Please join the Education Law Practice Group on Wednesday, Dec. 12, from
5:30-7 p.m., to hear attorneys Josh Krell and Janine Brown-Smith, who represent
the Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools (maaps) and many of
its member schools, speak about some of the issues they deal with, including the
rate-setting process in Massachusetts.
Janine Brown-Smith graduated from New England School of Law (J.D., cum
laude), where she was a case and note editor of the Law Review and published an
article concerning employment discrimination. During law school, Brown-Smith
completed an internship at the Trial Division in the Government Bureau of the
Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. She was the recipient of a full
four-year tuition Merit Scholarship, the National Association of Women Lawyers
Outstanding Law Student Award, and at graduation received the Dean's Award and
the Trustee Bradbury Gilbert Award for Excellence in Achievement. While
attending law school, she worked as the CEO of the Cotting School, a private
school for children with severe physical, medical and learning challenges. Prior
to working at Cotting School, she was the comptroller for a $30 million
charitable non-profit organization, where she gained extensive professional
experience working with state and federal agencies regarding contracts,
financial and regulatory compliance, licensure and accreditation. Brown-Smith is
a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the National Association of
Women Lawyers.
Joshua D. Krell is a partner with Clark, Hunt, Ahern & Embry, a general
practice firm in Cambridge. Krell’s primary practice centers upon the
representation of private schools and human service agencies serving individuals
with disabilities, as well as other non-profit and for-profit entities. Krell
advises clients with regard to corporate issues, regulatory agencies and
administrative matters, employment and probate issues, and special
education-related litigation. Prior to joining Clark, Hunt, Ahern & Embry,
Krell worked for over six years as an assistant attorney general in the
Unemployment Fraud and Insurance Fraud divisions of the Massachusetts Office of
the Attorney General. Those years were spent prosecuting complex white-collar
criminal matters in courts all over the commonwealth. Krell received his
bachelor of arts in political science from Bates College in 1989, and his juris
doctor from the University of Maine School of Law in 1992. He has been admitted
to practice law in both Massachusetts and Maine since 1992. In 2011, Krell
earned an AV rating (the highest rating) from Martindale-Hubbell, the country’s
leading peer review rating system. Krell is a member of the Massachusetts
Bar Association and the Boston Inn of Court. He additionally serves on the Board
of Trustees of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead, and was its president from
2016-2018.
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