Overview
BOSTON (August 12, 2016) — McDermott Will & Emery today announced that Robert J. Cordy will return to the firm’s Boston office as a partner after serving 15 years as a Justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Justice Cordy officially retired from the bench on August 12, 2016, and will begin his practice at McDermott effective October 1, 2016.
Justice Cordy was a McDermott partner from 1993 to 2001, serving as head of the Boston office from 1998 until his appointment to the bench. While at McDermott, he focused his practice on white collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and several major public/private development projects — all areas in which Justice Cordy intends to resume as part of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group.
Also on Justice Cordy’s agenda is a continuation of his work in the international sphere on rule of law issues. During his time on the Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Cordy worked under the auspices of the State Department and several regional Non-Governmental Organizations with judiciaries in Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kosovo, and West Africa.
Jeffrey Stone and Peter Sacripanti, McDermott’s co-chairs, have expressed the firm’s delight in Justice Cordy’s return. “He’s a lawyer with an incredible diversity of talents that will mesh nicely into many aspects of our firm’s diverse practice.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Bob back home to McDermott,” added Tony Bongiorno, partner-in-charge of the Boston office. “As one of the most respected members of our legal community, Bob will create significant opportunities for the firm’s business platform in Boston and in the national and international arenas.”
“He could have returned to private practice at almost any firm,” Mr. Bongiorno added, “but he chose McDermott, and we could not be more honored to once again have the privilege of calling him our partner.”
“I am looking forward to rejoining the McDermott family,” said Justice Cordy. “Returning to the firm at this point in its history — with its wealth of legal talent, its collaborative culture, and its network of resources here and around the globe is quite simply a great fit for the work I plan to do.”
Justice Cordy, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, began his legal practice as a member of the Massachusetts Public Defenders Office in 1974.
He served as deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue from 1978 to 1979, responsible for overseeing the investigation and prosecution of tax crimes. Justice Cordy went on to serve as associate general counsel of the then newly formed State Ethics Commission, an independent agency charged with enforcing the state’s anti-corruption and financial disclosure laws.
From 1982 to 1987 Justice Cordy was an assistant US Attorney and became Chief of the Public Corruption Unit for the District of Massachusetts.
Before joining McDermott in 1993, Justice Cordy served as Chief Legal Counsel to Massachusetts Governor William Weld, working on issues of criminal justice reform, ethics in government, and the appointment of judges.
As a member of the Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Cordy served as chair of the court’s Rules Committee, co-chair of the Judiciary-Media Committee, and as a member of the capital planning committee for the state court system.
Justice Cordy has been a lecturer at Harvard Law School and serves as an adjunct faculty member of the New England Law School where he teaches advanced criminal procedure.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
