Massachusetts Criminal Defense Practice Areas

The Best Available Outcome at the Earliest Possible Stage

Attorney Joseph Serpa has practiced Massachusetts criminal defense for thirty years. That practice spans every charge category, every court in Eastern and Central Massachusetts, and every stage of the criminal process, from clerk-magistrate hearings to first-degree murder trials in Superior Court. The practice areas below cover the full range of charges and proceedings handled by Serpa Law Office. Each links to a dedicated page with statute citations, defense analysis, and the specific consequences for licensed professionals, university students, and non-citizens. Contact Serpa Law Office at 617.936.0201 for a free consultation.

Serpa Law Office routinely obtains pre-arraignment dismissals for clients at clerk-magistrate hearings, sparing them the lasting consequence of a criminal record. That early-stage focus is deliberate. In Massachusetts, a charge that ends at the clerk’s hearing never becomes a CORI entry, while the same charge resolved months later, even by dismissal, leaves a public record that employers, licensing boards, and graduate schools will see. Review Serpa Law Office’s client reviews, recent dismissals and clerk-magistrate hearing results, and jury trial verdicts.

The stakes of that timing question fall hardest on students, licensed professionals, and non-citizens. A nursing student, a physician, an engineer with a security clearance, or an F-1 visa holder can lose far more to the record of a charge than to the sentence a court would ever impose. For those clients the defense strategy is built backwards from the record. The first goal is to keep the complaint from issuing at all. The second is to resolve any issued charge in the way that leaves the cleanest CORI and the fewest reporting obligations. Every practice area page below addresses those consequences directly.

The Criminal Process

Understanding how a Massachusetts criminal case begins, and where it can be stopped, is the foundation of effective defense.

• Clerk-Magistrate Hearings (M.G.L. c. 218, § 35A). The earliest stage at which a Massachusetts criminal case can end. This is a private, pre-arraignment hearing at which a formal complaint can be denied before any CORI entry is created. Serpa Law Office has obtained hundreds of denials at this stage across Greater Boston courts. See also the Clerk-Magistrate Hearing FAQ and A Practitioner’s Guide to Clerk-Magistrate Hearings
• Coercive Control Is Now Abuse Under 209A. How the 2024 amendment added coercive control to the definition of abuse under 209A, and what that means for an order.
• Arraignment in Massachusetts. The first formal court appearance, at which the charge is entered onto the public CORI regardless of the ultimate outcome. This page explains what happens at arraignment, including bail, dangerousness hearings, conditions of release, and 209A orders, and how a clerk-magistrate hearing can prevent arraignment altogether
• Arrests and Arrest Warrants in Massachusetts. How warrantless arrests differ from a summons, when a warrant is required, and what to do in the first hours after arrest. See What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a Massachusetts Arrest
• Massachusetts Grand Jury Indictments. How Superior Court felony cases begin, when a grand jury is required, and the strategic considerations for cases that may be indicted
• Massachusetts Courts, State Prison, and House of Correction. The difference between House of Correction and state prison sentences, which court hears which cases, and how sentencing authority shapes defense strategy
• How Criminal Cases Begin in Massachusetts Courts. A complete overview of the three ways a case begins in the Massachusetts criminal system, through arrest, summons, and clerk’s hearing
• How Criminal Cases Get Dismissed in Massachusetts. Who controls a dismissal and on what grounds: the district attorney’s authority before arraignment, the narrow grounds for judicial dismissal, motions to dismiss for lack of probable cause, and what a dismissal means for your record.
• Violating a continuance without a finding (CWOF) in Massachusetts: What Happens When a Continuance Without a Finding Is at Stake. A continuance without a finding is not a conviction, but a new offense or a violation of its terms can undo it at a surrender hearing.
• Transferring Massachusetts Probation to Another State: The Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision. Moving supervision to another state under the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision, and the conditions a transfer requires.
• Massachusetts Warrant Removal and Out-of-State Drivers’ License Holds. Clearing a default or arrest warrant, and the out-of-state license holds a Massachusetts warrant can trigger.
• Interstate Driver’s License Consequences: Massachusetts and Out-of-State Suspensions. How a Massachusetts case can affect a driver’s license in another state, and how an out-of-state suspension or conviction can affect a Massachusetts license, under G.L. c. 90, §§ 22(c) and 22(h), the Driver License Compact at § 30B, and the National Driver Register. Covers the two separate steps of clearing the warrant and then applying to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for reinstatement.
• Massachusetts Probation Violation Defense Lawyer. The two stages of a probation surrender, the lower burden of proof at the final hearing, and the defenses available.
• Defenses to a Massachusetts Probation Violation. The two stages of a probation surrender, the lower burden of proof at the final hearing, and the grounds on which a revocation is contested.
• The Clerk Magistrate Hearing in Massachusetts. The show cause hearing that decides whether a criminal complaint issues, the standard it applies, and how preventing the complaint keeps the matter off a criminal record.

