On June 3, 2020, the Supreme Judicial Court sent a letter to the “Judiciary and Members of the Bar” condemning racism in the courts and in the legal profession. It was an unprecedented call to action: “As judges, we must look afresh at what we are doing, or failing to do, to root out any conscious or unconscious bias in our courtrooms…We must recognize and address our own […]
Yesterday, the Massachusetts legislature voted to pass an increase in bar advocate hourly rates over two years — with a $10 increase to go into effect August 1, 2025, and another $10 increase to go into effect August 1, 2026. We know this is not enough, and MACDL will continue to support the tireless advocacy, commitment, and selflessness of the many bar advocates who stand in solidarity to […]
Yesterday, June 30, 2025, the Massachusetts House and Senate adopted the conference committee report on the FY26 budget. MACDL is deeply disappointed that the Committee on Public Counsel Services (CPCS) line-item 0321-1510, which funds the work of the bar advocates, is level funded from FY25 and below the funding level included in the final Senate budget, and that no rate increases were included for bar advocates for any […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2025
Constitutional Crisis Deepens: Hundreds in Massachusetts Now Without Court-Appointed Lawyers as Indigent Defense System Buckles.
BOSTON, MA – Two weeks after the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) warned of a looming crisis in the Commonwealth’s indigent defense system, the crisis is no longer theoretical—it is unfolding in real time, and the numbers are troubling.
People in Courts across the state are currently […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2025
BOSTON, MA – The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) stands in full solidarity with bar advocates who are refusing to take additional court-appointed cases as a result of the unsustainably low compensation rates. Bar advocates—independent attorneys appointed by the state to represent low-income defendants—currently […]
MACDL rejects all action taken by the current federal administration to deny our clients’ rights, especially those who are most marginalized and vulnerable. To this end, we have convened a working group to review the current and future federal policies, educate our members as to how these policies are likely to […]
On March 27, 2024, the MACDL executive board joined bar leaders from other bar associations at a Bench/Bar meeting. Chief Justices Budd and Brieger along with Court Administrator Tom Ambrosino and Dr. Natoschia Scrugg, the newly appointed Chief of Access, Diversity and Fairness for the trial court, gave updates on various topics involving the operations of the courts. Below are the handouts that we received. Here are a […]
MACDL has formed a Clemency Committee in response to the Governor’s new clemency guidelines, which hold promise for more relief. The Committee screens applicants and refers the most promising candidates to pro bono lawyers.
TO: Committee Members, CPCS Staff, Bar Advocate Program Administrators,
CAFL Resource Attorneys, Juvenile Bar Association, Mental Health Litigation Division Regional Coordinators, Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Massachusetts Bar Association, and Boston Bar Association
FROM: Anthony J. Benedetti, Chief Counsel
DATE: February 10, 2023
RE: NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED FOR ADDAMS, BLITZMAN, DAVIS-DUGGAN, DONOVAN, LIACOS, MARSHALL, MCPARLAND, MELLEN, SOUTO-GOYETTE, WINCHESTER AWARDS, CPCS COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP, AND EMERGING DEFENDER AWARDS
Nomination Process
The Committee will present the Awards […]
In 2021, the SJC released a report (see below) summarizing affinity bar town hall meetings, shedding light on the experiences of legal professionals from underrepresented, historically excluded and systemically oppressed populations. As stated in the report, “the burden of change cannot and should not fall on these attorneys and law students themselves, as it has for far too long.” Instead, “the burden of supporting and championing this work should […]