Richard S. Milstein

Richard S. Milstein, age 99, of Boston, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts to Abraham and Sarah Milstein, who immigrated from Russia at the turn of the last century. He was one of three children; his sisters Charlotte (Moskowitz) and Gladys (Rosenthal) preceded him in death. He is survived by four nephews, Gary R. Moskowitz, Kenneth S. Moskowitz, David B. Moskowitz, and Bruce N. Rosenthal; a niece, Deborah G. Rosenthal; several grandnieces and grandnephews; and a number of close friends. Mr. Milstein’s family was active in Westfield’s business community. He attended Westfield public schools and was valedictorian of his graduating class before entering the Class of 1948 at Harvard College. While at Harvard, he majored in English and was a resident of Adams House. He earned a J.D. from Boston University Law School in 1952, and in the same year, secured a commission in the United States Coast Guard, stationed in Boston aboard the cutter, “William J. Duane.” He served in the Coast Guard for fourteen years, two of which were spent on active duty. He graduated from the Officer Candidate School in New London, CT and the Naval Justice School in Newport, RI, and tried cases in the USCG’s First District Court, headquartered in Boston. As a commissioned officer, he earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Following his term of active duty, he joined the Springfield law firm of Ely, King, Kingsbury & Corcoran (later Ely & King) where he built a practice in transactional work and estate planning and became a partner. Later in his career and at the time of his retirement, Mr. Milstein was a partner with Robinson Donovan, P.C. of Springfield.

In addition to his active practice of law as an estate planner and business transactionalist, Mr. Milstein was a nationally known visionary in the field of continuing legal education for lawyers. He was one of the architects of continuing legal education who envisioned what was to become the international Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA), an active professional organization whose mission is to serve the legal profession worldwide through leadership, community, education, and development. Mr. Milstein served as the first chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Education Committee in 1962. In 1969, he helped to establish the nonprofit, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE | New England), then of Springfield and now centered in Boston. Under Mr. Milstein’s stewardship and guidance, MCLE became the premier provider of continuing legal education in Massachusetts and a model for CLE organizations across the world. Until the last couple of years, he was active in advising on MCLE’s strategic initiatives and long-range planning. He was greatly admired by and served as an inspiration to MCLE’s staff and its Board of Trustees. In recent years, he helped to establish an endowment to fund MCLE scholarships for future generations of pro bono and legal services attorneys, as well as for other deserving lawyers. His legacy, the Richard S. Milstein Scholarship Fund, is a cornerstone of MCLE's scholarship endowment. On the occasion of MCLE’s 50th anniversary, he created a fund to endow a free lecture series to feature prominent presenters on topics related to law, the profession, and society. The Richard S. Milstein Lecture Series Fund brings world-class journalists, jurists, and other thought leaders together to address such topics as the future of the United States Supreme Court, the impact of technological progress on a changing legal profession, and the qualities of leadership in the legal community. Mr. Milstein’s endowment has also enabled MCLE to provide enhanced access to its programming to hearing-impaired members of the legal community.

Mr. Milstein was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel in 1979. In 1997, he was honored with the Harrison Tweed Award from the American Law Institute-American Bar Association for his exceptional service and career-long dedication to continuing legal education. In 1999, he received the William Pynchon Award for his distinguished public service and contributions to the cultural life of Western Massachusetts. He was elected to the American Law Institute and the American Bar Foundation. Locally, he served on Massachusetts Gov. Foster Furcolo's commission to study the Uniform Commercial Code prior to its adoption in 1959, and on Gov. Francis Sargent's Special Commission to revise the Massachusetts Securities Laws in 1970. In 1975, He was appointed by Gov. Michael Dukakis as a charter member of the first Judicial Nominating Council, which formalized a merit-based judicial selection process in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Committed to public and community service, Mr. Milstein co-founded WGBY, the WGBH-affiliated public television station in Western Massachusetts, and served as a trustee and trustee emeritus of WGBH. He served on the boards of such diverse cultural institutions as the Springfield Library and Museum Association, Baystate Medical Center, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Huntington Theater Company, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Supreme Judicial Court Historical Society.

Burial will be private.