Marsha V. Kazarosian
Top rated Civil Rights attorney in Haverhill, Massachusetts
Kazarosian Costello LLP
Practice Areas: Civil Rights, Personal Injury, General Litigation; view more
Licensed in Massachusetts since: 1982
Education: Suffolk University Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2024 Details
Attorney Marsha V. Kazarosian is a partner with the Kazarosian Costello LLP law firm, with offices in Haverhill and Salem, Massachusetts. A highly accomplished, award-winning attorney, Ms. Kazarosian has earned national recognition as one of the top trial attorneys in the country, and she has achieved considerable success advocating on behalf of clients throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire who have legal needs involving any of the following and more:
· Personal Injury Litigation
· Civil Rights/Police Misconduct Litigation
· Divorce and Family Law Litigation
Attorney Kazarosian has significant experience handling matters involving discrimination, police misconduct and civil rights violations, and general civil litigation. She also serves as a private mediator in personal injury, civil rights, domestic relations, and general civil litigation matters.
Recognized by her peers many times for her outstanding accomplishments, Attorney Kazarosian was inducted into the Inaugural Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame in September 2023 for recognition of her career contributions to the development of law and to the bar in Massachusetts, for her career accomplishments, and for her efforts to improve the quality of justice in the Commonwealth.
Additional peer recognitions include being named by Best Lawyers in America® as Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury Plaintiffs Litigation - Boston Area for 2023. She is consistently recognized by Boston magazine's Best Lawyers editions and has consistently received numerous awards and honors from her peers, including an AV Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell and recognition by Super Lawyers® as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Massachusetts as well as Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts. In 2006 Massachusetts Super Lawyers featured her on its cover. AVVO rates Attorney Kazarosian as Superb, 10 out of 10. She was inducted into Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Circle of Excellence and has received the Women in the Law Award twice. In 2020, Massachusetts Bar Association presented Attorney Kazarosian with its prestigious Gold Medal Award.
In 2020, she was appointed by then-Attorney General Maura Healey to serve on the Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission, and was re-appointed by Attorney General Andrea Campbell in 2023, where Attorney Kazarosian continues her service as Secretary of the Commission. Attorney Kazarosian recently finished a four year term on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers and maintains her role on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Advisory Committee for Clerks of the Courts. In 2016, Governor Charlie Baker appointed Attorney Kazarosian to the Special Nominating Commission for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Attorney Kazarosian has contributed written materials and lectured extensively at continuing legal education courses on a variety of topics generally relating to trial and litigation practice. In February 2023, she participated on a Federal Bar Association Civil Rights Etouffee panel in New Orleans discussing issues surrounding the doctrine of Qualified Immunity and the MA POST Commission, and in March 2023, she rejoined MCLE's annual Trying Civil Cases Panel in Boston. In November 2023, she served on MCLE's Multi-Practice Area & Multi-Court Law Practices panel. she She has also routinely appeared on local and national news outlets to provide in-depth commentary on various legal subjects. She has served as counsel on a number of high-profile criminal cases that inspired two movies and several television programs and thrust Ms. Kazarosian into the national spotlight.
Ms. Kazarosian received her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, and she holds her license to practice in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the District of New Hampshire as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Civil Rights, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, General Litigation, Family LawFocus areas
Americans with Disabilities Act, Discrimination, Litigation, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Police Misconduct, Race Discrimination, Wrongful Death
- 40% Civil Rights
- 30% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% General Litigation
- 10% Family Law
First Admitted: 1982, Massachusetts
Professional Webpage: https://kazcolaw.com/attorneys/marsha-v-kazarosian/
- Top Woman in the Law
- Rated consistently as having Very High Ethical Standards and an A grade, (4.5 or higher). , AV Preeminent Peer Rated, Martindale®, 2023
- Superb 10.0, AVVO, 2023
- Lawyer of the Year - Personal Injury Plaintiffs - Boston, Best Lawyers in America®, 2023
- Inducted in September 2023 into the inaugural Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame for peer recognition of career accomplishments, contributions to the development of the law in Massachusetts, contributions to the bar, and efforts to improve the quality of justice in Massachusetts., Hall of Fame, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2023
- Named a Top Lawyer in Civil Rights Litigation, Boston Best Lawyers - 2024, Boston Magazine, 2023
- Named a Top Lawyer in Civil Rights Litigation, Boston Best Lawyers - 2023, Boston Magazine, 2022
- The MBA's Gold Medal Award is reserved for individuals who have provided outstanding legal services that have benefited the legal profession in Massachusetts. , Gold Medal Award, Massachusetts Bar Association, 2020
