New England Law | Boston is pleased to announce the program for its 2024 Commencement ceremony, taking place on Friday, May 17, at 11:00 a.m. at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, the first Black woman elected to that position, will address the graduates. Campbell was elected in 2015 as the first female Boston City Councilor for District 4, and then became the first Black woman to serve as City Council president in 2018.
A native of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, Attorney General Campbell endured great loss and adversity at a young age. She was only eight months old when her mother died in a car accident while going to visit her father in prison. Campbell and her siblings subsequently lived in foster care and with family, relying on public housing and food assistance. Campbell graduated from Boston Latin School and then worked her way through college with the help of grants and student loans. She was the first in her family to graduate from college and law school, graduating from Princeton University and then UCLA Law School. Sadly, both her father and twin brother also died when Campbell was a young woman.
After earning her law degree, she worked as a legal services attorney for the EdLaw project, defending the rights of children – particularly those with disabilities – and their families.
Campbell later practiced law at Proskauer LLP as an employment attorney, ultimately leaving to serve the public as General Counsel at the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. Campbell also served as legal counsel for Governor Deval Patrick, working to improve Massachusetts’ education and transportation systems.
“It is our honor to welcome Attorney General Campbell as our keynote speaker for the 113th Commencement at New England Law,” said Allison M. Dussias, Acting Dean and Professor of Law. “Her perseverance and her ongoing fight for justice and opportunity for all are models for our graduating students as they embark on their career journeys. We are thrilled to have her share her inspirational story and wisdom with our graduates.”