Former Massachusetts Superior Court Justice Returns to Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Where He Once Served as First Assistant District Attorney

WOBURN—Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan announced today that Middlesex Superior Court Judge Howard Whitehead has been appointed Special Counsel to the District Attorney.

Judge Whitehead has rejoined the office in a part-time executive role to assist with and advise on transition management responsibilities.  He will provide strategic guidance to Assistant District Attorneys, mentor staff members, help to recruit additional talent, and explore office process improvements.

“Judge Howard Whitehead is one of the most highly-regarded legal experts in the state and has an exceptional reputation for integrity and fairness,” said District Attorney Ryan.  “I am pleased that he is an office resource, offering Assistant District Attorneys his unique judicial perspective with respect to issues of case preparation, trial strategy, and the formulation of sentence recommendations.  He brings a wealth of experience that will benefit this office in many ways.”

Judge Whitehead has 40 years of legal experience and previously worked in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office as First Assistant District Attorney in the mid-1970s.  As an attorney or judge he has tried approximately 800 Superior Court cases and taught advanced trial advocacy at the Boston University School of Law for the past three years.

Judge Whitehead began his legal career in 1974 as an Assistant Attorney General with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  After three years in that capacity, he joined Hutchins and Wheeler in Boston as a Litigation Associate.  Judge Whitehead served for five years at the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, two of those years as First Assistant District Attorney to District Attorney John Droney.  He then accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County, serving from 1983-1993. Whitehead was appointed to the bench in Superior Court in 1993 and retired in October 2014.

Judge Whitehead received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from the Boston University School of Law.  During his career, he has been active in mentoring aspiring lawyers by volunteering his time for numerous programs, including, the Massachusetts Judicial Institute, the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Foundation, and the Massachusetts Bar Association High School Mock Trial Competition.