Finalists Picked for First Judge of Barrington Municipal Court

Two finalists for Barrington’s first Municipal Court judge were interviewed by the Town Council this week – one is expected to be named to the position on June 3. 

Francis “Frank” Connor and Dean Robinson, attorneys who live in Barrington, went before the Town Council on Monday evening. They were selected from among 10 highly qualified attorneys who applied for the post, according to MariAnn Oliveira, Barrington’s human resources director.

“We expect to appoint one as the Municipal Court judge at our next meeting on June 3,” said Town Councilor Cynthia Coyne, who has been guiding the creation of a Municipal Court since she recommended it last year.

“It has been a long and diligent process,” she said. “We are very fortunate to have two well-qualified candidates to pick from.” 

Coyne said that all of the “HR formalities” – reference and background checks -- will be handled by Oliveira before the Town Council’s next meeting on June 3. If everything stays on track and the councilor make an appointment at that meeting, the Municipal Court will hold its first session on July 18.

Connor is a partner in the Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman law firm in Providence. He lives with his wife and three children on Harbour Road.

Connor’s resume and profile on the law firm’s website describes him as a trial and appellate attorney in the state and federal courts in RI and Massachusetts for 22 years. His expertise is described as medical professional liability defense, business disputes, insurance and reinsurance issues and catastrophic personal injuries.

He serves as a mediator and arbitrator, including for Superior Court civil cases. He has been his law firm’s administrative partner for nine of the past 14 years while continuing to work as a full-time litigator.

Connor was an associate at Taylor Anderson & Travers for three years in the ‘90s before moving to Taylor Duane. He was a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. He holds BA and JD degrees from Georgetown University. 

Active in Barrington, he volunteers in the schools and as a youth sports coach, and he races a sailboat on Tuesday nights on Narragansett Bay.

Robinson’s resume shows that he has been operating a private practice since 2004 on Willett Avenue in Riverside, East Providence, with a concentration in business law, probate and civil litigation. He lives with his wife and three children on New Meadow Road. 

Robinson said he has tried cases in the Probate, District and Superior Courts of Rhode Island, in the U.S. District Court of RI and in Massachusetts.

Before opening his Riverside law firm, he served as an associate with John Reilly & Associates in Warwick. Robinson also was the chief operating officer and general counsel for Skin Medicine USA in Warwick for two years, where he supervised all legal, administrative and human resources functions for a multi-state medical practice. He operated a law practice in Warwick for 10 years before taking that post. 

Robinson earned a law degree from the New England School of Law. He holds an M.S. in taxation from Bryant University and a BS in accounting from the University of Rhode Island. He lists his hobbies as reading, golf, traveling and playing the guitar.