Marshall a Candidate for State's Highest Court

Harvard Vice President and General Counsel Margaret H. Marshall is being considered for a slot on the Massachusetts Supreme Judiciary Court (SJC), The Boston Globe reported this week.

Governor William F. Weld '66 has reportedly narrowed his pool for the state's high court to a short list of about 15 Massachusetts lawyers and judges, although he has made no public announcements about the search.

Harvard Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs James H. Rowe III '73, speaking for Marshall, declined to comment on the ongoing search, saying it was too early in the process.

Rowe did confirm, however, that Marshall had been contacted by the governor's office.

"From my standpoint, I'd be surprised if she weren't considered--she's the former president of the Boston Bar Association, a very accomplished trial lawyer and a leading, if not the top, female lawyer in the state," Rowe said.

Rowe would not confirm or deny that Harvard's top lawyer is interested in the job. He did say, however, that if she were offered the job and accepted it, it would be a great loss for Harvard.

"I am willing to endorse everyone else on the list to keep her here," Rowe said.

A Stellar Reputation

In interviews this week, Marshall's colleagues had nothing but good things to say about her as a lawyer and as a person.

"I can't think of anybody I have had a better working relationship with," Rowe said.

According to Bonnit M. Sashin, a spokesperson for the Boston Bar Association who said she has worked with the Harvard attorney for eight years, Marshall is recognized as a leading lawyer both in the area and nationwide.

"She's a tremendous person, a real intellectual powerhouse," Sashin said in an interview this week. "She is very well-thought-of from people from all ends of the political spectrum."

Although she may be a high-pow- ered attorney, Marshall keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground, Sashin said.

"She is an extremely fair person in dealing with people from all walks of life," Sashin said. "She's tremendously astute, and has superb analytical skills but also has a wonderful sense of what real people are about, how they live. She's a very practical woman."

In fact, it is her skill with people that makes her truly outstanding, Sashin said.

"She will know every person in the building from the mailroom to the president and be equally warm and caring to every one," Sashin said

"She is an extremely fair person in dealing with people from all walks of life," Sashin said. "She's tremendously astute, and has superb analytical skills but also has a wonderful sense of what real people are about, how they live. She's a very practical woman."

In fact, it is her skill with people that makes her truly outstanding, Sashin said.

"She will know every person in the building from the mailroom to the president and be equally warm and caring to every one," Sashin said