The Joseph F. Agnelli, Jr. Scholarship Fund

Joseph F. Agnelli, Jr.
Co-Founding Partner, Agnelli Law Offices, P.C.

Character, Integrity and Ethics—Three pillars defining a successful legal career.

With a career spanning nearly 5 decades, Joe Agnelli is widely recognized as a preeminent workers' compensation practitioner in Massachusetts. Joe has made a successful career out of protecting and defending the rights of injured workers and their families. Joe, quite literally, wrote the book on Massachusetts' workers' compensation practice. He has contributed to many MCLE publications, including the 2001 MCLE publication, “Workers' Compensation Practice in Massachusetts, and is the author of "The Board - A History of the First Century of the Massachusetts Industrial Accident Board and the Workers' Compensation Act" published in April 2011. In addition to his contributions to MCLE publications, Joe also unselfishly volunteered his time to chair the annual Workers' Compensation seminar at MCLE for 25 years, one of the most successful annual seminars hosted by MCLE.

Joe attended Suffolk Law School and, upon graduating, almost immediately began his illustrious career in workers' compensation. After a brief stint defending insurance companies, he joined Keches & Mallen in the mid-80's and worked there for nearly 30 years representing injured workers. He left there in 2015 to co-found Agnelli Law Offices, P.C., with his son in Worcester, where he continues to practice today. He has helped Agnelli Law grow over the past ten years from a small firm of two attorneys and one paralegal to a firm of three attorneys and four paralegals.

Joe practices with integrity and with immense respect towards his colleagues and adversaries, towards the bench, and towards DIA personnel. While still zealously advocating for his clients, Joe always practiced ethically earning him a strong reputation among his peers.

Joe demonstrates a level of competence that many would be envious of and achievable by only a few. He exemplifies a level of professionalism that all strive for, and he is a role model and mentor to many younger attorneys.

Aside from the practice of law, Joe is a devoted husband, father and grandfather with six grandchildren. He is also a history buff and an avid hockey fan. He will tell you some of his happiest moments come from watching his grandsons play hockey. As a devoted family man, Joe always found a way to be present for his family while managing his practice and achieving great success. To him, however, success is not measured by dollars and cents but by the reputation he cultivated, and the legacy he will leave behind for others to follow. The intent of the Joe Agnelli MCLE Scholarship is to provide resources to practitioners fostering Joe's ideals of Character, Integrity and Ethics.

A committee has been formed to create this new scholarship fund in honor of this longtime, dedicated MCLE volunteer:

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Joseph F. Agnelli, III, Agnelli Law Offices, PC
Ryan L. Benharris, Law Offices of Deborah G. Kohl
Joseph J. Durant, Tentindo, Kendall, Canniff & Keefe LLP
Alan S. Pierce, Pierce, Pierce & Napolitano
Meredith P. Rainey, Morrison Mahoney LLP
James E. Ramsey, Ramsey Law Offices, PC