What happens inside the show cause session, from the mailed notice through the clerk-magistrate’s four possible rulings, is set out at what happens at a Massachusetts clerk-magistrate hearing.

Your Constitutional Rights

The Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, and Articles 12 and 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights are the foundation of every criminal defense.

• Your Right to Remain Silent in Massachusetts. The Fifth Amendment and Article 12, Miranda rights, the Nickerson pre-arrest silence standard, the phone passcode question, and the right not to testify at trial. See Your Fifth Amendment Right to Refuse a Passcode
• Illegal Searches and Seizures in Massachusetts. The Fourth Amendment and Article 14, traffic stops, vehicle searches, phone and device searches, home searches, dorm room searches, warrants, and Motions to Suppress. See Digital Search Warrants in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts Felonies vs. Misdemeanors. The legal distinction, its effect on which court hears the case, CORI sealing waiting periods, and how the felony or misdemeanor classification affects professional licensing and immigration consequences
• The Massachusetts Wiretap Statute and Secret Recordings (G.L. c. 272, § 99). Secretly recording a conversation is a felony, and using the recording is a second crime. The issue comes up in domestic violence cases, 209A and 258E hearings, and the audio from home devices like Ring cameras. Short answers are collected in our wiretap and secret recording FAQs.
• Phone, Computer, and Digital Searches in Massachusetts. When police may seize and search a phone or computer, the warrant and nexus requirements, the scope of a digital warrant, passcodes and the Fifth Amendment, and location data.
• Traffic Stops, Exit Orders, and Pretext Searches. When police may stop a vehicle, how long the stop may last, exit orders under Article 14, the marijuana-odor cases, and racially motivated stops.
• The Fifth Amendment in Civil Cases. Invoking the Fifth in a 209A session, a deposition, or another civil proceeding while criminal exposure is open.
• Cross-Examination in Massachusetts Criminal Trials. The confrontation right in practice: how a witness is impeached by bias, prior inconsistent statements, and omissions, what the rules of evidence permit for each kind of witness, and how the same discipline carries into a 209A or 258E hearing.
• Self-Defense in Massachusetts. Reasonable force, the duty to retreat, defense of another, and the Adjutant evidence a jury may hear about who started the fight.
• Excited Utterances and Spontaneous Utterances When an Accuser Recants. The hearsay exception and the Confrontation Clause rules that decide whether a 911 call or an officer’s account comes before the jury when an accuser recants or refuses to testify, and the impeachment of the absent declarant that Section 806 then allows. See Cross-Examining an Absent Accuser, the first-person companion post on the trial technique.

Criminal Records and Case Outcomes

How a case resolves determines what appears on your CORI and for how long.

Two identical charges can produce very different records. A charge denied at a clerk-magistrate hearing produces no CORI entry at all. A charge continued without a finding still appears on the CORI, still counts as a conviction for federal immigration purposes, and still must be disclosed to many licensing boards. A dismissal after arraignment leaves an entry that remains visible until it is sealed. Serpa Law Office treats the record itself as a client to be protected, and the pages in this section explain how each outcome is created, who can see it, and how it can later be sealed or expunged.

