MEMBERS OF FIRM
Thomas Lesser (Member) born Washington, District of Columbia, April 16, 1946; admitted to bar, 1972, Massachusetts; U.S. District Court, Districts of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont; U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; U.S. Claims Court. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1968); Harvard University (J.D., 1972). Obama for America New England Steering Committee, 2007-2008. Board of Directors, Foundation for Justice, 1998. Advisory Board, Commonwealth Center for Change, 2009. Member, Town of Conway School Committee, 1988-1999. Adjunct Professor of Law, Western New England College of Law, 1980-1982. Member: American Association for Justice; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; First Amendment Lawyers Association; Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys; Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Hampshire County, Franklin County and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Criminal Law; Complex Civil Litigation; Medical Malpractice; Employment Litigation; Nursing Home Litigation; First Amendment Law; FELA.Email: Thomas Lesser
William C. Newman (Member) born White Plains, New York, August 8, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Massachusetts; 1976, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; 1982, U.S. Claims Court; 1995, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont; 2005, District of Columbia and U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. Education: Antioch College (B.A., 1972); Northeastern University (J.D., 1975). Director, Western Regional Office of American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, 1987. Member, Board of Directors: Center for Public Representation, 1982-1999; Western Massachusetts Legal Services, 1977-2006, President, 1984-1990. Member, Board of Directors, 1982-1999 and Advisory Board, 1999, Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty. Recipient: Massachusetts Bar Association Community Service Award, 1988; Northampton Center for Children and Families, Ellen Sedlis Award, 2001; Committee for Public Counsel Services, Thurgood Marshall Award, 2005. Member: Hampshire County and Massachusetts Bar Associations; Massachusetts and National Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers; National Lawyers Guild. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Civil Rights; Labor and Employment; Criminal Law.Email: William C. Newman
Merry L. Nasser (Member) born New York, New York, April 2, 1952; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1972); Boston University (J.D., 1976). Recipient, Massachusetts Bar Association Community Service Award, 2000. Massachusetts Super Lawyer, Boston Magazine, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Adjunct Professor of Law: Western New England College, School of Law, 1981-1986. Member, Board of Directors: Necessities, 1983-1985; Tapestry Health Systems, Inc., 1991. Member, Child Sexual Abuse Task Force, 1988-2000. Chairperson, Parents and Children in Transition, 1994. Member, Guardian Ad Litem Task Force, 2000-2004. Member: Hampshire County (Co-Chairperson, Probate Court Committee, 1988) and Massachusetts Bar Associations; Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. Practice Areas: Domestic Relations Law; Family Law; Family Mediation.Email: Merry L. Nasser
ASSOCIATES
Rebecca L. Passa (Associate) born Springfield, Massachusetts, January 26, 1963; admitted to bar, 2002, Massachusetts. Education: Mount Holyoke College (A.B., 1985); Western New England College School of Law (J.D., 2001). Recipient: Academic Merit Scholarship, 1997-2001; Student Bar Association Scholarship, 1999-2000. Member: Hampshire County and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Probate.Email: Rebecca L. Passa
Lisa G. Kent (Associate) born Newark, New Jersey; admitted to bar, 1992, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; 2002, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: Douglass College of Rutgers University (B.A., 1984); Rutgers University School of Law (J.D., 1992). Member: Hampshire County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Complex Litigation; Employment Litigation; Housing Law; Family Law.Email: Lisa G. Kent