- Top Ten Verdicts in MA, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 1999
- Top Women Lawyers in Massachusetts, Boston Magazine, 2013
- Top Women In The Law, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2011
- 10.0 Superb Rating, 10.0 Superb rating from AVVO.com, AVVO, 2019
- AV Preeminent, AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell®, 2019
- Circle of Excellence, Circle of Excellence, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2017
- Top Ten Lawyers in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 1999
- Boston's Best Lawyers, LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®, 2012
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Magazine’s cover story, Showcased, The Power of Attorney, Super Lawyers, 2006
- Suffolk University's outreach campaign
- Mock Trial Judge, Boston College
- Mock Trial Judge, ABA
- SJC's Access, Justice Commission Committee
- Mock Trial Judge, Boston University
- Mock Trial Judge, AAJ
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Pro Bono Panel
- Mock Trial Judge, Suffolk University
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst BA English, 1978
- Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, 1974
- Suffolk University Law School, JD, 1982
- Admitted to practice in NH State and Federal Courts, 1990
- Admitted to practice to US District Court for the District of MA, 1986
- Admitted to practice to Massachusetts Bar, 1982
- Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, 1986
- President of the Massachusetts Bar Association , 2014
- Elected Secretary of the Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission., 2021
- Appointed by Attorney General Maura Healey as a Commissioner on Massachusetts' inaugural Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission. , 2021
- Reappointed for a five year term by Attorney Andrea Campbell as a Commissioner to the Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training PSOT) Commission., 2023
- Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, 2018
- Essex County Bar Association, President
- Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, 2019
- Supreme Judicial Court Superior Court Civil Working Group, 2015
- Appointed by Governor Charles Baker to a twelve member special Nominating Commission constituted by the Governor to facilitate the appointment of Justices to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2016
- First Circuit Court of Appeals, May, 2015
- Massachusetts Bar Association, (MBA) Delegate to the ABA, 2013, 2019
- National Council of Bar Presidents Program Committee, 2014
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Advisory Committee for Clerks of the Courts, 2019
- Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Trustee, 2015
- American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section Plaintiff's Policy Task Force, 2015
- UMASS Amherst Campus Council, 2019
- American Bar Association Gender Equity Task Force, 2015
- Appointed to the inaugural Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission, 2021
- Appointed for a second term to the Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission., 2023
- Elected Secretary to the inaugural Massachusetts Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission., 2021
- Best Lawyers in America - Personal Injury Plaintiffs, Civil Rights Law, and Employment Law, Individuals , 2020
- Boston magazine Top Lawyers 2022, 2022
- Best Law Firms - Best Lawyers in America - 2023, 2023
- Best Lawyers in America - Lawyer of the Year in Plaintiffs Personal Injury - Boston area by Best Lawyers - 2023., 2023
- Boston Magazine Best Lawyers, 2021
- Best Lawyers in America, 2021
- Best Law Firms in America -Tier 1- Personal Injury Plaintiffs, 2020
- Best Law Firms in America - Tier 1 Plaintiff Personal Injury, 2019
- Best Lawyers in America - Personal Injury Plaintiff, 2019
- Program focused on managing a multi-practice-multijurisdictional practice crossing state lines, time management, leadership, firm infrastructure, work flow, and strategic planning , Panelist, MCLE: Strategic Management of Multi-Practice Area & Multi-Court Law Practices, 2023
- Speaker, 11th Annual Armenian Bar Association meeting held in Washington, D.C.
- MCLE Course providing an immersive behind-the-scenes experience in trying a civil case from soup to nuts on March 31, 2023. , Faculty, Trying Civil Cases, 2023
- Presented on February 3, 2023 in NOLA for the Federal Bar Association., Panelist re - Qualified Immunity and the Role of POST Commission, Civil Rights Etoufee, Federal Bar Association, 2023
- I participate as a panel member addressing questions and presenting on the issues relating to the topic, including but not limited to, in particular, relative to the taking of remote depositions, etc. , Faculty Member, Ethical and Professional Responsibility Issues in Divorce, Fiduciary Litigation, Trusts, and Estates, Social Law Library, Lawyers, 2021
- I participated on a 2 hour virtual panel addressing potential practice pitfalls, and specifically addressing ethical considerations and traps for the unwary. , Faculty Member, Potential Practice Pitfalls During Covid, Greater Newburyport Bar Assocation, Lawyers, 2020
- I participated on an all day CLE on how to try civil cases involving many aspects of trying cases, including but not limited to evidence, objections, voir dire, direct and cross examination, motions in limine, openings and closings, demonstrative evidence, etc. , Faculty Member, Trying Civil Cases, MCLE, Lawyers, 2020
- I participated on an all day CLE on how to try civil cases involving many aspects of trying cases, including but not limited to evidence, objections, voir dire, direct and cross examination, motions in limine, openings and closings, demonstrative evidence, etc. , Faculty Member, Trying Civil Cases, MCLE, Lawyers, 2021
