Joan Antonino
is a seasoned business attorney and civil litigator. She serves as
experienced
legal counsel to businesses, corporations, educational institutions,
organizations and associations, and non-profit organizations on a local,
national and international basis. Her areas of practice include labor
& employment law, business law, contracts, civil rights litigation,
malpractice, personal injury, and education law. As an attorney admitted
to practice law in 1985, Joan has successfully litigated hundreds of
labor, civil rights, malpractice, personal injury, environmental law
and complex tort cases throughout New England. She has also served as
advisor to municipalities and police departments on labor,
constitutional,
and police civil liability issues. She has very extensive experience
in valuing and bringing to final resolution, civil rights, labor, bodily
injury, premises liability, business disputes and death claims.
Joan has been
admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of
Massachusetts,
as well as the federal court of Vermont, pro hac vice in the federal
courts of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Federal Circuit Court of
Appeals of Washington, D.C..
Joan is
reported
in leading decisions governing the rights of victims of sexual abuse
and rape (In the Matter of Subpoena
Duces Tecum, 445 Mass. 685, 840 N.E.2d 470 (2006),
Lawyers Weekly No. 10-002-06, SJC-09324, Jan. 5, 2006), police
misconduct
litigation (Santiago v. Fenton, 891 F2d 373 (1st Cir. 1989), as well as other reported cases involving state impoundment laws, the award of attorneys' fees and costs in federal civil rights cases, First Amendment protections and the broadening protections of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act.
Joan grew up
in the City of Boston and attended Girls’ Latin School; she is a
graduate
of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (cum laude) and Western New
England College School of Law.
Joan has been
involved in a broad array of leadership positions and community projects
focusing on diversity and advancement in education.
Joan is also
the Executive Director at New England Civil Rights Training &
Mediation, which provides education, training, mediation and
consulting services.