Former bankruptcy judge who drew media spotlight finds a new job

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Former US Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Somma, who resigned after his arrest on a drunken driving charge in February, has been hired by a Boston law firm as a senior counsel in the bankruptcy department.

Larry Athan, managing partner of Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP, said in a statement today that Somma's "experience in private practice and on the bench is unparalleled and will add extraordinary depth to our growing bankruptcy practice."

On Feb. 13, Somma pleaded no contest in Manchester, N.H. to a first-degree misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated and agreed to pay $600 in fines and penalities in connection with a car accident there a week earlier. He had rear-ended a pickup truck at a traffic light, prompting officers to question him and charge him with drunken driving.

The case made headlines because Somma, who joined the bankruptcy court in 2004, was wearing a dress and makeup when he was arrested.

Initially, Somma planned to resign by April 1, but he didn't officially leave the bench until late May because he tried to rescind his resignation. Many lawyers in the bankruptcy bar praised him as a thoughtful and intelligent jurist, and more than 200 bankruptcy lawyers signed a letter urging the First US Circuit Court of Appeals to reject his resignation.

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