BOSTON, Mass. /Massachusetts Newswire/ — On Wednesday, Mass. Governor Deval Patrick announced the nominations of two experienced attorneys as District Court Clerk-Magistrates: Donald P. Hart for Nantucket District Court and Stephen C. Poitrast for Waltham District Court.
“I am pleased to nominate these accomplished attorneys as District Court clerk-magistrates,” said Governor Patrick. “They both have valuable legal and management experience that will enable them to excel in these important positions. I thank them for their commitment to the fair administration of justice in the Commonwealth.”
Donald P. Hart has an extensive professional background in both business and law. From 1985 to 1999, he held a variety of management positions in the private sector. After graduating from law school in 1999, Hart worked as a law firm sales representative, an Assistant District Attorney in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and a corporate contracts manager at Boston Scientific Corporation. Since 2004, he has maintained his own private general litigation practice in Weymouth and Holbrook, where he handles both criminal and civil matters.
In 2011, Hart founded the Hart Speech Foundation, a charitable organization that provides scholarships and resources to members of the stuttering community. He is a graduate of Lesley College (B.A., 1995) and New England School of Law (J.D., 1999). Hart currently resides in Abington and intends to relocate to Nantucket if confirmed to this position. He is slated to fill the vacancy at the Nantucket District Court created by the retirement of The Honorable Roxana E. Viera.
Stephen C. Poitrast has many years of experience as a court administrator and a lawyer. He has been the Acting Clerk-Magistrate at the Waltham District Court since 2011. He began his legal career in 1986 in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division and as Chief of the Consumer Complaint Section, where he was responsible for training and supervising 15 employees and 25 volunteer mediators. From 1991 to 1999, Poitrast maintained a sole practice with a focus on criminal law.
He worked at the Dedham District Court as an Assistant Clerk-Magistrate from 1999 to 2004 and as the Acting First Assistant Clerk-Magistrate from 2004 to 2006. From 2006 to 2010, Poitrast served as the Acting Clerk-Magistrate of the Springfield District Court. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (B.A., 1981) and New England School of Law (J.D., 1986). Poitrast resides in Hopkinton. If confirmed, he will fill the vacancy at Waltham District Court created by the retirement of The Honorable Michael J. Finucane.
