BOSTON - Governor Maura T. Healey today nominated Jessica Dubin, Alexandra Flanders, Mikalen Howe, and Carla Salvucci as Associate Justices to the Probate and Family Court. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation.  

“The Probate and Family Court plays an essential role in providing justice for families across the state, and I’m confident that these distinguished attorneys will make strong additions to the bench,” said Governor Healey. “I’m proud to nominate them and appreciate the Governor’s Council’s consideration.”

“These nominees are incredibly talented and experienced, and they will add tremendous value to our Probate and Family Court,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council to move these nominees forward to serve the people of Massachusetts.”

The Probate and Family Court Department handles court matters that involve families and children, like divorce, child support, and wills. The Probate and Family Court Department's mission is to deliver timely justice to the public by providing equal access to a fair, equitable, and efficient forum to solve family and probate legal matters and to help and protect all individuals, families, and children impartially and respectfully.

Earlier this term, Governor Healey appointed Manisha Bhatt, Bernadette Stark and Michelle Yee to serve as Associate Justices of the Probate and Family Court. Governor Healey also appointed Stephanie L. Everett, Esq. to serve as the Suffolk Register of Probate, and Mark Ames to serve as Hampshire Register of Probate.

For more information about the Probate and Family Court, visit its homepage.

About the Nominees:

Jessica Dubin is currently Partner at Lee & Rivers LLP. Attorney Dubin has also provided pro bono representation to survivors of domestic abuse and received the Women’s Bar Foundation 2019 Nery J. Arrano Award in recognition of her exceptional volunteerism. Attorney Dubin currently serves as an editor of the Boston Bar Journal. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.  

Alexandra Flanders has served in the Probate & Family Court since 2013, first as an assistant judicial case manager and since 2020 as a judicial case manager, where she is responsible for providing legal expertise to judges and responding to questions from staff, attorneys and the public. Attorney Flanders was part of the creation of the first family treatment court in Massachusetts, serving families where substance use disorder is an issue. Attorney Flanders also has broad experience, having run a solo practice with a concentration in probate and estate matters and having represented indigent defendants with the Legal Aid Society in New York and on behalf of the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts. Attorney Flanders holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Bard College and a Juris Doctor, *** laude, from New York University School of Law.   

Mikalen Howe currently serves as an Assistant Judicial Case Manager for the Probate and Family Court in Bristol County. She previously spent more than fifteen years in private practice, first as a partner at Rubin and Rudman LLP and then as a founding member of a domestic relations firm, Walsh & Howe, LLC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.

Carla Salvucci is currently the lead attorney and owner of Salvucci Law, LLC, which specializes in all aspects of family law. She began her career as a Litigation Associate handling a variety of commercial, domestic relations, employment, criminal defense, and bankruptcy matters, first at Brown Rudnick, LLP and later at Todd & Weld, LLP.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.