"The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the only statewide association of lawyers in Massachusetts devoted exclusively to serving all segments of the defense bar. According to our mission statement: MACDL's mission is to preserve the adversary system of justice; to maintain and foster independent and able criminal defense lawyers and to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime. MACDL will be an advocate for the advocate." If you practice criminal defense law in Massachusetts, you belong in MACDL
To join MACDL, sign up here
Announcement: Brownlow Speer Award for Appellate Advocacy
MACDL is proud to announce the creation of the Brownlow Speer Award for Appellate Advocacy, to recognize those defense lawyers whose appellate work exemplifies the highest standards of dedication and excellence in the service of those accused of crime, and the presentation of the first such award to its namesake, Brownlow Speer.
Certificate
President's Message
Click here for the January 2013 letter from MACDL President, Max D. Stern.
Executive Office of Public Safety & Security Memorandum on Parole Eligibility
CLICK HERE for the current EOPSS interpretation of the mandatory-minimum provisions of the new sentencing statute. This will benefit people serving sentences on August 2. But defense attorneys should be aware that defendants facing charges on August 2 are not covered by this memo, nor are individuals whose crimes occur post- August 2.
Mass. Lawyers Call for Independent Probe of DPH Lab
MACDL joined with the Mass. Bar Association, CPCS and the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts in calling for an independent probe of the scandal at the DPH Crime Lab.
"In order for an expanded investigation to be deemed credible and beyond reproach, to truly expedite an incontrovertible resolution to the crisis, and to fully restore public confidence in our criminal justice system, the body that steers this investigation must be one that has not, and cannot be perceived as having any stake in the outcome of the investigation," the letter stated.
The complete letter can be found here.
The Springfield Union Leader has posted an article on it's web site www.unionleader.com For a direct link to the article, go to http://www.timesunion.com/news/crime/article/Mass-lawyers-call-for-outside-probe-of-drug-lab-3978452.php, For a PDF version, click here.
CPCS Sample Memos for Hinton Lab cases.
MACDL Members Only - click here.
Committee for Public Counsel Services Issues a Notice re: Hinton Crime Lab
DPH Crime Lab Investigation
As the press has been reporting over the last several days, serious misconduct at the Hinton crime lab in Jamaica Plain has led the Governor to close the lab.
This unfolding investigation indicates that some or all of the evidence from that lab is tainted and cannot support prosecutions. Any case involving evidence from that lab deserves careful scrutiny in light of this new information, which is only beginning to come out, before any such case goes to trial or plea. The spokesperson for the State Police has indicated that as many as 34,000 cases may be involved.
Find A Lawyer
MACDL comprises approximately 1,000 criminal defense lawyers, covering all types of criminal defense matters in the federal courts and every state court serving the Commonwealth. You can search our Member list by name or location.
