Milford State Rep. Honored by Boston Bar Association

The following is from a release:

State Representative John V. Fernandes, D-Milford, was honored by the Boston Bar Association at its annual meeting on September 18, 2015. Representative Fernandes was presented with the Distinguished Legislator Award. Governor Charles Baker was the keynote speaker at the Luncheon meeting, attended by 1,200 people.

The BBA recognition noted that in the time Fernandes has served in the legislature, he has been the force behind many positive changes in state law. He co-chaired the legislature’s Alimony Reform Task Force, which wrote and secured passage of sweeping reforms to the Massachusetts Alimony law, which has been hailed locally and nationally as a model for alimony reform. He also sponsored and secured passage of the Post-Conviction DNA Testing bill that provided a process for access to DNA testing of evidence by persons convicted of serious crimes where that testing was not formerly available. Fernandes also played a key role in drafting and passage of the sweeping Gun Violence Reduction Legislation last session.

Fernandes joined the BBA Statewide Task Force to Expand Civil Legal Aid in Massachusetts in 2013. He was an integral part of the Task Force work, providing many insights on the interplay between civil legal aid and the legislative process. Since then, he has been one of the leading voices for legal aid funding, which resulted in an additional $2 million in the FY2016 state budget appropriation.

In accepting the recognition, Fernandes stated that he humbly accepted the award on behalf of all the many good people he has had the privilege to work with on legislation over the years including the leadership and members of the Boston Bar who have played a critical role in advocating for positive changes in current law as well as greater access to justice for all.

Fernandes has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. He serves as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.