Dear MACDL Members
The MACDL Board is recommending four (4) candidates for selection on its Board of Directors and those candidates are now subject to a vote from MACDL membership. One of the prospective Board seats is reserved for a candidate from Western Massachusetts.
1. Please vote for up to three (3) Eastern Massachusetts candidates:
The Honorable Shannon Frison (ret.)
The Honorable Shannon Frison is a jurist, advocate, teacher, and United States Marine. Judge Frison was appointed in 2009 to the Boston Municipal Court, beginning her tenure on the bench at age 39. In 2013, Judge Frison was next appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court at age 42. Before her appointment to the bench, her practice focused on “blue collar” criminal law and military justice. Justice Frison spent seven years as a litigation associate at the former white collar defense firm, Dwyer & Collora, LLP in Boston. She first opened her first Boston-based Frison Law Firm, P.C. in 2007. And she reopened it in February 2024 after 15 years on the Massachusetts bench. Frison Law Firm handles complex criminal and civil litigation, military justice matters, mediations,
and provides expert testimony. Judge Frison earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Harvard & Radcliffe Colleges in 1992. She then earned her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1995. Judge Frison became a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar in 2024. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office where she served at the Quincy District Court. Judge Frison holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps and is a Marine Corps Judge Advocate.
Michael Tumposky
Michael Tumposky is the founder of Tumposky & Associates in Boston. Prior to that, he was a partner at Hedges & Tumposky. His practice focuses on complex criminal defense in both state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. He is also an adjunct professor at Northeastern University School of Law, where he teaches Evidence and Trial Practice. His recent textbook, Evidence in Focus: A Practitioner’s Approach, was released in 2024. He currently co-chairs the MACDL Training Committee which organizes the organization’s annual full-day CLE.
Dehlia Umunna
Dehlia Umunna is a Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS) and the Faculty Director of the Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). Her teaching interest and research focus on criminal law, criminal defense and theory, policing, mass Incarceration, and race Issues. In addition to her work at HLS, Professor Umunna serves as a core faculty member for Gideon’s Promise (formerly the Southern Public Defender’s Training Center) and is a frequent presenter and lecturer at public defender training conferences, criminal defense attorney trainings, prosecutor trainings, and social justice reform panels around the country.
In 2007, she joined Harvard Law School as a clinical instructor at the Criminal Justice Institute. She was promoted to Deputy Director in 2013 and appointed to the HLS Faculty as a Clinical Professor of Law in 2015. In 2024, she ascended to the role of Director of CJI, marking a significant milestone in her career. At HLS, Professor Umunna not only supervises third-year law students in representing adult and juvenile clients in criminal proceedings, including cases before Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court but also dedicates herself to coaching the HLS National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy and Black Law Students Association Trial Teams, leading them to numerous regional and national awards.
Prior to coming to Harvard, Professor Umunna spent several years as a trial attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS). At PDS, she was a felony one-trial attorney, representing indigent clients in hundreds of cases, from misdemeanor charges of theft, assault, and drug possession to kidnapping, child sexual abuse, rape, and homicide. From 2002 to 2007, she was an adjunct professor and practitioner in residence at American University’s Washington College of Law. Professor Umunna holds a J.D. from George Washington University Law School—where she received the J.B. Shapiro Prize for Public Interest—and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Professor Umunna was appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to the newly established Bar Admissions Curriculum Committee, contributing to the development of the Uniform Bar Exam. She was also featured in Harvard Law School’s “Cases in Brief” series, providing an insightful analysis of the landmark case Powell v. Alabama (1932), emphasizing the importance of adequate legal representation for indigent defendants, and amplifying the role of public defenders in the American justice system. In 2022, Senators Warren and Markey appointed Professor Umunna to the critical Advisory Committee on Massachusetts Judicial Nominations.
Professor Umunna’s work as a distinguished legal scholar, educator, and advocate reflects a profound commitment to justice, education, and mentorship, making her a highly sought-after lecturer and presenter. Her opinions on cases have been featured on NPR, CNN, the Washington Post, and other media outlets.
Her influence is further underscored by her selection by the HLS graduating Class of 2020 to deliver the Last Lecture and her inclusion in the Wall Street Journal’s Most Influential Lawyers of 2024.
Beyond her professional achievements, Professor Umunna is the proud mother of daughter, Ifeanyi, and son, Edozie.
2. Please vote for the Western Massachusetts Board candidate:
Ivonne Vidal
Attorney Ivonne Vidal is a supervising attorney in the CPCS Public Defender Division Springfield office, a role she has held since 2019. She became a staff attorney with the office in 2011. Attorney Vidal graduated from Boston University School of Law and Brown University. While in the Springfield office, Attorney Vidal has represented indigent clients in the District and Superior courts in Hampden county. As a supervisor Attorney Vidal has helped oversee and manage several systemic challenges arising out of Hampden County and Springfield specifically. She became the one of the primary points of contact for the CPCS Public Defender Division when the Department of Justice found Springfield Police had engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force, which later resulted in litigation at the Supreme Judicial Court (Graham vs. District Attorney for the Hampden District). Attorney Vidal testified during the Graham hearings regarding her clients’ experiences and the Hampden DA’s practices in response to the DOJ investigation. Ivonne also participated in, and helped write affidavits for, the Special Master hearings during separate litigation to highlight the many challenges that practitioners faced in Hampden county (Commonwealth v. Carrasquillo). She worked with courts and the Bar Advocate office to address counsel shortages in Hampden County during the Carrasquillo litigation. Attorney Vidal is the direct supervisor of one of two pilot in-house Spanish interpreter programs within CPCS. She recently received the Mass Bar Association Access to Justice Defender Award. Attorney Vidal has been a member of the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees since 2017 and chairs the Governance Committee. She was born in Cuba and emigrated to the US at 14 years of age. She lives in Belchertown with her husband, son, and two dogs
Jennifer A. Sunderland
MACDL President-elect