McCarter & English is pleased to announce that Stesha A. Emmanuel, an attorney in the firm’s Boston office, has been elected president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (MBLA) for the 2020-2021 program year.

“It is my distinct honor and privilege to serve as the president of the incredible and illustrious Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association,” Emmanuel said. “On behalf of myself and the MBLA board of directors, we are excited by the opportunity to pay homage to our trailblazers, host signature events, create new and innovative programming and, most importantly, continue to promote and support the retention and elevation of Black attorneys across the Commonwealth and beyond. The strength of our legal community relies on diversity across race, gender, socio-economic background, and all of our MBLA members.”

Maria Laccotripe Zacharakis, Ph.D., managing partner of McCarter’s Boston office, said, “We are very proud of Stesha’s work to promote diversity and inclusion at our firm and in the broader legal profession. Stesha will be an outstanding leader of MBLA and representative of our firm.”

For MBLA, Emmanuel served as president-elect in 2019-2020, executive vice president in 2018-2019 and At-Large Director and Co-Chair of the Community Service Committee since 2014. Emmanuel has a long history of holding leadership positions in legal and nonprofit organizations. In addition to the MBLA, Emmanuel currently serves on the Board of Directors for MATCH Education. Previously, she was appointed to the editorial board of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly; elected as a member of the board of directors and co-chair of the Women of Color Committee for the Women’s Bar Association, a board member for the YMCA Roxbury and involved with the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston.

“As a Boston native,” said Emmanuel, “I believe it is my responsibility to serve my community and inspire the next generations. As MBLA president, I want to continue to increase the visibility of Black attorneys and further strengthen the pipeline to success.”

She added, “On May 27, 2020, we are hosting a MBLA event in a virtual forum to support law students and provide them with tools to develop and perfect their narratives and identify creative alternatives to networking while practicing social distancing.”

More details about this event can be found on https://mablacklawyers.org/

Emmanuel concentrates her practice on civil litigation and represents clients in products liability, toxic tort, and complex civil and commercial litigation in state and federal courts. She also practices employment and labor law.

Emmanuel received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Brown University.

About McCarter & English, LLP

McCarter & English is a firm of more than 375 lawyers who deliver solid results and innovative solutions to clients nationwide. In 2019, the firm was recognized byLaw360as a New Jersey Regional Powerhouse and received the prestigious ABA Pro Bono Publico award. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies, as well as mid-market and emerging growth companies, rely on McCarter for cutting-edge transactional work and complex litigation matters. Clients benefit from McCarter’s relationship-driven approach, a deep understanding of their businesses and legal needs, a lean and efficient service model, and a determination to help them move their businesses forward. For more information, visit www.mccarter.com.