Honorable Anthony R. Nesi Scholarship Fund

Hon. Anthony R. Nesi (ret.)
Probate and Family Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

A deeply compassionate jurist dedicated to public service, exemplary teacher devoted to the education of the bar, and key player in the implementation of and widespread training on the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code.

December 21, 2016—MCLE is pleased to announce the creation of the Honorable Anthony R. Nesi Scholarship Fund in honor of a truly remarkable jurist who has dedicated his entire career to public service and, as a judge on the Probate and Family Court since 1995, to skillfully and compassionately guiding families in the resolution of their disputes. His exemplary service on the bench and his ongoing commitment to the education and training of the bar exemplify the best of our profession�s rich legal heritage. Established in honor of his retirement from the bench, each year scholarships from this fund will benefit lawyers who serve the public interest, including practitioners who accept pro bono cases, legal aid staff attorneys, and other deserving lawyers who, without financial assistance, would not be able to attend MCLE programs.

A graduate of Lehigh University and New England Law | Boston, Judge Nesi began his career as a Law Clerk to the Chief Justice in 1978 and, for more than 37 years, served the Commonwealth and the Probate and Family Court with distinction. After clerking, he continued working for the Chief Justice as an IV-D Child Support Coordinator and then Executive Secretary (Court Administrator) until his appointment as a Circuit Justice in 1995. Appointed to the Bristol Division in 2001, he served as that Division�s First Justice from 2011 until his retirement in July 2016.

Well respected for his compassion and excellence on the bench, he presided over numerous sensitive and high-profile cases of first impression, including, for example, A.Z. v. B.Z., in which a divorcing couple fought over custody of a fertilized pre-embryo in storage. Throughout his long tenure, he remained an active member of several court committees and witnessed many changes on the court, in both law and practice.

Never one to shy away from challenges, he was instrumental in the adoption and implementation of the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code, one of the most significant and far-reaching pieces of legislation in the areas of estate planning and probate law. Co-chair of the MUPC Implementation Committee, Chair of the MUPC Education Subcommittee, and member of the MUPC Procedures Subcommittee, the Time Standards Committee, and the Bench Bar Rules Committee, for the past six years, he has led the charge in training lawyers on the sweeping changes to probate practice made by the adoption of the MUPC. An enthusiastic and dynamic teacher, he has taught nearly 50 programs at MCLE, including more than 25 on issues relating to the MUPC since 2010. For his career-long leadership in educating the bar, and more recently, his integral role in training lawyers on the implementation of the MUPC, he received MCLE’s 2015 Scholar-Mentor Award for excellence and his exceptional contributions to continuing legal education.

Anyone who knows Judge Nesi understands the tremendous influence that he has had—and continues to have—on those who practice in the Probate and Family Court. It is our hope that endowing scholarships annually for public service lawyers to attend MCLE training programs is a fitting way to honor his personal commitment to the profession and the education of the bar.

DONORS

Hon. John D. Casey
Coogan Smith LLP
Patrice Cooper
Eric P. Hayes
Thomas P. Jalkut
Allen and Evan Kirshenbaum
Patrick F. Murphy
Edward (Ted) Nesi
Katharine Nesi
Michael Tetreau
Margee S. Vaccari