Suma Nair Becomes President of the Boston Bar Association: A Vision for Community, Integrity, and Access to Justice

Before Suma Nair became a seasoned trusts and estates attorney, before she served on the executive committee of a major law firm, before she became Chief Fiduciary Officer of a now 140-year-old trust company, before she quietly and steadily rose through the leadership ranks of the Boston Bar Association—she was a five-year-old child in Monroe, Wisconsin, recently returned from spending the past three years with her grandparents in India.

She spoke little English, but she carried with her the discipline of her extended family, the dreams of her immigrant parents, and an emerging spark of curiosity that would light her path for decades to come.

“I was the gigantic kid in what they called the Tot Lot, for 3- and 4-year-olds” she recalls with a smile. “I didn’t speak the language, but I was eager to learn. And I always wanted to see more, understand more.”

That sense of wonder about the world has guided Nair through every chapter of her life. Now, as she assumes the role of President of the Boston Bar Association, it fuels her vision for an organization rooted in principle and purpose, well equipped to handle the challenges of the modern legal landscape.

Born to Indian immigrants in a small Midwestern town known more for dairy farms than diversity, Nair’s early life was shaped by contrast. Her parents, both physicians, instilled in her the value of education and self-reliance, while her years in India under the care of her grandparents left her with a quiet strength and deep appreciation for character and community.

“That time in my life was formative,” she says. “It grounded me and made me who I am today. I returned to the U.S. with a hunger to learn, to understand, and to grow.”

Her academic path took her from Monroe’s public-school classrooms to Dartmouth College, where she studied international relations, Russian language and literature, and global affairs. Her early ambition was to become a Foreign Service officer. “I was always drawn to systems and policy—how societies function, how cultures develop over time, and how policy influences behavior and drives change.”

After college, Nair worked as an international trade and finance paralegal at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. Her husband, Colin, whom she had met while at Dartmouth, was already there in law school. Eventually, after Colin completed law school, they moved to Boston so Nair could attend law school. Unexpectedly, she found herself drawn not to international law, but to the intimate and deeply human world of tax and estate planning.

“I took a tax law class almost by accident,” she says. “And it turned out to be this incredibly rich window into fairness, policy, and the human decisions behind statutes.” She describes her love for the tax code as “deeply nerdy,” but also deeply rooted in values. “Tax is about who we are and want to be as a society—what we choose to incentivize, what activities and behaviors we deem worthy of public support.”

The couple fully expected to return to D.C. after she finished law school. Colin joined a firm with offices in both cities, and Nair spent her 1L summer at a law firm in D.C.

But Boston had other plans.

Over time, they began to notice that Boston was a city where people were from—a place where friendships and professional connections were rooted in the community, not reset every election cycle as they often were in D.C. Friends here were active in local organizations; law firms took pride in being “Boston-based”; people knew each other the way they did in their own hometowns. “We liked that,” Nair says. “It felt familiar, and it felt like home.”

Her 2L summer, she worked at Goulston & Storrs, and the rest, as she puts it, “is history.” Since 2002, she and Colin have lived in Cambridge, now splitting their time between there and Maine.

When she joined Goulston & Storrs after being a summer associate, she was offered and accepted a position in the firm’s trusts and estates group. “At first, I wasn’t sure I had the temperament for it,” she admits. “It felt like a lot of family drama. But it turns out it suited me perfectly, and I discovered how meaningful and professionally satisfying it is to help people navigate mortality as well as difficult transitions with clarity and compassion.”

Patricia Smock, Vice President & Trust Counsel at Fiduciary Trust recalls, “I remember shortly after Suma started at Fiduciary, I shared that I was struggling with trust beneficiaries who were at an impasse over the sale of a trust-owned family vacation home… Suma’s solution balanced legal rigor with emotional sensitivity, setting the stage for the family to work through their differences with efficiency and respect.”

Suma’s colleagues have long recognized these qualities. “Even in a room full of talented lawyers, Suma will stand out because of her extraordinary intellect – her ability to quickly spot issues, identify the crux of a problem, analyze options, and identify creative solutions,” says Michelle M. Porter, Director at Goulston & Storrs. “She is also very personable and easily connects with people.”

Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, who has worked with Nair as a board member for years, offers a more poetic take: “Suma’s natural ability to cultivate greatness is not restricted to her professional work; she loves planting and enjoying tulips, which is an apt metaphor for Suma’s innate understanding of the diligence and patience required to achieve worthwhile results.”

