sohier Park Committee, York, Maine (chair, 1992-1993); Greater Lowell Rape Crisis Services (member, Board of Directors, 1990-1994); as well as several other Great Lowell organizations.

Additional information: O'Donnell lives in Lowell.