Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW The Governor's Council took part in a hearing Oct. 17 to decide who would be appointed as a judge in the Hampden County Probate and Family Court. One week later, on Oct. 24, Anne Geoffrion was unanimously voted into the position. A resident of East Longmeadow since 1989, Geoffrion attended Le Moyne College in Syracuse where she earned a degree in Political Science. "A course in constitutional law spurred my interest in law," she said. She applied to the Western New England College School of Law and graduated in May 1979. She passed her bar exam and was sworn in as an attorney that December. Geoffrion started practicing law in Springfield in 1980 with the firm Santaniello, Posnik and Basile, whom she stayed with until 1991. "I gained a huge amount of experience there. I did a lot of civil trial work and dabbled in domestic relations and family law," she said. In 1991, Geoffrion made the decision to go out on her own. She became a partner in the firm of Coyle, Dunbar, Geoffrion and Rideout and began working in an area she was familiar with, but had never really focused on before. "I received a ton of referrals for family law cases," she said. "That was never my concentration. It was a solid part of my practice, but not the majority of it." Those referrals led her to her current position, however. "There were several openings for circuit and associate justices [in the Probate and Family Court] and my colleagues urged me to take one," Geoffrion said. "It was the logical next step. I enjoyed what I did but it was time for a change." She received her first appointment to the bench by former Gov. A. Paul Cellucci. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served as an assistant city solicitor for the Town of Agawam, as a member of the hearing committee for the Board of Bar Overseers, and as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. Her appointment to a permanent position in the Hampden County Probate and Family Court was the result of a nomination by current Gov. Deval Patrick. Thomas Kenefick, president of the Hampden County Bar Association, said he's known Geoffrion for about 25 years and believes she's very committed to the practice of law. "This was an excellent appointment," he said. "She has all the qualities you'd want in a judge. She's smart, thoughtful, patient and timely. She does an excellent job." Geoffrion explained there are three permanent positions in that court, but she believes another associate justice is needed. "Hampden County is suffering with a lack of judicial resources," she stated. "There should be four justices. If the Governor's Council had chosen someone else for the permanent position, this would have been easier, because now we need to find someone to fill my previous position. "It really was a vote of confidence that they chose me. The Governor's Council was gracious in appointing me," she added. As a circuit judge, Geoffrion held seats in all four counties of Western Massachusetts, but split most of her time between Pittsfield and Springfield. "I love the Berkshires. It's a beautiful area," she said "It has a different bar, with different litigants, but driving an hour and a half from East Longmeadow to Pittsfield and back several times a week for nine years takes its toll." Her new appointment will give her a permanent seat in Springfield. "There's a need to have someone in Springfield full-time," she said. "This will be better for families and for the court. They will have someone available five days a week instead of three. "I believe my position in Springfield will be better for everybody," she added. The mandatory retirement age for associate justices is 70 and Geoffrion plans on holding this position until she's ready to retire. "I may not make it to 70, but I do have one more child to put through school," she laughed. Her daughter, Allison Rideout, will be graduating from East Longmeadow High School in June 2008. Her son, Brian Rideout, graduated in 2003. | ||||||
