MACDL Summer Internship Program
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 […]
MACDL Mourns the Passing of Joe Balliro
By Victoria Kelleher, Past President, MACDL
Joe Balliro Sr., a giant of the defense bar, passed away peacefully on August 10, 2022. His impact on the defense community is difficult to overstate. He possessed both passion and unshakeable dignity. He remained true to the profession’s highest calling — he had the guts to challenge the abuse of authority, the intellect to choose his words carefully, and the wherewithal to bring […]
MACDL Responds to Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health
The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) is deeply troubled by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This decision will have a profound impact on both our clients and members, as well as on the integrity of the legal process.
The Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade is not only an intrusion into the bodily autonomy of people who can become pregnant but is […]
In-person Court Proceedings and Jury Trials
As COVID cases began rising as the weather got colder, MACDL president John Amabile sent a letter to the Chief Justices of the SJC, Superior, and District Courts recommending best practices for court administration (see PDF of the letter below). The recommendations were aimed at mitigating the spread of disease and making our practice more efficient. MACDL recommended statewide directives for restoring remote hearings, accepting electronic filings, and staggering […]
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 […]
An Attack on All Defense Attorneys
Defense attorneys Blake Rubin and Angela Cavanaugh were acquitted of witness intimidation after being accused of arranging for a key witness in a human trafficking case to be bailed out so that she could run away and not be available to testify at trial. When the man accused of human trafficking was confronted for bailing the witness out, he blamed his lawyer and the witness’s lawyer for orchestrating this. […]