YOUNG LAWYER’S CHAIR SA’ADIYAH MASOUD ('03)
Sa’adiyah Masoud ('03) is a litigation attorney at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP in Boston. She maintains a diverse practice focused on professional liability defense, products liability, and matters of coverage. Prior to joining her current firm, Masoud primarily represented and defended architects and engineers in construction litigation, and she also clerked
GERARD H. COHEN AWARD ELIZABETH CERRATO ('89)
Elizabeth Cerrato ('89) is the assistant dean for administration at Boston University School of Law, a role she has held since rejoining the dean’s office in 2008. Cerrato previously worked as a member of the dean’s staff from 2003 to 2006 before entering the private sector for a few years. As assistant dean for administration, Cerrato oversees the law school’s finances, human resources, IT services,
with the Massachusetts Superior Court. For the past two years, Masoud has been listed by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Massachusetts, and she recently was selected for and participated in the Women’s Bar Association’s Leadership Initiative. Masoud is an enthusiastic member of various bar associations and has participated and served on almost every bar association in the Commonwealth. Notably, she served as president of the South Asian Bar Association, chaired the national South Asian Bar Convention
in Boston in 2010, and for several years chaired the Women of Color Committee for the Women’s Bar Association. She currently serves on the executive board of the national umbrella organization for South Asian attorneys, the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), and sits on the board of directors of the MCLE. She is also a devoted advocate of the arts and is a member of two book clubs. She earned her B.A. from Duke University and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 2003.
and countless administrative functions. Every day, she manages a steady stream of requests from sources that range from faculty needing funding for a major conference to students needing to order supplies for class projects. Additionally, Cerrato oversees the operation of the dean’s office, offering counsel and support to the dean on the most important issues facing the law school. A 1989 graduate of the six-year B.A./J.D. program at Boston University, Cerrato began her career practicing criminal law in Boston. She later transitioned
to work in human resources management at Interaction Associates, a company that focuses on helping organizations achieve their goals through collaborative leadership. She has worked in HR leadership roles for organizations of varying sizes and in different industries, including Workscape and Associated Industries of Massachusetts, as well as the law firms of Goodwin Procter and Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds. Cerrato lives in Wayland, Massachusetts, with her husband, James, and sons, Ben (17) and Matt (12). THE RECORD
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