The Honorable Paul A. Chernoff, a much admired and beloved adjunct professor at BC Law, has passed away. He was a ubiquitous presence on campus, having taught Trial Practice to hundreds of students over the past thirty-six years. His experience as Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court informed and animated the Law School’s moot courtroom and earned him the reputation as a terrific teacher and colleague.
“We greatly valued Judge Chernoff’s intelligence, enthusiasm, and compassionate spirit—qualities that define his legacy,” says BC Law Dean Odette Lienau. “His students learned so much about putting law into practice.”
His colleagues felt similarly. “You could just tell that he was kind to the core, and he was such a sweet person,” says Scott Sheltra ’22, BC Law’s director of faculty services and publication. “He was always very generous with his time and with his compliments and appreciation to the staff.”
According to his biography at Brody Hardoon Perkins & Keston, Judge Chernoff presided over more than one thousand jury trials and sat as a Massachusetts Superior Court judge in every county and in the vast majority of the district courthouses. Over the past decade, he was also of counsel at the firm, where he mediated, conciliated, and arbitrated disputes.
Judge Chernoff received a mechanical engineering degree from Tufts University in 1961 and a JD from George Washington University Law School (with honors) in 1967. His career accomplishments include serving as chair of the Massachusetts Parole Board from 1972-1976 and of the Superior Court Judicial Education Committee. He worked as staff attorney in the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1965 to 1968 and taught in the MCLE trial advocacy program and at the National Judicial College. In 2004, he won the Tufts University Career Achievement Award, and in 2007 was presented with the Haskell Cohn Distinguished Judicial Service Award.
When word of Judge Chernoff’s passing circulated at BC Law School, a number of colleagues shared memories of him. Here is a sampling of those responses.
Professor Mark Brodin, Michael and Helen Lee Distinguished Scholar: The vignettes in his wonderful Bench Notes: A Judge’s Reflections for His Grandchildren, reveal my dear friend Paul Chernoff as we all knew him—a man of extraordinary humanity as a family man, innovative judge, defense lawyer, courageous probation reformer, and beloved teacher of law students (and all who shared the pleasure of his company). In “Grandpa Gets Busted” he tells of his time as a public defender in Washington, DC, when he and his colleagues spent two nights and three days in prison in Lorton, Virginia. This experience, he writes, explains “why I agonize over every sentencing decision.”
Paul was a judge’s judge—supremely skilled in overseeing the wide variety of matters that pass through the Superior Court. His handling of the heart-wrenching Dirk Greineder murder trial comes to mind whenever I think of what made Paul one of our greatest jurists. A highly respected doctor accused of brutally stabbing his wife to death during a walk around a pond in Wellesley. Every imaginable kind of forensic evidence was involved, from blood stain analysis to DNA to fingerprints, and the defendant’s children sat in court everyday of the long trial. News coverage was intensive, to say the least. Paul was masterful in handling the legal as well as the emotional aspects of this fraught story. Every decision he rendered was affirmed.
When Paul would come into my office, he lit it up, and I knew I was in for another treat.
Professor Daniel A. Lyons, Dean’s Distinguished Scholar and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Judge Chernoff was an institution on campus and a great friend to BC Law. For over forty years, he faithfully taught Trial Practice along with his close friend Judge Edward Ginsburg, who passed last year. Generations of BC Law graduates benefited from his mentorship and guidance, while his warm presence was always a pleasure to have on campus.
Professor Claire Donohue ’05, Associate Dean for the Center for Experiential Learning: I had Judge Chernoff as a prof for trial advocacy when he co-taught with Judge Edward Ginsburg. They were an amazing team, bringing such wisdom and depth of experience into the classroom in equal measure with how much kindness and humor they brought as well. As a public defender, I appeared in front of Judge Chernoff only a few times before his retirement, but he was the same in the robe as in the classroom: kind, tactful, and sharp as a tack.
Professor Alfred C. Yen, Dean’s Distinguished Scholar: Years ago, I was called to jury duty. When I entered the courtroom for voir dire, none other than Judge Chernoff was presiding, and it was a case that involved interesting questions of tort and evidence law, both of which I taught. I eventually got placed in the jury box and was called up for voir dire. I said, “Hello, judge Chernoff.” And as I remember, he replied, “Hello, Professor Yen.” After answering questions from the court and lawyers, Judge Chernoff said, “Well, I may not want you looking over my shoulder in this case, but I don’t have any grounds to exclude you from the jury.” He then looked at the lawyers to see if either would use a peremptory objection to knock out the law professor who knew the judge. Neither of them did, and I wound up serving on the jury as the foreperson. It was a very interesting case, and I learned a great deal. Every lawyer should serve on a jury, and I am grateful to have had that chance watching Judge Chernoff, who handled the case beautifully.
Professor Alan Minuskin, Director, Civil Litigation Clinic: Housing Justice: Paul was a brilliant judge, colleague, teacher, and advocate for marginalized individuals and groups, He was also among the kindest, most humble, most generous, and most approachable people I have known. He taught and personified humanism, dedication, care, and humor as essential qualities of an excellent lawyer, judge, and teacher. He had a much greater influence on me than he ever knew or would take credit for. I am very lucky to have known him.