Governor Healey Press release Says Bernadette Stark , Manisha Bhatt and Michelle Yee Nominated for Probate and Family Court

Press RELEASE: 12/08/2023 : BOSTON -Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll-

As per the press release Governor Maura T. Healey  nominated Manisha Bhatt, Bernadette Stark and Michelle A. Yee for Probate and Family Court Justices. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation.  

Boston Bench is set welcome three fresh faces.

“These three attorneys have all shown a profound commitment to helping families and children over the course of their careers,” said Governor Healey. “Their work has come with the highest praise from colleagues across the state, and they each share an innate ability to navigate difficult cases with respect and consideration. We look forward to hearing from the Governor’s Council as they consider these nominations.”

Governor Healey Press release Nominates Bernadette Stark , Manisha Bhatt and Michelle Yee

Earlier this year, Governor Healey recommended Stephanie L. Everett, Esq. as Suffolk Register of Probate and Family Court. 

The Probate and Family Court Department handles court matters that involve families and children, like divorce, child support, and wills. The Probate and Family Court Department’s mission is to deliver timely justice to the public by providing equal access to a fair, equitable, and efficient forum to solve family and probate legal matters and to help and protect all individuals, families, and children impartially and respectfully. 

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About the Nominees: 

Manisha Hemendra Bhatt has represented indigent clients in probate and family matters for the last 22 years as an attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services. In this role, she worked on divorce, paternity, guardianship and abuse prevention matters, often for limited English-speaking immigrants in communities throughout Massachusetts. Attorney Bhatt has taught and lectured for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE) and served on committees for the Trial Court on Probate and Family Court issues. As the daughter of South Asian immigrants, she has been a leader in the South Asian legal community. 

Attorney Bhatt served as President of the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston and continues to serve on its Advisory Board. She was instrumental in creating their award-winning grassroots access to justice initiative, the “Know Your Rights” program. The program is a twelve-session, two semester, legal educational seminar for leaders in the South Asian Community intended to give such leaders the knowledge about fundamental legal rights they need to assist members of their communities. Attorney Bhatt has a B.A. from Boston College and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. 

Bernadette Stark has both substantial probate and family court experience and a broad background in civil litigation. Attorney Stark has represented private clients in complex financial matters, first at Goulston & Storrs as a corporate associate and later in private practice as a founding partner of Dinsmore Stark, Attorneys At Law, where she practiced primarily in the areas of domestic relations and immigration law. Attorney Stark also represented indigent clients over many years as part of Western Massachusetts Legal Services (now known as “Community Legal Aid”).

She now represents student organizations and students as Director of the Student Legal Services Office at UMass Amherst, where she is also “Of Counsel” to the student governance bodies at the University. She is the recipient of Senior Partners for Justice’s 2010 Gideon’s Trumpet Award in honor of her extraordinary commitment to access to justice for all, as has earned recognition for her work and experience from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Super Lawyers “40 Under 40” and Boston Magazine.

Attorney Stark brings significant lived experience to the role, making her especially well prepared to confront many of the difficult issues facing the probate and family courts. Attorney Stark was born and grew up in a neighborhood in New York City impacted by gang violence and drugs. Her mother immigrated from Puerto Rico and her home was multigenerational.

As a result, she was often called upon to translate for her grandmother, who did not speak English, in interactions with government agencies and service providers. Motivated by her early experience, Attorney Stark has devoted much of her career and many pro bono hours to helping families who find themselves lost in a court system they don’t understand at a critical moment of personal or family crisis. Attorney Stark has a B.A. from Binghamton University and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. 

Michelle A. Yee has been a valuable part of the Probate and Family Court system for more than 18 years. She currently is the Senior Program Manager in the Administrative Office of the Probate and Family Court, where she has been instrumental in the implementation of the Pathways Case Management Initiative in all 14 divisions of the court. 

Attorney Yee was previously the Judicial Case Manager in the Essex divisions, where she was responsible for the management of the daily court operations. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Judicial Case Manager, Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code (“MUPC”) Magistrate, Sessions Clerk, and Judicial Law Clerk in the Essex and Norfolk divisions.

She also worked as an associate at a small firm prior to working for the Probate and Family Court. Attorney Yee has a B.S. from the University of Miami and a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law. She is the daughter of Filipino and Chinese immigrants, and she grew up in Minneapolis, MN. She lives in Peabody with her husband of 22 years and two sons.  

Governor Healey’s nomination of Bernadette Stark, Manisha Bhatt, and Michelle Yee for Probate and Family Court is a testament to their outstanding qualifications and experience in family law. If confirmed, they will serve the people of Massachusetts with integrity, fairness, and compassion.

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