We trace the origins of our law firm to 1971 when our former partner Arthur Serota began a solo law practice in the Court Square Building on Elm Street in Springfield. In 1976, Alan Katz joined him and they formed a partnership known as Serota and Katz. Serota and Katz established a reputation in the Pioneer Valley as tireless advocates for the underrepresented and downtrodden. Their reputation was built on aggressive criminal defense work, which gradually grew into the areas of civil rights and employment discrimination litigation. In 1980, Howie Sasson became a full time associate at Serota and Katz and the firm began to branch out into new areas, such as personal injury, medical malpractice and lead paint litigation, while maintaining their roots in criminal defense and civil rights work. In 1984 David Hoose joined the firm as an associate. On January 1, 1985 he and Howie became partners in the firm which was thereafter known as Serota, Katz, Sasson and Hoose. In 1987, our founder, Arthur Serota, retired from the law practice in order to found the Learning Tree, a program that over the years has earned a national reputation for taking high school dropouts from urban areas, getting them a college education and returning them to teach in similar urban environment. Arthur now resides in Africa where he is the Executive Director of the United Movement to End Child Soldiering. In 1988, Cindy Turnbull joined us as an associate, and our practice expanded once again into new directions. With the addition of Cindy, our practice broadened to include a greater emphasis on family law and to work with the gay and lesbian communitites. Cindy became a partner in the firm in 1995 and the name of the firm changed again to Katz, Sasson, Hoose and Turnbull. Pauline Bassett joined the firm as a part time associate in 1996, with her practice focusing primarily on the rights of children and on educational issues. In 2006, our partner Alan Katz left the practice of law to pursue other interests. He is now the Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Charter School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In September 2007, Luke Ryan joined the firm as an associate. Luke comes from a multi-generational family of lawyers and served as law clerk to United States District Judge Michael A. Ponsor before joining the firm. Luke practices criminal defense, employment and civil rights litigation. In April 2008, after over thirty years of being based in downtown Springfield, the firm moved its main office to 190 University Drive in Amherst, MA, near the Southwest gate of the University of Massachusetts. We continue to maintain a satellite office at 1145 Main Street in Springfield. In May 2008, Pauline Bassett left the firm to open her own practice. In July 2009, the firm relocated to our current beautiful new office at 100 Main Street, Third Floor, Northampton, MA.
Sasson Turnball & Hoose Northampton address and phone