BOSTON, March 20, 2015—Two Suffolk prosecutors will be recognized this spring as rising stars in the state’s legal community, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has named Assistant District Attorney Adam Foss of the DA’s Juvenile Unit and Assistant District Attorney Ellen Lemire of the DA’s Child Protection Unit as honorees at the Excellence in the Law event.  Foss and Lemire are among 25 attorneys to be honored as Up & Coming Lawyers at the annual event to be held May 14 at the Marriot Long Wharf Hotel.

Foss joined Conley’s office in 2008 and since that time has become deeply involved in serving the communities of Suffolk County both in and out of the courtroom.  He co-founded the SCDAO Reading Program, which brings prosecutors and others into Boston’s elementary school classrooms, and co-founded the Roxbury CHOICE Program, which uses probation to build beneficial relationships between defendants, prosecutors, the probation department, and the courts.  He was appointed by former Governor Deval Patrick to serve on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council and is active with both the Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association.

Lemire previously served as supervisor of the DA’s staff at Brighton Municipal Court and currently prosecutes cases of child abuse and exploitation.  In this role, she works with the most vulnerable victims served by Conley’s office.  Lemire serves on the Attorney General’s Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking Implementation Committee and was co-chair of the AG’s Education and Training Subcommittee of the Interagency Human Trafficking Task Force, representing the state’s District Attorneys on the task force.

“Both Adam and Ellen have dedicated their careers to ensuring public safety and, in particular, improving the lives of the children and youth of Suffolk County.  This honor is well deserved by both, and I’m grateful to see them recognized for their tireless efforts on behalf of the communities they serve,” Conley said.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.