Two North County Law Firms Merge

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Local law firms Donovan & O’Connor, LLP, and DeRosa Dohoney, LLP, have merged as of the first of the year.

The combined entity will maintain the name Donovan & O'Connor and plans to locate its North Adams headquarters at the current DeRosa Dohoney offices in Building 1 of the Mass MoCA complex.  

The region's oldest and largest law firm, Donovan & O'Connor traces its roots back to 1913 when Walter Donovan first began the practice. Before the merger, the firm had 15 actively practicing attorneys with offices in Pittsfield, North Adams and Springfield, as well as Bennington, Vt.

DeRosa Dohoney is the successor law firm to Freedman, DeRosa & Rondeau which was founded in 1976 by Morton Freedman, John B. DeRosa and Patrick Rondeau. In addition to representing its private clients, the law firm has had a visible profile in Berkshire County, playing a lead role in the development of Mass MoCA and other city and county wide economic initiatives. The firm has represented the city of North Adams since 1983, which Attorney DeRosa will continue to do.

Richard M. Dohoney, also a partner at DeRosa Dohoney, will also join Donovan & O’Connor, as well as several staff members. Dohoney, who earned a Rising Star designation from Superlawyers Magazine from 2010 through 2012, will work primarily out of the firm's Pittsfield office and will continue to serve clients from throughout Berkshire County.

MCLA Announces Four Finalists for Next President

03:46PM / Thursday, April 02, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts announced four finalists for the position of president, following a national search. 

 

The finalists were selected by the MCLA Presidential Search Committee and will participate in on-campus visits scheduled for the weeks of April 6 and April 13.

 

The successful candidate will replace President James Birge, who is retiring at the end of the term. 

 

The four finalists are David Jenemann, Michael J. Middleton, Sherri Givens Mylott, and Diana L. Rogers-Adkinson.

 

David Jenemann

David Jenemann is dean of the Patrick Leahy Honors College and professor of English and film and television studies at the University of Vermont, where he oversees recruitment, retention, curricular innovation, and advancement for an interdisciplinary college serving undergraduates from across the university, including UVM's campuswide Office of Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research. 

 

An internationally recognized scholar, he has published three books and numerous articles, with research spanning intellectual and cultural history, mass media, and the intersection of sports and society.

He holds a doctor of philosophy from the University of Minnesota and completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education.