Willie J. Davis, a respected and dynamic long-time criminal defense attorney, passed away on June 19, 2019. He was a friend and colleague to many MACDL members and a deeply valued member of our legal community. As William M. White Jr. wrote in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Willie was a “true giant of the law.” As a criminal defense lawyer, “[h]e […]
The First Circuit has upheld the Massachusetts District Court’s denial of absolute immunity to a former Assistant Attorney General who withheld exculpatory evidence of a state lab worker’s drug use. In a § 1983 suit by a defendant who served more than five years before his conviction was dismissed following disclosure that Sonja Farak was addicted to drugs and tampering with samples during her employment as a drug […]
MACDL has submitted a letter to members of the Massachusetts House and Senate Judiciary Committees, formally opposing H.66, “An Act to Protect the Commonwealth.” That proposed bill would vastly and unnecessarily expand G.L. c. 58A and other laws authorizing pretrial detention. As MACDL’s letter states, the legislation “would further unjustly incarcerate a disproportionate number of our citizens on a pretrial basis, without affording them an opportunity to post bail, […]
MACDL has issued a statement in support of Harvard Law School Professor Ron Sullivan, after Harvard College declined to renew his status as a faculty dean following student protests based upon his choice to defend Harvey Weinstein in a criminal case. No attorney should face adverse consequences for choosing to represent a criminal defendant and Harvard’s decision in this case demonstrates a lack of respect […]
On May 1, 2019, MACDL’s Board voted to elect Attorney John Amabile as the Association’s new Vice President. Mr. Amabile will take on that role in June 2019, supporting Victoria Kelleher, who will take office as MACDL’s President that month. Mr. Amabile will serve a two-year term as Vice President before succeeding Ms. Kelleher as MACDL’s President. Mr. Amabile is a Principal of the law firm Amabile & […]
MACDL President Derege Demissie represented MACDL today in a debate on WGBH regarding U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s indictment of Massachusetts Judge Shelley M. Joseph for allegedly helping a defendant in her courtroom avoid detention by ICE agents. MACDL strongly condemns the actions of the U.S. Attorney in bringing this prosecution to intimidate state court judges. ICE’s actions in the courthouses of Massachusetts deny both US citizens and noncitizens due […]
On February 28, 2019, MACDL submitted a comment in response to the amendment to Mass. R. Crim. P. 12 proposed by the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure. MACDL joined the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) in expressing support for allowing conditional guilty pleas for the first time in Massachusetts (following the SJC’s decision in
Mark Schand scoops ice cream at his Sweetwater smoothie cafe in New Britain, Conn. This business is meant to reboot a career Schand says was stolen from him at the age of 19 when he was wrongfully convicted of a crime and was imprisoned for 27 years.
Photo: Karen Brown/NEPR
A recent NPR story features Mark […]
MACDL strives to be an inclusive statewide organization. The membership committee is looking for help to grow our ranks with criminal defense lawyers from across the state. If you are interested in helping us plan events and other opportunities to grow and support our membership please let us know—just send an email to info@macdl.com and we will be in touch.
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 […]
