Governor Healey Makes Three Nominations to Boston Municipal Court
BOSTON – Governor Maura T. Healey nominated Rebeca G. Figueroa, Vanessa Vélez, and Steven S. Kim as Associate Justices to the Boston Municipal Court. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation.
“I am proud to nominate these three attorneys to the Boston Municipal Court. Throughout the course of their careers, they’ve shown a clear and dedicated commitment to justice,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The nominees each have significant experience practicing law and would make for strong additions to the Court. We look forward to hearing from the Governor’s Council and thank them for their consideration.”
“These three attorneys each have significant career experiences that will make them strong additions to the Boston Municipal Court,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re proud to nominate them to the Court and we’re grateful to the Governor’s Council for their consideration.”
The Boston Municipal Court Department serves the City of Boston, handling both criminal and civil matters while maintaining a commitment to the rule of law, and protecting human dignity through respect, compassion, correction, and the fair resolution of cases.
The Boston Municipal Court Department has 30 judges in 8 court divisions located in Brighton, Central
(downtown), Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston, and West Roxbury. The Boston Municipal Court also has jurisdiction to review appeals of decisions made by some government agencies on issues such as unemployment compensation and firearms licensing.
Rebeca G. Figueroa currently serves as a Designated Magistrate and Assistant Clerk-Magistrate in the Suffolk Superior Court Criminal Division. She began her career in 2003 as a Staff Attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in the Roxbury Defenders Unit, representing indigent criminal defendants charged with felony offenses at the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court and Suffolk Superior Court.
Later, Attorney Figueroa entered private practice as a solo practitioner focused on criminal defense, family law, and real estate. In 2017, she was appointed Assistant Clerk-Magistrate for Criminal Business at Suffolk Superior Court, and shortly thereafter, she was designated as a magistrate. In her current role, she conducts arraignments, bail hearings, appointment of counsel, initial probation surrender hearings, pre-trial conferences, and agreed-upon motions and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of assigned trial sessions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston College and a Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law. She lives in Boston with her husband and family.
About Steven Kim
Steven Kim currently works in private practice, at Law Office of Steven S. Kim, as a trial lawyer, where he represents clients in all phases of criminal and civil litigation. Over the course of his career as a trial lawyer, he has worked as both prosecutor and defense attorney. He started out his career as a law clerk for the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court, then went on to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Boston; but for the majority of his career has run a successful private practice, handling both civil and criminal defense matters. Kim is also a proud veteran, having served honorably on active duty in Afghanistan with the Judge Advocate General’s Corp. in the U.S. Army National
Guard. He holds three degrees from Boston College, including his B.A. in English, a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration, and his J.D. He lives in Needham.
Vanessa Vélez is currently the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Private Counsel Division for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, where she oversees the delivery of legal services to 80% of indigent clients in Massachusetts through assigned private attorneys. Her management extends to various units under the Private Counsel Division, including the Criminal Trial Support, Appeals & Post-Conviction, Parole Advocacy, Alternative Commitment and Registration, Innocence Program, Immigration Impact Unit, and Social Services Advocacy.
Vanessa began her career as a solo practitioner, practicing civil and criminal law and as a bar advocate with the Essex County Bar Association Advocate Program. For 18 years, she has represented clients as a public defender for the Committee for Public Counsel Services and as a bar advocate in private practice. Vanessa served as the Attorney-in-Charge and the Supervising Attorney for the CPCS Boston Trial Office. She has also played a key role in the Veterans and Homeless specialty courts for several years.
Vanessa has been a faculty member in the Trial Advocacy Workshop of Harvard Law School. Most
recently, she participated in various commissions and subcommittees focused on increasing court access, equity and public trust in our legal system. She is a member of the Alternative Paths to Licensure subcommittee of the Massachusetts SJC's Steering Committee on Bar Admissions. She was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the United States at age 18 to further her education. She holds a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law. She lives in Jamaica Plain.
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