Kate R. Cook

Kate R. Cook is an American lawyer and government official serving as the chief of staff for the Massachusetts governor's office since January 2023.^[1][2]

Education

Cook is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School and a member of the Boston Bar Association.^[3]

Career

Early career

Cook served as assistant corporation counsel at the City of Boston,^[when?] general counsel to the Massachusetts Senate Ways & Means Committee, Appointed Commissioner to the Commission on Judicial Conduct for Massachusetts, and chief legal counsel to Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick.^[when?][3]

Private practice

Cook was a partner at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen P.C. law firm^[4][5] where she chaired the government law and election law practice groups and had an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights and civil liberties matters.^[3][6]

Massachusetts Attorney General's office

In November 2021, Massachusetts attorney general (AG) Maura Healey announced that she had appointed Cook as First Assistant Attorney General, succeeding Mary Strother, who resigned to take a job in the private sector. Cook began serving as the first assistant attorney general in January 2022.^[7] Cook's responsibilities include helping to manage the legal work of the Attorney General's Office.

Cook briefly served as the acting attorney general of Massachusetts on January 5, 2023, for a few hours in the morning after Maura Healey resigned to become Governor of Massachusetts but before her swearing in at noon. She resigned at noon to become Healey's chief of staff. State Solicitor Bessie Dewar then served as the acting attorney general of Massachusetts, taking the helm of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office from Cook, from noon on January 5, 2023, until Attorney General Andrea Campbell was sworn in on January 18, 2023.^[8] Then Attorney General-elect Campbell named Pat Moore to succeed Cook as First Assistant Attorney General.^[9]

Massachusetts Governor's office

In December 2022, Cook was named by governor-elect Healey to be chief of staff of the governor's office and assumed that office on January 5, 2023.^{[10][9][1][2]}

References

1. ^ Kuznitz, Alison (December 13, 2022). "Gov.-elect Maura Healey starts naming top staff for new administration". Mass Live. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
2. ^ "Governor's Office Staff". Mass.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
3. ^ "Kate R. Cook". Boston Bar Association. Retrieved 4 December 2022.^{[self-published source?]}
4. ^ "Sugarman Rogers' Kate Cook Appointed Massachusetts' First Assistant Attorney General". Sugarman Rogers. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
5. ^ Ryan, Greg (September 14, 2017). "Ex-Patrick lawyer set to defend millionaires' tax in court case". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
6. ^ Lisinski, Chris (27 October 2022). "Healey win would require Interim AG". WWLP 22 News. State House News Service. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
7. ^ Fennimore, Jillian (22 November 2021). "AG Healey Appoints New First Assistant Attorney General As Mary Strother Becomes General Counsel to Northeastern". Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
8. ^ "State solicitor in line to be acting AG". Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. State House News Service. December 13, 2022.
9. ^ Kuznitz, Alison (December 20, 2022). "AG-elect Campbell appoints Pat Moore first assistant attorney general". Mass Live. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
10. ^ Murphy, Matt & Norton, Michael P. (December 21, 2022). "Incoming attorney general names Baker deputy as first assistant AG". Worcester Business Journal. State House News Service. Retrieved December 29, 2022. Kate Cook … has been tapped as Gov.-elect Maura Healey's chief of staff.