Marsha V. Kazarosian () is an American attorney in Haverhill, Massachusetts notable for handling high-profile cases in the New England area. Her handling of a gender discrimination case involving a country club brought her national recognition. She represented one of the teenaged defendants in the 1990 murder of a young husband by his wife Pamela Smart, who conspired with her teenaged lover to murder her husband for insurance money; the story became the basis of the movie To Die For starring Nicole Kidman, and the television movie Murder in New Hampshire starring Helen Hunt. Her legal skill was the subject of a cover story entitled The Power of Marsha Kazarosian in a publication geared to the legal community.
Kazarosian's law practice focuses on civil litigation,Boston.com, Advocating passionately for clients, Retrieved June 13, 2019 family law, discriminationEagle-Tribune, Bill Kirk and Jill Harmacinski, April 21, 2021, Local, state officials applaud Chauvin verdict, Retrieved April 30, 2021, "...'So many put their lives on the line to help people and protect them,' said Kazarosian, who is considered a civil rights and discrimination expert...." personal injury, police brutality, gender discrimination, ethics in government, rape victims, sexual harassment, police misconduct, insurance issues,Leslie Gaydos and Melissa Simas Tyler, November 4, 2019, NBC10 Boston News, NBC10 Boston Responds: Under-Covered for Your Car? Couple’s Case Highlights Under-Insurance: In Massachusetts, if the person responsible for the crash has more auto insurance coverage than you do, meaning a higher financial limit, your under-insurance policy won't payout, a lawyer says, Retrieved December 19, 2019, "...Under-insurance ... explained Liability Attorney, Marsha Kazarosian...." and general litigation. She has often appeared on local television discussing legal matters.
Kazarosian is the daughter of the late Armenian American lawyer Paul Kazarosian, and both of her parents were children of survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Since the age of four, Marsha wanted to be a lawyer like her father. She graduated from Phillips Academy in 1974, the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1978, and earned a J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1982.
In 1996, women members of the Haverhill Golf and Country Club were dissatisfied with its treatment of women regarding membership, tee time availability, and membership wait lists; Marsha Kazarosian represented them. It became a high-profile case reported in the national media in which opposing lawyers described her as a "barracuda attorney" according to Sports Illustrated. Kazarosian described how female club members felt excluded by the male-dominated club:
Kazarosian earned a $3.9 million financial judgment for the women plaintiffs, and the judgment was upheld by a state appeals court which reviewed the case. According to the New York Times, it was the first instance in which a state's public accommodations law was upheld by a state appeals court when applied to discrimination at a country club. In addition, Kazarosian has been an active leader in bar associations at the county and state levels. Her firm has offices in Haverhill and Salem.
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly listed her as a top lawyer in New England, and she has been identified as a top Massachusetts attorney in the publication Super Lawyers for every year since 2006. In 2014, she was president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.Mary Moore, Sep 3, 2014, Boston Business Journal, New Mass Bar president is focused on making things easier for debt-saddled young lawyers, Retrieved Sept. 4, 2014, "...Kazarosian, who focuses on family law and civil rights in her general practice law office Kazarosian, Costello & O'Donnell, LLP. The firm has offices in Haverhill and Salem...."Jennifer Rosinski, October 2008, Volume 16 Number 2, Massachusetts Bar Association, Lawyers Journal, MBA elects Marsha V. Kazarosian vice president for 2008-09 term, Retrieved June 13, 2019, Note: she was vice president of the Massachusetts Bar Association from 2008-2009 Kazarosian serves on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, and she was appointed by the governor to serve on the Special Judicial Nominating Commission for the state's Supreme Judicial Court. In addition, she served on the campus council of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In 2021, she was appointed to serve as one of the two attorneys on the nine-member Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, an advisory group brought into existence in 2020 by a Massachusetts police reform law.Jeremy C. Fox, April 1, 2021, The Boston Globe, Baker, Healey name 9 members to new Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, Retrieved April 2, 2021, "...panel will create a mandatory process for the certification of officers, oversee investigations into misconduct, and have the power to revoke an officer's license for certain misconduct..."
References
External links Marsha V. Kazarosian website University of Massachusetts alumni profile