- I participated as a panel member at the Federal Bar Association's Civil Rights Etouffee program in New Orleans, LA on February 3, 2023, presenting on the issues of Police Reform, the Massachusetts POST Commission, and Qualified Immunity. , Panel Member - Police Reform and Qualified Immunity, Civil Rights Etouffee, Federal Bar Association, Lawyers, 2023
- Faculty Presenter, Faculty Presenter, Jury Voir Dire - NH, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Legal, 2015
- Faculty Presenter, Faculty Presenter, Courtroom Presence, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Legal, 2018
- Faculty Presenter - Plaintiff's Attorney, Faculty Presenter, Civil Trial Advocacy Basics Plus, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Legal, 2015
- Faculty and Critique, Faculty, Civil Trial Advocacy Basics Plus, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Legal, 2017
- Lecture about and demonstration of a closing argument, Presenter, Trial Advocacy Skills, Massachusetts Bar Association, Legal, 2019
- Keynote speaker, North Shore Community College's graduating Criminal Justice students and Haverhill Bar Association's Annual Law Day Celebration
- Author, "Where's the Risk,", nsurer fraud and the New Orleans disaster
- "Whatever Happened to the Right to a Fair Trial," published in the Boston Business Journal
- Author, Cause of Action Against Private Club or Association for Sex Based Discrimination, West Publishing Co. 2002, 2002
- Faculty- Trial Advocacy Skills and performed presentations of opening, closing, direct, cross, etc., for lawyers in one day trial skills course through MCLE, Faculty, Civil Trial Advocacy Basics Plus, MCLE
- Family Law Trial Advocacy Skills, Faculty, Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop, MCLE
- Participated as faculty member of panel providing practical skills and advice for less experienced lawyers as well as law students on the precipice of graduation and starting out in practice., Faculty Member, MCLE's 3rd Annual Pathways to Practice, MCLE, 2012
- Faculty MCLE panel - Trying Your First Case in the District Court, Faculty Member, Practical Skills Seminar, MCLE
- Speaker, The American Association for Justice
- Speaker, The 15th Annual NCWP Leadership Training Conference, 2010
- Speaker, Feminist 2000 National Convention in Baltimore
- Speaker, MD
- Speaker, The Hye Achievers for the 21st Century
- $400,000 settlement of a police misconduct/excessive force case for an individual in Massachusetts who alleged to have been improperly pulled over on the highway and beaten by police officers. , 2023
- $7,000,000 settlement for worker who fell from scaffolding in Massachusetts resulting in catastrophic injuries. , 2023
- $1.175 million personal injuries suffered by pedestrian hit by automobile, 2019
- Borne, et al. v. Haverhill Golf and Country Club, Inc.
- $280,000 Whistleblower retaliation, 2014
- $750,000 police misconduct, 2016
- $3.215 million personal injuries suffered as a result of auto/truck collision., 2019
- $3 million for loss of consortium - auto/truck collision, 2017
- $1.25 million personal injuries in motorcycle collision, 2017
These comments were made by fellow attorneys during the annual nomination process.
“Marsha is an exceptional attorney who cares for her clients.”
“Consummate professional. Lawyer's lawyer. Hardworking, knowledgeable, passionate. As good as it gets.”
“Marsha Kazarosian is a top plaintiff's employment lawyer, and a very experienced plaintiff's personal injury lawyer. Superb advocate!”
“wonderful and empathetic lawyer”
“Marsha is a trend-setter in the area of employment law, with several ground-breaking results. She is the past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. She is a great lawyer and a great example of what a lawyer should be in and for the profession.”
“Creativity and thoroughness are the keys to her many successes on behalf of her clients.”
“Marsha's has a practical approach to her practice, gleaned from her knowledge of the substantive law and her business acumen.”
“Masha joined her father in law practice and took it over when he passed away. She has a general civil practice and handles many types of cases creatively getting her clients good results.”
“Attorney Kazarisian is a well known and respected family law practitioner. However, she also has an active and successfult personal injury practice. She is a former President of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and President Elect of the Massachusetts BAr Association. She is an avid sportswoman.”
“Past President of the Massachusetts Association of Trial Attorneys and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Ms. Kazarosian is a dynamic presence in the Massachusetts bar.”
“I have known Marsha for many years. She is one of the finest attorneys and bar leaders in the Commonwealth.”
“Marsha is a trues professional with a legal acumen without peer. She's a dedicated and highly ethical attorney who does what I do, on the other side. I trust her implicitly/”
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2024
Top Lists
Top 50: Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers: 2009 - 2010, 2012 - 2013, 2020 - 2024- Top 50: 2024 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2023 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2022 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2021 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2020 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2013 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2012 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2010 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Top 50: 2009 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers
