Maritza Karmely, Esq., Clinical Professor of Law
Suffolk University Law School
Karen Sweeney Shea, Esq., McGrath & Kane
Hon. Roxann C. Tetreau, Justice Worcester Probate
and Family Court
Jennifer M. Walsh, Esq., Assistant Judicial Case
Manager Bristol Probate and Family Court
Johanna Gibson, Esq., McGrath & Kane
(moderator)
HON. THERESA A. BISENIUS is an Associate Justice of the
Probate and Family Court, currently serving in Middlesex County. Appointed to
the bench by Governor Patrick in 2012, she initially served the Probate and
Family Court in Essex County. Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Bisenius
was a solo practitioner specializing in criminal defense, civil litigation, and
domestic relations. Judge Bisenius is a graduate of Boston College and Suffolk
University Law School.
Panelist - ATTORNEY IRENA W. INMAN is owner of Callahan,
Barraco, Inman & Bonzagni, PC. Attorney Irena Inman is a 2005 graduate from
Wellesley College and a 2008 graduate from Suffolk University Law School. She
has been licensed to practice law in Massachusetts since 2008. Attorney
Inman is an active member of the Massachusetts Bar and the Federal Bar for the
District of Massachusetts. Attorney Inman’s practiced is focused on
exclusively domestic relations matters, including separation and divorce, child
custody and support, spousal support, modifications, contempt of court,
restraining orders and allegations of physical abuse and substance abuse.
Attorney Inman is on the Massachusetts Bar Association Family Law Counsel and
acts as the Vice Chair. Attorney Inman also volunteers her time through
the Attorneys Representing Children Program and the “Lawyer of the Day” program
in Middlesex Probate and Family Court.
Panelist - ATTORNEY MARITZA KARMELY is a Clinical
Professor of Law teaching in the area of Family Law and Domestic Violence as
Suffolk University Law School. Professor Karmely directs the Family Advocacy
Clinic and teaches Family Law and Trial Advocacy. Prior to joining the Suffolk
University Law School, Professor Karmely was an Assistant Clinical Professor of
Law at Boston College Law School. Professor Karmely worked as a Staff Attorney
at Casa Myrna Vazquez where she represented victims of violence in family law
matters in the Boston area. She also worked as a litigation associate with the
Boston law firms Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and Todd &
Weld.
Panelist - ATTORNEY KAREN SWEENEY SHEA has been a
practicing attorney in Massachusetts since 1990. Attorney Shea has been a member
of McGrath & Kane since 2002, specializing in complex and high-net-worth
divorce litigation, child custody matters and alternative dispute
resolution. Attorney Shea earned her Juris Doctor degree from Boston
College Law School in 1990, following her undergraduate studies at Merrimack
College (1986). She began her legal career at the Middlesex County
District Attorney’s Office before transitioning to private practice.
Attorney Shea is also an experienced Mediator and Conciliator, she provides
confidential, private mediation and conciliation services as well as volunteers
her time as a Conciliator for various Probate and Family Court Conciliation
Programs. Attorney Shea has authored numerous articles on family law topics and
regularly participates as a panelist for Massachusetts Continuing Legal
Education (MCLE) seminars and the Massachusetts Bar Association Programs.
Panelist - HON. ROXANN C. TETREAU is an Associate Justice
of the Probate and Family Court, currently presiding in Worcester County.
She was appointed to the bench by Governor Baker in 2018. She was formerly a
partner at the law firm of Eden Rafferty where she primarily focused her
practice area in family law. She also served as court-appointed counsel in
criminal cases in the District Court and as a conciliator in the Probate and
Family Court. Judge Tetreau is a graduate of Nichols College and Suffolk
University Law School.
Panelist - JENNIFER M. WALSH, ESQ. currently serves as an
Assistant Judicial Case Manager at Bristol County Probate & Family Court,
where she conducts Pathways Case Management Conferences; advises judges on legal
and procedural issues related to probate, guardianships, and domestic relations
matters; and assists attorneys and litigants. Prior to her current role, she was
a family law attorney at McGrath & Kane for several years. Her practice
focused on domestic relations matters including high conflict divorce and
custody actions, complex asset division, prenuptial/postnuptial agreements, and
appellate matters. Attorney Walsh was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in
2023 and volunteered in the Lawyer of the Day Program at Norfolk and Middlesex
Probate & Family Courts. Attorney Walsh graduated from Boston College and
earned her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School, where she was
awarded Distinguished Oral Advocacy Award and was named on the Dean’s List. She
is also a trained Family Law Mediator and Conciliator, mentors first-year law
students at Suffolk Law, and is a member of the 2024-2025 Child Support
Guidelines Task Force.
Moderator - ATTORNEY JOHANNA GIBSON is a family law
attorney at McGrath & Kane, where she specializes in domestic relations. Her
practice includes a wide range of matters such as divorce, child custody,
alimony, prenuptial agreements, asset division, and appellate work. Prior to
joining McGrath & Kane, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court for Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk County.
A graduate of Suffolk University and Suffolk University Law School, Johanna
honed her advocacy skills within the Suffolk Law’s Family Advocacy Clinic,
representing survivors of domestic violence. Johanna has earned recognition as a
Rising Star by Super Lawyers, and as one of the Top 10 Under 40 by the National
Academy of Family Law Attorneys. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar
Association, serves on the Family Law Section Council, and is committed to
giving back through pro bono work and volunteer opportunities, including SERVE
Program (Suffolk County), the Lawyer for the Day Program (Suffolk, Norfolk, and
Middlesex County) and the Suffolk Probate & Family Court Law Clinic.