27,000 notices have been sent to citizens across Massachusetts. The notice informed them that the Court’s records show that a Draeger Alcotest 9510 breathalyzer machine was used in some or all of their cases with charges of operating under the influence (OUI). Attorney Joseph D. Bernard, lead counsel in the statewide breath test litigation, will discuss the details that arose from […]
Sal DiMasi. MACDL’S new lobbyist.
Join us 4–6pm on Thursday, April 15th when Sal DiMasi — MACDL’s new lobbyist! — will be in the house to outline the plan for substantial raises for all bar advocates THIS YEAR. Pay tribute to our honored guests, John Reinstein and Cristina Rodrigues, […]
Public records are everywhere! Documents, records, correspondence, data and more, kept by any government agency may be considered a record that the public is entitled to see. Public records can be valuable tools for organizing and government accountability.
Please join the Community Engagement Racial Justice Committee of MACDL for a public records training designed for non-lawyer community organizations.
We will demystify the process and teach […]
Interested in applying to be a judge? Or just generally curious about how these important decisions get made? Join us for a discussion with Jay Carney, a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission. He will demystify the process and discuss tips for your application. MACDL is committed to helping more defense attorneys be appointed to the bench and encourages everyone to consider if […]
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 […]
This free webinar will address the emerging trend of the substitution of 58A dangerousness petitions for cash bail as a way to hold defendants in pretrial detention and will provide you with practical tools and strategies to effectively advocate for your clients’ release.
Experienced attorneys Shira Diner and Makis Antzoulatos will discuss the implications of these petitions in the context of amendments to the bail […]
JOIN MACDL MEMBERS in the ABA’s 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge. We will read the materials, split up into four separate sections, and meet weekly to discuss. Discussion dates are: July 8th, July 15th, July 22nd, July 29th (Wednesdays from 4–5pm). Please register in advance for this meeting:
ZOOM Link to Register for the Challenge
After registering, you will receive a confirmation […]
AS CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, we are on the front line in a criminal system that tears apart Black communities through violence and incarceration, and we are uniquely situated to dismantle it. MACDL’s Racial Justice Task Force Meeting will be TUESDAY, JUNE 30th at 3pm. After a brief introduction, all […]
JOIN US for an informal brown bag lunch with Jane Peachy of the Federal Defenders, who will lead a conversation about strategies for excellent sentencing advocacy applicable in both state and federal court. Our discussion will cover both the underlying principles and purposes of sentencing and the nuts and bolts […]
THE FEDERAL DEFENDERS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT (CJA) BOARD will present a CLE program on Tuesday, January 28 from 2:30 to 5 pm (note time change to accommodate a reception that MACDL will host following the program) in the jury assembly room of the Boston federal courthouse. We hope to be able to stream to RI, NH, Springfield, and Worcester
The seminar will include a panel discussion of tips for […]