Marilyn Lyng O’Connell

Marilyn Lyng O'ConnellMarilyn Lyng O’Connell served as Executive Director of the Judicial Nominating Commission and Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of Governor Deval L. Patrick from February 2010 to January 2015, participating in the selection, nomination, and confirmation process for 139 state court judges. Her prior work experience includes Director of Community Relations at Harvard University, Director of Investigations and Staff Attorney at the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission, Associate at the Washington, D.C. litigation firm Sellers, Conner and Cuneo, Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney, and Director of Program Development at Discovering Justice, The James D. St. Clair Court Education Project.

Marilyn held elected positions as member and chair of the Waterville Valley, New Hampshire School Board and Board of Selectmen from 1998 to 2003.  Governor William Weld appointed her in 1992 to be Commissioner of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. She is a graduate of Wellesley College (Political Science, 1972) and Boston University School of Law (1975).

For her fellowship project, Marilyn will work with the Honorable Geraldine Hines, Associate Justice of the MA Supreme Judicial Court and Co-Chair of the MA Access to Justice Commission, on a new committee of the Access to Justice Commission. The new committee will focus on the potential role of non-lawyers to help solve access to justice issues in the trial courts.