PROVIDENCE – Gov. Dan McKee has nominated Kas R. DeCarvalho to an opening on the Rhode Island District Court bench created by the elevation of Judge Christopher K. Smith to the state Superior Court.
DeCarvalho’s name now goes to the Senate for confirmation to the lifetime tenure seat with a $165,158 annual base salary.
“I know that his more than two decades of legal experience and the time he has spent volunteering and giving back to our state will make him a strong addition to the court,” McKee said of DeCarvalho, who drew praise both from the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC and a handful of legislative Republicans.
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Who is Kas DeCarvalho?
A lawyer in private practice, DeCarvalho is a partner at Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC and a member of the firm’s corporate and business team, which represents for-profit and nonprofit organizations, municipalities and governments, and private individuals with regulatory, licensing and other business and governmental needs.
His “core areas of expertise” have been in “general corporate and business advising, domestic and international transactions, financing/mergers and acquisitions, commercial real estate, intellectual property matters, business ethics and compliance, arts and entertainment law and education law,” according to the governor’s office.
DeCarvalho is also described as “an active community volunteer” who has, over time, been on the Rhode Island Judicial Tenure and Discipline Commission, Quonset Development Corporation, the Providence Economic Development Partnership, the Providence Retirement Board and the board of the Thurgood Marshall Law Society.
The Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC said DeCarvalho’s nomination “is not only a testament to his qualifications and dedication to justice, but it also signifies progress in addressing the historical lack of diversity within our courts.”
“For far too long, judicial positions have been predominantly held by white men, often excluding individuals fromunderrepresented communities. By nominating Kas DeCarvalho, Governor McKee has taken a crucial step in breaking down barriers and promoting equity within the Rhode Island judiciary,” said the BLM RI PAC statement.
Rep. Brian Newberry called DeCarvalho “an excellent choice,” while his fellow Republican Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung said: “So happy for Kas! A brilliant attorney and an even better guy.”
DeCarvalho has both both bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
DeCarvalho, his wife, Kate, and their children live in Barrington.
In October, the panel that helps select the state’s judges submitted four names to McKee for his consideration for the District Court vacancy. In addition to DeCarvalho, they included Joseph R. Ballirano, a Johnston solo practitioner with three decades of experience; Family Court Magistrate Denise Cassisi Finkelman; and Assistant Attorney General Amy Dodge Murray, who oversees the Providence County grand jury.
