The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) and its Women of Color Committee announce its upcoming Pioneering Women of Color Celebration. The annual event will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Goulston & Storrs PC.  The WBA will honor two distinguished women at the celebration: Allison Cartwright and the late Renee Inomata.  

Allison S. Cartwright is the Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, having been sworn in on January 1, 2025. She is the second woman and first Black person to hold the position since its founding in 1693. In her role, she oversees the Court’s single justice caseload, bar admissions, and attorney discipline matters. Clerk Cartwright began her career as a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), later serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston. She went on to found and lead her own firm, Cartwright Law Office, and served as a bar advocate and Supervising Attorney for Suffolk Lawyers for Justice. She returned to CPCS in a leadership capacity as Attorney-in-Charge of the Roxbury Defenders Unit and was subsequently promoted to Managing Director of the Central Region, overseeing multiple offices across Suffolk and Norfolk counties. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Boston College Law School, Clerk Cartwright has also been deeply involved in mentoring and training the next generation of attorneys, serving as faculty at Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and as a frequent speaker to students at all levels.

Renee Inomata was a partner in the Employment Law Group at Casner & Edwards, where she advised employers on employment law matters. She played a key role in launching the firm’s Women’s Initiative and was actively engaged in mentoring and advancing women lawyers. Renee also held leadership roles supporting women’s leadership and entrepreneurship, including as an advisory board member of the Babson College Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership WINLab Program. Her service and leadership were recognized through numerous honors, including the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts Community Service Award and being named one of Get Konnected Boston’s 50 Most Influential Asian-American Pacific Islanders in 2023. She also served as Chair of the GBH Board of Advisors, Chair of Brown University’s President’s Diversity Advisory Council, Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation, and Past Chair of the Massachusetts Asian American Commission. Renee passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2025.

In honoring both Allison Cartwright and the late Renee Inomata, WBA President Margaret A. Caulfield remarked, “These exceptional honorees reflect the very best of leadership in our legal community. Renee’s legacy reflects a profound commitment to mentorship, leadership, and advancing opportunities for others, while Clerk Cartwright’s distinguished career and service continue to shape our profession in meaningful ways. Their dedication to excellence and to advancing equity in our profession and society is an inspiration to us all. The WBA is proud to honor Allison Cartwright and the late Renee Inomata.”