• Massachusetts Criminal Records (CORI). What a CORI is, when it is created, who can see it, and how it affects employment, housing, licensing, and immigration
• CWOF, Pretrial Probation, and Diversion in Massachusetts. What a continuance without a finding (CWOF) is, why it is not always safe, how it differs from pretrial probation, and the specific consequences for professionals, CDL holders, and non-citizens. See the CWOF and Diversion FAQ
• Case Dismissals in Massachusetts. How cases are dismissed through clerk-magistrate hearings, Motions to Suppress, Motions to Dismiss, and pretrial diversion, and why the stage at which dismissal occurs matters for the CORI
• Sealing and Expunging a Massachusetts Criminal Record. Waiting periods, administrative vs. judicial sealing, expungement eligibility, and what sealing does and does not do. See the CORI Sealing and Expungement FAQ and the Massachusetts sealing and expungement standards page
• Expunging or Sealing a Federal Criminal Record. Whether a Massachusetts court can make the FBI seal or expunge its copy of a Massachusetts record: it cannot, but G.L. c. 276, § 100T requires the state to request it and 28 C.F.R. § 16.34 corrects the federal file. Also the First Circuit rule of United States v. Coloian for actual federal records, the narrow § 3607 route, and pardons. The story behind the federal rule is in the post on the Coloian decision.
• Criminal Defense for Licensed Professionals in Massachusetts. Licensing board reporting obligations, CWOF consequences for physicians, attorneys, nurses, and FINRA registrants, and the four-step defense sequence
• College and University Student Criminal Defense. The two-proceeding problem, in which the criminal case and the university disciplinary process run at the same time. Fake ID, OUI, drug charges, Title IX, and CORI consequences for graduate school applications
• Professional License Consequences of a Massachusetts Criminal Case. Board-by-board reporting rules for nurses, physicians, attorneys, pharmacists, teachers, and security clearance holders, and which dispositions never become reportable.
• Eastern Massachusetts Criminal Defense for Licensed Professionals. How a charge or a continuance without a finding is treated by a licensing board, and the strategy that protects a professional license.

Domestic Violence and Restraining Orders

Domestic violence cases move faster than any other charge category in Massachusetts. Mandatory arrest policies mean the decision to charge is often made at the scene, and no-drop prosecution policies mean the alleged victim cannot simply end the case. Because a 209A order, a dangerousness hearing, and firearms surrender can all follow within days of arrest, early representation matters more here than anywhere else in the practice.

• Boston Domestic Violence Defense Lawyer. Mandatory arrest, no-drop prosecution, dangerousness hearings, 209A restraining orders, CWOF consequences, firearms surrender, marital privilege, and trial strategy
• Domestic Violence Defense for Licensed Professionals, Students, and Non-Citizens. The three-front analysis covering the criminal case, the licensing board, and the immigration proceeding. CWOF vs. pretrial probation for professionals, with a court-by-court culture guide
• Assault and Battery on a Family or Household Member (M.G.L. c. 265, § 13M). The domestic assault and battery charge under M.G.L. c. 265, § 13M, how it differs from simple assault and battery, and the first appearance options.
• Strangulation or Suffocation (M.G.L. c. 265, § 15D). The felony under M.G.L. c. 265, § 15D, what the Commonwealth must prove about impeded breathing or blood flow, and the enhanced forms.
• Domestic Violence Case Records: The Police File, CORI, and the DVRS. When each record is created, the section 56A abuse designation and its dismissal rule, what sealing removes, and the federal layer. Common questions are answered in the domestic violence records FAQs.
• Intimidation of a Witness (M.G.L. c. 268, § 13B). See Defending 209A and 258E Violations
• 209A Abuse Prevention Orders for Plaintiffs and Defendants. How an abuse prevention order is obtained and defended, the preponderance standard, and the consequences of an order.
• 258E Harassment Prevention Orders. How a harassment prevention order works, the three qualifying acts it requires, and how it differs from a 209A order.
• The Massachusetts Intimate Partner Abuse Education Program (IPAEP): What a Certified Program Requires. The certified batterer intervention program a court may order, what completion requires, and where it fits in a disposition.
• Malicious Destruction of Property in Massachusetts Domestic Violence Cases (M.G.L. c. 266, § 127). The property offense under M.G.L. c. 266, § 127 that often accompanies a domestic charge, and the wilful and wanton forms it takes.
• Threats to Commit a Crime in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 275, § 2). The elements of a criminal threat under M.G.L. c. 275, § 2, the reasonable fear it must cause, and the limit on protected speech.
• Terminating, Modifying, and Expunging a Massachusetts 209A Abuse Prevention Order. How a defendant seeks to end or change an abuse prevention order, and the narrow ground for expunging one obtained by fraud on the court.
• Expunging a 209A or 258E Order from the Massachusetts Registry. Why the registry record remains after an order ends, the clear and convincing fraud on the court standard, the correction remedy added in July 2022, and the courts, databases, and licensing decisions where the record appears. See Massachusetts 209A and 258E Expungement FAQs.
• DCF 51A Investigations After a Massachusetts Domestic Violence Arrest. How a domestic arrest can trigger a report to the Department of Children and Families, and how that parallel inquiry affects the criminal case.
• Violation of a 209A Abuse Prevention Order (M.G.L. c. 209A, § 7). The criminal charge under M.G.L. c. 209A, § 7 for violating an abuse prevention order, its knowledge requirement, and the defenses to it.
• Violation of a 258E Civil Harassment Prevention Order (M.G.L. c. 258E, § 9). The criminal charge under M.G.L. c. 258E, § 9 for violating a harassment prevention order, and how the defense tests notice and the terms.
• Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon in Massachusetts Domestic Violence Cases (M.G.L. c. 265, § 15A). The felony under M.G.L. c. 265, § 15A, what qualifies as a dangerous weapon, and the injury the aggravated form requires.
• Simple Assault and Assault and Battery vs. Domestic Assault and Battery (M.G.L. c. 265, §§ 13A, 13M). The line between simple assault and battery under M.G.L. c. 265, § 13A and the domestic charge under § 13M, and the options each allows.
• Domestic Violence Sentencing Enhancements in Massachusetts: Serious Bodily Injury, Pregnant Victims, Active Restraining Orders, and Prior Convictions. The sentencing enhancements for serious bodily injury, a pregnant victim, an active restraining order, and prior convictions.
• Criminal Violation of a 258E Harassment Prevention Order. The criminal charge under M.G.L. c. 258E, § 9 for violating a harassment prevention order, the knowledge the Commonwealth must prove, and the defenses that test notice and the terms of the order.
• Restraining and Harassment Prevention Orders. An overview of 209A abuse prevention orders and 258E harassment prevention orders, how each is obtained and defended, and the criminal charge that a violation brings.

