2023 Winter (Spring?) Meeting
Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 5:30–9pm @ 2TWENTY2, 4 Liberty Square, Boston. Join MACDL for its Winter (Spring?) gathering to catch up with fellow members.
Judge Finds Plymouth Police Detective Withheld Exculpatory Evidence
In 2015 there was a brawl at a bar in Plymouth resulting in serious injuries to an off-duty corrections officer. Detective Greg Smith of the Plymouth Police led the investigation which resulted in charges of mayhem and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury against Alex Johnson. After an evidentiary hearing on an O’Dell motion to dismiss, Judge Cosgrove found that Greg Smith failed to provide exculpatory evidence that […]
COVID and Beyond: Conditions in Massachusetts State Prisons
Monday, December 21, 2020, 2–3:15pm
Register for this Zoom Webinar Today
IN THIS FREE WEBINAR EVENT criminal defense attorney and licensed certified social worker, Lisa Newman-Polk, who worked as mental health clinician in the Department of Corrections (DOC) from 2013 to 2014, will update us on the current state of affairs inside DOC facilities as the number of positive cases, hospitalizations, and prisoner deaths from the COVID pandemic continue to rise. The […]
2018 Summer Meeting
Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Marriott Hotel, Newton, MA
Featuring keynote speaker, Andrea Lyon, author of The Feminine Sixth: Women for the Defense, accomplished death-penalty lawyer, and Dean of Valparaiso University Law School. Ms. Lyon is a nationally recognized expert in the field of […]
MACDL Condemns Politically-Motivated Attacks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Derege Demissie | 617-354-3944 | dd@demissiechurch.com
Boston, Mass. (May 23, 2018) — The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) condemns attempts by lawmakers to impeach Judge Timothy Feeley for his decision to sentence Manuel Soto-Vittini to two years of probation following his guilty plea to charges of drug distribution.
Contrary to many reports, Judge Feeley’s sentence was not intended to affect Mr. Soto-Vittini’s immigration status. Mr. Soto-Vittini’s […]
Contact Reps to Increase District Court Pay Rate
Dear MACDL members,
On April 11, the House Committee on Ways & Means released its budget recommendations for the next fiscal year, FY 2019. The House budget provides for an increase in appropriation for private counsel compensation, increasing the rate of compensation for Superior Court cases from $60 to $68 per hour and for Mental Health cases from $50 to $53 per hour.
While we are pleased to see the […]
MACDL Spring Meeting 2018
Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Marriott Hotel, Newton, Mass
Registration begins 4pm
Keynote Speaker — Carol Rose
Executive Director, ACLU of Massachusetts
“Law, Resistance and A Freedom Agenda” […]
Advanced Post-Conviction Litigation Seminar
Friday, March 16, 2018, 9am – 5:30pm
WilmerHale, 60 State Street, Boston. MA
Registration begins 8:30am
This tremendously popular program will once again address selected problems faced by post-conviction counsel Although the topics will be addressed at the advanced level, this will be a great program for both new and experienced trial and post-conviction counsel. Register Today! This program is always a big hit. Payment in advance is […]
Criminal Justice Reforms — Trees, Not Forest
In a letter to the editor, MACDL President Derege Demissie and Legislative Policy Chair Marty Rosenthal highlighted the failures of the Massachusetts Senate’criminal justice bill:
To the Editor [RE: “Criminal justice debate heats up” (Mon, Oct 9th)]:
The Senate’s criminal justice bill takes excellent steps towards USA’s recent Smart-on-Crime paradigm shift. But it’s important “trees” reforms fail three “forest” challenges: mass incarceration, broad racial injustice, and broader diversion from wasteful/harmful […]
Increase Pay for Court Appointed Lawyers
Your IMMEDIATE help is needed! The Massachusetts Legislature is currently considering House Bill 751 increasing the rate of pay for their bar advocates. Sponsored by Rep Cronin of Easton, House Bill 751 proposes:
The rates of compensation payable to all counsel, who are appointed or assigned to represent indigents within the private counsel division of the committee in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (b) of section 6, shall, subject […]