Board of Directors

 

Eva Jellison (she/her) is the current Co-Chair of the MA LGBTQ Bar Association and has been involved with the Bar Association for 14 years.  Attorney Jellison previously co-chaired the Committee of Transgender Inclusion.  Attorney Jellison is a partner at Wood & Nathanson, LLP, of Boston, MA, and she specializes in post-conviction criminal and juvenile defense. Before joining Wood & Nathanson, she clerked for Chief Justice Dana Fabe (Ret.) of the Alaska Supreme Court. She attended Northeastern University School of Law and Stanford University. Eva can be reached at [email protected]

   
Matthew Costello (he/him) is Co-Chair of the MA LGBTQ Bar Association, and joined the Board of Directors in 2022.  He is an associate in the Complex Disputes Group at Nixon Peabody LLP, where he focuses on complex litigation matters.  Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Matt was a litigation associate at a boutique litigation firm and WilmerHale. He previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable William E. Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and the Honorable Gilbert V. Indeglia of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.  Matt is a magna cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School, where he served as Managing Editor of the Suffolk University Law Review.  Matt is also a proud alumnus of Fitchburg State University.  You can reach Matt at [email protected].
 

 

 

Rebecca Spinner is an Estate Planning and Elder Law attorney, and a committed advocate for the aging population. As an associate attorney at Surprenant & Beneski, P.C., Rebecca exhibits a passion for helping clients reduce stress and anxiety associated with a loved one becoming ill, for protecting assets from the cost of long-term care, for tackling estate tax issues, and for protecting inheritance for her client's beneficiaries. Prior to joining Surprenant & Beneski, P.C., Rebecca led the Veterans Project for Community Legal Aid in Worcester, MA, where she assisted low income and elderly Veterans with a variety of civil legal issues.

 

 

Sav R. Arguello (they/them) is the current Treasurer of the Mass. LGBTQ Bar Association and joined the Board of Directors in 2023. Sav is an associate at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (Mintz) and focuses their practice on complex civil litigation and appellate matters. Sav worked as a law clerk for Chief Justice Mark V. Green of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, where they researched legal issues and drafted orders, memoranda, and opinions. While earning their JD, Sav served as a senior student attorney at BU Law’s Criminal Law Clinical Program. In law school, Sav served as managing editor of the Boston University Public Interest Law Journal. You can reach Sav at [email protected].

 

 

 

Matthew Barison (he/him) joined the Board of Directors of the Mass. LGBTQ Bar Association in 2020. Matt is an independent trial lawyer who focuses on criminal defense and civil litigation. He is a Bar Advocate with Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, providing high quality indigent legal defense in Suffolk County, and is a regular at the Boston Municipal Court. Prior to attending Tulane Law School in New Orleans, LA, Matt served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan and Romania. Matt lives in Boston and enjoys swimming and sailing; he also serves on the Board of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway. Matt can be reached though his website

 

Barry Bisson (he/him) is the owner and principal attorney at Bisson Law. His office focuses on criminal defense and civil litigation in Massachusetts and New York. In addition to being a Board member of the MA LGTBQ Bar Association, Barry is also vice-chair of the MBA Criminal Justice Section Council; Board member of the New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative; Board member of Starting out Solo; Vice President of Northeastern University School of Law; and an adjunct professor at New England Law Boston.  You can reach Barry at [email protected].

 

 

 

Rose Collins (she/her) joined the Board of Directors in 2023. Rose is an associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (Nelson Mullins) and her litigation practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, bad-faith insurance defense, and employment dispute investigation and litigation throughout the United States. Rose is a proud graduate of Boston University School of Law, where she served as the administrative editor of the Boston University Public Interest Law Journal. Rose is also a proud alumna of The George Washington University. You can reach Rose at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philip J. Hamzik, PhD (he/him) joined the Board of Directors in 2024.  He is an associate at Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C. (Wolf Greenfield) where he maintains a practice concentrated on patent protection, global patent prosecution, portfolio management and all aspects of intellectual property.  Philip received his BS in Chemistry from Northeaster University, PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his JD from Suffolk University School of Law. Philip can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

Rachel Hutchinson (she/her) joined the Board of Directors in 2022.  She is a civil litigation associate at Todd & Weld LLP, where she maintains a practice concentrated on higher education law representing colleges and universities, complex commercial disputes, and employment discrimination.  Rachel is an alumna of Harvard Law and McMaster University.  During her 1L and 3L summers, she worked at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), assisting in the fight for LGBTQ+ parentage rights. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

 

Joseph P. Lucia (he/him) has been a member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association since 2005 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2015. As a Board member, Joe served as Treasurer from 2019-2023, and he has chaired several committees, including the Judiciary and Amicus Committee, the Law Students Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Winter Party Committee. Joe is a 1999 graduate of Boston Latin School, 2003 magna cum laude graduate of Williams College and a 2008 magna cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School. Joe served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ariane D. Vuono of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and to the Honorable Margaret R. Hinkle (Ret.) of the Massachusetts Superior Court from 2008 to 2009. In 2010, Joe joined the Litigation Department of Foley Hoag LLP’s Boston office, where he worked until April 2014 when he was sworn in as an Assistant Attorney General with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. In his role as an AAG in the AGO’s Trial Division, Joe defends civil rights, tort, employment, eminent domain, erroneous conviction, and breach of contract lawsuits brought against the Commonwealth and its agencies. You can reach Joe at [email protected].

 

 

 

Emily Claire Smith (she/her) is an an Assistant Counsel in Litigation at Multiplan. She joined the board of directors in 2022.  Prior to MultiPlan, Emily worked at a law firm where her practice focused on white collar criminal defense, government investigations, and internal investigations. While in law school, Emily interned at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s White Collar Crime Unit and Greater Boston Legal Services, working directly with survivors of domestic violence. She was a student in the year long Boston College Law School Innocence Clinic, where she worked with clients who were wrongfully convicted. During her 2L and 3L years, Emily Claire worked as a law clerk and was active in B.C. Law's Lambda LGBT Society.  You can reach Emily Claire at [email protected].

 

 

Administrative Staff

Riley O'Brien is the Mass LGBTQ Bar's Administrative Assistant. Email him at [email protected].