Jeffrey Roy

Jeffrey N. Roy
Roy in 2019
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 10th Norfolk district
Assumed office
2013
Preceded byJames Vallee
Personal details
Born (1961-09-08) September 8, 1961 (age 63)
Milford, Massachusetts, US
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
ResidenceFranklin, Massachusetts
Alma materBates College
Boston College Law School
OccupationAttorney
Websitejeffreyroy.com

Jeffrey N. Roy is a State Representative in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts General Court. Roy represents the 10th Norfolk District, which includes the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts in its entirety, and Precincts 2, 3, and 4 of the Town of Medway, Massachusetts. Roy was elected on the 6th of November, 2012.

Education

Roy is a 1986 cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in 1983, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Bates Student newspaper. In addition, Jeff received engineering training at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1979 to 1981 and one year of legal training at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Jeff participated in a judicial clerkship in 1985-86 with Francis J. Larkin on the Appellate Division of the District Court, Western Division.

Career

Roy is employed at Roy Law in Franklin, Massachusetts, a law firm he started in 2013 to be closer to his district. His entire legal career has been primarily devoted to the representation of injured persons. He specializes in product liability cases, automobile accidents, construction accidents, and other work-related injuries. Roy has represented clients at all levels of the trial and appellate courts in Massachusetts. In addition, he has appeared in cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and Superior Court, the Federal District Courts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the Rhode Island Superior Court, Colorado Superior Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

While serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Roy would become the Chairperson of the House's Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, and played a prominent role in pushing important legislation, including legislation related to climate change.[1][2]

Roy is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Public service

Roy on the Massachusetts State House Balcony
Official portrait

Before his run for State office, Roy held a number of municipal positions in the town of Franklin. In 2011, he was elected to the Town Council and was later selected to chair the town’s Master Plan Committee.

Prior to Town Council, he served on the School Committee in Franklin, and served as its chairman for 9 of his 10 years of service with that board.

In 2010, he was elected as the chairman of the Franklin Democratic Town Committee, co-chaired Franklin’s Anti-Bullying Task Force, served as a member of Franklin’s Horace Mann School Building Committee, and was the chairman of the board of directors for the non-profit Masque Theatre Co., Inc. in Milford, Massachusetts. Other memberships include the College Club and Alumni-in-Admissions for Bates College.

Personal life

Roy is the father of three children, all educated in the Franklin school system.

Roy is an avid cyclist and an 22-year veteran rider in the annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge event which raises money for the Jimmy Fund. He has been riding as a member of the Phil Phriends team since 2003 and Phat Tuesday since 2023. He is also a guitar player and member of the band Ben Gardner’s Boat.

His honors and awards include the St. Thomas More Society of Worcester Scholarship and the American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law.

Potential ethics violation and divorce filing

On December 6, 2024, The Boston Globe revealed that Roy had been engaged in an adulterous affair with lobbyist Jennifer Crawford, who had also played a significant role in pushing important legislation, included a sweeping climate change bill, through the Massachusetts state legislature.[3] Roy disclosed the affair in memo to the State House clerk on July 10, 2023.[3] On December 16, 2024, it was made public that Roy's longtime wife Maureen separated from him in November 2022, and later also filed for divorce on July 11, 2023.[2] It was also revealed that in alimony papers which were filed in March 2024, Maureen alleged that Roy's romantic affair with Crawford had been occuring since "at least 2019," which was longer than Roy initially claimed.[2] In April 2024, Roy filed a motion which sought to keep Maureen's alimony file sealed for 20 years.[2] Though Roy's relationship with Crawford did not have any legal violations, it has been seen as a potential ethics violation, due to Crawford's professional relationship with him and her influence in getting legislation he pushed passed in the Massachusetts State House.[3] Roy's divorce proceedings remain ongoing.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "Representative Jeffrey N. Roy". Massachusetts House of Representatives. Retrieved December 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e Gross, Samatha J. (December 16, 2024). "In divorce filing, wife of Mass. House chairman alleges he started relationship with top lobbyist earlier than disclosed". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Gross, Samantha J. (December 6, 2024). "In sweeping climate bill, this lawmaker and lobbyist played influential roles. Turns out they are dating". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 16, 2024.