Over the next sixteen years, Nair built a career grounded in integrity, intellectual rigor, and an unshakable commitment to doing the right thing. Her mentors taught her that mistakes can be fixed—but only if you have the courage to own them. “That’s the kind of lawyer I strive to be,” she says. “Honest, accountable, and always learning.”

Smock says, “In a time where the legal profession faces increasing criticism and external pressures, Suma stands firm as a strong advocate for upholding the values that make lawyers essential: fairness, transparency, and a commitment to access to justice. Suma is actively engaged in efforts to fortify the legal profession, by mentoring younger attorneys, creating spaces where practitioners can connect with each other both personally and professionally, and contributing to initiatives that strengthen the public’s trust in lawyers.”

Nair’s journey with the Boston Bar Association began in a moment of serendipity—and mild confusion. Invited by a partner to a BBA meeting, she assumed it was a seminar. It wasn’t. “It turned out to be a business meeting of the Trusts & Estates Section with committee reports and everything,” she laughs. “I had no idea what was going on.”

But that unexpected introduction became a turning point. The BBA’s then–Public Service Director approached her afterward and asked if she wanted to fill a spot as co-chair of the Section’s public service subcommittee. She said yes. And then she kept saying yes.

“That’s the thing about the BBA,” she says. “They saw potential in me even before I fully saw it in myself. They gave me space to lead early, to learn by doing, to stretch into roles I didn’t know I was ready for—but somehow was.”

Over the years, Nair co-chaired the Trusts & Estates Section, served on the Council and Executive Committee, chaired the Joint Finance Committee, and helped shape major policy initiatives. Through it all, she found not just professional growth, but a deep and abiding sense of belonging. “I found community here,” she says simply. “That’s what the BBA means to me—community, opportunity, and purpose.”

As BBA President, Nair hopes to strengthen that sense of community and purpose and reaffirm the organization’s role as a beacon of excellence, service, and access to justice. Her presidency will focus on several key areas: embracing innovations like artificial intelligence while balancing professional responsibility and the practical needs of members; strengthening the pipeline of future leaders; and ensuring the BBA remains a welcoming, inclusive home for all lawyers.

“As BBA president, Suma will bring an open mind and unifying approach to leadership,” says Carol Rose. “At a time when the legal profession needs courageous and creative leaders, the BBA is in good hands with Suma at the helm.”

Michelle Porter believes that Nair’s leadership will have lasting impact: “I think Suma will be an inspirational leader, who will motivate others. I know that she really values community and mentorship and am confident that she will motivate others to commit to those areas.”

“I want people—especially younger lawyers—to see the BBA as a place where they belong,” Nair says. “Where they can grow, learn, and contribute. Where they can be part of something bigger than themselves.”

She’s also committed to continuing the work of her predecessor, Matt McTygue, in championing democracy, the rule of law, and the independence of the judiciary. “We don’t have the luxury of disengagement from these issues,” she says. “As lawyers, I feel that we have a profound responsibility to uphold the principles of our constitutions, both state and federal. We must protect them—together.”

For Nair, service is not an extra; it’s a core part of the profession. She sees enormous opportunity—and in fact, and obligation—for Boston lawyers to contribute to the public good, whether through pro bono work, civic engagement, or simply showing up. “Things like Walk to the Hill matter to our Commonwealth and our democracy,” she says. “There’s power in showing up as part of this historic professional community.”

She also believes the BBA has a critical role to play in continuing to advance diversity and inclusion in the profession, especially as the legal field navigates conflicting guidance from the Commonwealth and the federal government. “We cannot cultivate excellence in our profession – or even give excellent advice – without vigorous legal debate, which requires diversity of thought, experience, and perspective, fostered by an inclusive environment that encourages differences of opinion, which may be informed by lived experience” she says. “As the BBA, we can provide education, expertise, and creative solutions for those seeking to promote excellence. And we can and do model what it means to lead with integrity and inclusion.”

When asked what success would look like at the end of her term, Nair’s answer is humble and clear. “If I can help carry forward the long history and tradition of leadership at the BBA, if I can make our members and our staff feel seen and valued, if I can deepen the sense of community we all rely on—then I’ll feel I’ve done my job.”

She pauses, then adds, “We don’t have to do everything alone. That’s the gift of this profession and the beauty of the Boston Bar Association. It’s a constant reminder that, with clarity of vision and purpose, the work becomes lighter—and the impact becomes exponentially greater—when we work together.