U.S. Senator John Kerry has selected Ropes & Gray partner Joan Lukey to
head a judicial committee to help fill two pending federal court vacancies in
Massachusetts.
Ms. Lukey will chair the judicial
selection committee that will identify candidates for federal court judgeships
in Worcester and Springfield, Mass. In his role as U.S. senator, Kerry names the
chairman, a duty previously held by the late Ted Kennedy. The committee will
submit candidates to Senator Kerry, who will in turn submit a nominee to
President Obama for consideration. Ultimately, confirmation of federal judges is
the role of the U.S. Senate.
"Joan Lukey's expertise, reputation for absolute professionalism, and her
wide range of legal experience make her an ideal candidate to lead this
committee," Kerry said in announcing the appointment. "Under Joan’s leadership,
we will bring together the best legal minds from the community, particularly
those from central and western Massachusetts, to ensure a diversity of voices to
help find the next great judges for Springfield and Worcester."
Based in Ropes & Gray's Boston office, Ms. Lukey is a partner in the
litigation department focusing on complex business litigation. Throughout her
career, Ms. Lukey has been widely recognized for her trial experience. The
National Law Journal named her one of "America’s Top 50 Top Women Litigators,"
while Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly designated her as one of the "35 influential
judges and lawyers in Massachusetts of the past 35 years." She is also
recognized as a top trial lawyer by Chambers USA.
Ms. Lukey has also served as a leader in the community and the legal
profession. She is the immediate past president of the prestigious and highly
selective American College of Trial Lawyers, the only woman ever to have held
that position in the organization's 61-year history. She previously served as
president of the Boston Bar Association, and in 2003, Boston College awarded her
its highest honor, the Founders' Medal.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Smith College magna cum laude and
her law degree from Boston College Law School cum laude, where she earned
election to the Order of the Coif.