Attorney Julie P. Hamil is the state court administrator, having succeeded J. Joseph Baxter Jr. on Aug. 23. Ms. Hamil was formerly the general counsel for the Rhode Island Supreme Court, while Mr. Baxter retired after 17 years in the post.

Appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell, Ms. Hamil will be the first woman to hold the Judiciary’s top administrative position. She was general counsel since 2016 and was deputy general counsel for eight years prior to that. As general counsel, Ms. Hamil provided legal advice to the chief justice, members of the judiciary, the Administrative Office of State Courts and all courts within the unified judicial system.

“I have the utmost confidence in Ms. Hamil’s knowledge of our Judiciary and in her ability to lead judicial staff and programs into the future,” Chief Justice Suttell said. “I am grateful for Mr. Baxter’s decades of dedicated service and his support and guidance in improving court operations, including technology advancements.”

With the dual role of administrator of the Supreme Court and state court administrator comes the responsibility to act upon all administrative matters affecting the operation of the Judiciary. As such, the position has oversight of the Supreme Court departments that serve the entire state court system: judicial technology; finance and budget; employee relations; community outreach, and facilities. In her new role, Ms. Hamil expects to continue to pursue the initiatives championed by the Chief Justice, such as improving access to justice and ensuring racial and ethnic fairness in the courts.

“I am grateful to Chief Justice Suttell for giving me the opportunity to follow in Joe Baxter’s footsteps and to become the first female Rhode Island State Court Administrator,” Ms. Hamil said. “In the 13 years I have spent in the Judiciary’s Office of General Counsel, I have developed a deep appreciation for the work of the courts … I look forward to building on the improvements and efficiencies realized because of the pandemic to further enhance the administration of justice in Rhode Island.”

Prior to joining the Judiciary, Ms. Hamil worked as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County in Massachusetts, where she tried numerous cases before juries in the District Courts of Lowell, Newton and Malden. Prior and subsequent to her time as an assistant district attorney, she worked as a civil litigator in Boston and in Rhode Island with the firm of Oliverio & Marcaccio LLP.

A lifelong Rhode Islander, Hamil graduated from St. Mary Academy – Bay View and went on to receive her undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross. She earned her law degree from Suffolk University School of Law in Boston. A resident of East Greenwich and native of Bristol, Hamil is married and the mother of three children.