Up & Coming Lawyers 2008  

William J. Lovett - Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

William J. Lovett - Organizing attorney's road race keeps this corporate lawyer running

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, August 18, 2008
By Jeannie Greeley

"Baptism by fire" is the only way William J. Lovett can describe his first job out of law school as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he handled high-profile white-collar and criminal tax cases.

As a sign of the success that has come to mark his 10-year legal career, Lovett excelled in the role, winning an Outstanding Attorney Award three times before joining Dwyer & Collora as an associate in 2006.

Now, Lovett finds himself on the other side of the courtroom aisle, defending corporations and high-ranking business executives in complex criminal litigation, tax, securities and accounting matters.

"It's much more personalized being on the defense side," he says. "You're dealing with people who have never normally been in contact with the criminal justice system before. Oftentimes, it's a very traumatic experience. You're not only giving them advice, you need to counsel them through the process."

Partially to manage stress and partially to indulge a hobby, Lovett remains an active runner from his days jogging along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. When he arrived in Boston, he decided to continue a tradition that has long united the tight-knit legal community in the nation's capital by introducing "Lawyers Have Heart," a philanthropic road race with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association.

"Bill saw the event as an opportunity to bring the legal community together in a friendly, competitive atmosphere to raise money for a cause that has personally touched Bill and many others in the community," says Rebecca Kaiser, Dwyer & Collora's director of business development. "He led the way in recruiting a planning committee that includes members from the largest and smallest firms in Boston."

With Lovett's stewardship and organization, the first-ever Lawyers Have Heart 5K race was held in June, its roster full at 500 attorneys, and it helped raise more than $50,000.

"One thing about lawyers is that there are a lot of different events you can go to. Inevitably, it always involves lawyers sitting around talking about legal issues," says Lovett. "It's tough to break free from that mindset, and I think this [race] does that."

With next year's event already scheduled, Lovett says he looks forward to the run being, quite literally, a long-running tradition for Boston's legal community.

"[Lawyering] can be a stressful job," he says, "and I think it reminds everyone that they need to take care of themselves."

AGE: 39 | GRADUATED: Boston College Law School, 1999 | POSITION: Associate, Dwyer & Collora, Boston | One thing about him that might surprise people: "I love to watch 'Tom and Jerry' with my kids."

Jeannie Greeley, formerly a reporter for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, is a freelance writer.

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