Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to announce that special counsel Gerry Leone has been named to the 2026 Hall of Fame class by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
The annual Hall of Fame list, reserved for lawyers with 30 or more years of practice, “recognizes the most distinguished lawyers in Massachusetts for a lifetime of achievement, leadership, and service to the legal profession.” Criteria for inclusion include career accomplishments, contributions to the development of the law in Massachusetts, contributions to the bar, and efforts to improve the quality of justice within the state.
Gerry’s Boston-based practice is split between his role as co-head of Hunton’s higher education and private schools practice and utilizing his broad-based public, governmental, and private practice experience in niche situations that require his distinctive skills, as well as in safety, security, and executive protection matters. He provides a variety of clients—both individuals and organizations—with thoughtful, strategic advice and practical decision-making tools in legal, business, regulatory, compliance, and ethics matters across higher education, litigation, and all types of investigations. Gerry leans on the diversity of past positions, responsibilities, and experience in building his current practice.
Prior to joining Hunton, Gerry was a former General Counsel of the University of Massachusetts from 2017-2023 where he was the Chief Legal Officer, and an advisor and counsel for the entire UMass system and the President’s Office, Board of Trustees, and related university business entities. Gerry is also a former elected District Attorney for Middlesex County, First Assistant US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, DOJ Anti-Terrorism and National Security Chief post September 11th, and Chief of the Criminal Bureau at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, he has held a variety of leadership and internal counsel roles within the business sector.
This unique set of experience informs Gerry’s ability to bring people and agencies together and offers familiarity in interacting with local, state, and federal prosecutors, government regulators, and law enforcement officers. He seeks to effectively avoid or control litigation, mitigating and minimizing client exposure—from risk prevention to crisis management, including independent corporate monitoring or receivership needed to investigate, address, and remediate alleged compliance-related misconduct.
Leone and his fellow 2026 honorees will be celebrated with an awards luncheon on September 15 in Boston. More information on Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Hall of Fame can be found here.
