NORTHAMPTON — Hampshire Probate and Family Court Register Michael J. Carey, whose 11-year tenure has included launching a virtual registry, moving the court’s main offices to Atwood Drive, and opening a satellite site in Belchertown, is retiring on Jan. 16.

On Wednesday, Carey, of Easthampton, announced plans to depart the position in the middle of his second six-year term overseeing the court, which handles matters having to do with divorce, adoption, child custody, child support, guardianship, probate estates and name change petitions.

“I am fully aware that only four elected registers have held this office during the past half century,” Carey said. “To have been given this opportunity by the citizens of Hampshire County is enormously gratifying to me and one (of) which I will always be most appreciative.”

Carey, 74, submitted a resignation letter to Gov. Maura Healey, meaning an assistant register is expected to handle his responsibilities until the governor nominates a successor.

Carey said his success as register is due to the dedication and contributions of the staff, which number 13 people in the judicial and probation departments and security office.

“The work of the Probate and Family Court is about families in crisis who utilize the services of the court in increasing numbers,” Carey said. “It’s about the everyday efforts of a committed court staff who strive to integrate community intervention with judicial resolution.”

Carey was first elected as register in a special election in 2012 to fill a vacancy left when David Sullivan, the previous register, won election as Northwestern district attorney. Carey has since been reelected to six-year terms in 2014 and 2020.

In his letter to Healey, Carey expressed appreciation to residents “for the trust and confidence shown to me.”

Healey’s office said a search for Carey’s successor is underway, and the governor will recommend a candidate to the Governor's Council to serve out the remainder of his term.

“On behalf of the people of Massachusetts, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Register Carey for his years of service to Hampshire County, particularly for the work he has done on behalf of children and their families,” Healey said in a statement. “We wish him the very best in his retirement.”

‘Virtual registry’

For the public, one of the most significant changes during Carey’s time as register occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to continue to serve the many people who represent themselves, rather than hiring attorneys.

To keep the public and court staff safe, many operations went remote. But many of the initiatives introduced during the pandemic remain in place, including the “virtual registry” that allows residents to interact with registry staff, get answers to questions, obtain court forms and check on the status of their cases, without traveling to the courthouse.

Carey also spearheaded the relocation of the probate court from a cramped space on King Street to a modern building on the Atwood campus in 2019. And he oversaw the opening of a registry satellite office in Belchertown to provide a more convenient location for people in the eastern part of Hampshire County.

Soon after Carey took office in 2013, the Hampshire Probate Registry was awarded a trial court innovation grant to preserve thousands of centuries-old court documents. He credits former longtime Hampshire Law Librarian Barbara Fell-Johnson and her team of volunteers with completing the five-year project, during which court documents, some dating as far back as 1660, were digitized and became available online.

Carey’s election in 2012 came shortly after the state Legislature adopted the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code, signed into law by then Gov. Deval Patrick, to extend better protections for guardianships and conservatorships to incapacitated persons and minors.

Prior to his election as probate register, Carey was a partner in the Carey Family Law practice in Easthampton for 25 years, A U.S. Army and Vietnam War veteran, Carey also served as a district court probation officer and was appointed assistant district attorney by then Northwestern District Attorney W. Michael Ryan in 1985.

Carey said he has no immediate plans for work or leisure in retirement.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.