William F. Cass
William F. Cass is a former member of the Massachusetts Legislature where he served as Vice Chairman of the Health Care Committee, and as a member of the Insurance Committee. He was appointed Chairman of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Legislative Caucus, where he co-authored landmark legislation that has provided more than $300 million for ratepayers in 43 communities. Prior to his legislative service, he served for five years as an elected municipal official.
Mr. Cass provides clients with an in depth understanding of state and municipal governments. He assists those clients in developing and implementing a legislative and regulatory strategy that produces results.
He also provides strategic advice regarding state procurement issues and government contracting - assisting clients in developing communications strategies, locating contract leads, and supervising bid preparations.
Prior to founding the Suffolk Group, Mr. Cass was the Northeast Vice President for Government Affairs for the nation’s largest heath care transportation company and Senior Vice President for a Massachusetts based government affairs firm. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and received his Masters in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
Steven L. Goldblatt, ESQ.
As part of The Suffolk Group’s government relations team, Steve serves as lobbyist for a number of leading business interests, trade associations, and government vendors. Steve offers these clients expertise developed from years of involvement with lobbying campaigns, combined with a legal background and an in-depth understanding of administrative, regulatory and legislative process.
Prior to forming The Suffolk Group, Steve served as a lobbyist and counsel for a large Boston firm and in Washington, D.C., where he worked with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a bipartisan membership association of state lawmakers. Through his work with ALEC, Steve provided strategic advice to legislators across the country in developing, introducing, and guiding to enactment innovative legislative policy.
Steve is a frequent contributor to various trade publications on the topics of business, legal, and insurance regulatory matters. Steve has also argued administrative petitions before a variety of state agencies and regulatory tribunals, including the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Steve is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, United States District Court – District of Massachusetts, and Massachusetts Bar Association. Steve also serves on the Executive Board of the Life & Health Compliance Association and is a member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals, and the Council for Ethics in Legislative Advocacy.
Steve received his Bachelors Degree, cum laude, majoring in Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School in Boston.
Jason J. Godin, ESQ.
Mr. Godin is a founding member of The Suffolk Group. Prior to entering private practice, Jason served as Chief Counsel to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Office of the Minority Leader. While serving in this position, Jason was responsible for all legislative research and drafting of the office, review and analysis of statutory provisions contained within the Commonwealth’s annual budget, as well as providing members with counsel on the Rules of the General Court. Mr. Godin’s knowledge of Beacon Hill provides invaluable insight to clients seeking to advance legislation with support from both sides of the aisle.
As a partner in the Suffolk Group, Mr. Godin provides legislative and regulatory counsel to corporate interests, trade associations, labor unions, and non-profit organizations. Jason’s legislative representation includes bill tracking and analysis, drafting of advocacy materials, including all client related legislation, and lobbying members of the General Court. Among his many legislative victories, Jason recently lobbied the Massachusetts’ Governor’s Office and Legislature on behalf of the state’s largest public safety union to successfully secure $14 Million in supplemental state funding, thereby averting massive proposed layoffs.
In addition to legislative lobbying, Mr. Godin provides regulatory counsel to clients before various state agencies. Mr. Godin’s practice includes the representation of many of the nation’s largest insurers before the Division of Insurance. Jason provides counsel to insurers with regards to rate and form filings, enforcement actions, and administrative rate hearings, including having successfully represented a Medicare Supplement carrier in obtaining the largest rate increase in Massachusetts history.
In order to provide his clients with a full range of services, Mr. Godin also provides representation in matters relating to state procurement and government contracting. Mr. Godin has assisted clients in bid preparation and securing eligibility on various state procurement “blanket” contracts. In one instance, he represented a client that was selected as the second ranked IT provider, and was successful in utilizing this stature to negotiate lucrative contracts with various state transportation agencies.
Jason is a member of the Massachusetts and Connecticut Bars, the American Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Mr. Godin also serves on the executive Board of the Life & Health Compliance Association and is a member of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals.