An arrest for violating a restraining order starts a criminal case with its own elements and its own defenses, separate from the civil proceeding in which the order issued. See defending against 209A and 258E restraining order violations.

Massachusetts courts also take firearms through a third order that restrains no conduct at all. An extreme risk protection order under M.G.L. c. 140, §§ 131R to 131Y suspends a license to carry and requires surrender of every firearm and round of ammunition the respondent holds, on a finding by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent poses a risk of causing bodily injury to self or others. Neither a criminal charge nor any relationship between the parties is required, and a law enforcement officer or a health care provider may be the petitioner.

OUI / DUI and Motor Vehicle Offenses

• OUI / DUI Defense Lawyer in Greater Boston (M.G.L. c. 90, § 24). A perfect OUI jury trial record. The four-layer defense covers the constitutional stop, field sobriety tests, the breathalyzer, and trial strategy, with penalties from first offense through felony OUI. See Massachusetts OUI Trial Results and How Massachusetts OUI Cases Are Won at Trial
• Field Sobriety Test Defense in Massachusetts. How the walk and turn, the one leg stand, and horizontal gaze nystagmus are scored, why the roadside rarely meets the manual’s own conditions, and how the field sobriety opinion is cross-examined. Common questions are answered in the field sobriety test FAQs
• Breathalyzer Defense in Massachusetts. The fifteen-minute observation period, calibration and certification, the fixed ratio the Alcotest 9510 applies to every person, and the Office of Alcohol Testing litigation. Common questions are answered in the breath test and BAC FAQs
• The Cahill Second-Chance Disposition. When a later offense with a prior ten years old or more may be resolved on first-offense 24D terms. Common questions are answered in the Cahill FAQs
• OUI Drugs and Marijuana Defense in Massachusetts. Why Massachusetts has no breath test and no per se limit for drugs, the limits the courts place on the roadside tests for marijuana under Commonwealth v. Gerhardt, and the constraints on drug recognition testimony. Common questions are answered in the OUI drugs FAQs
• Massachusetts OUI License Suspensions. Breathalyzer refusal vs. failure, CWOF, conviction, the consecutive bookend effect, hardship licenses, and RMV appeals
• Hardship Licenses and the 24D Program. The 24D program disposition and the hardship license that restores limited driving during a suspension.
• Should I Take the Breathalyzer in Massachusetts? See Why a Failed Breathalyzer Does Not Equal an OUI Conviction
• Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Crimes Defense (M.G.L. c. 90C). Negligent operation, leaving the scene, operating after suspension, and the 4-day clerk-magistrate hearing deadline. See The Criminal Traffic Citation and the 4-Day Deadline
• Operating to Endanger and Motor Vehicle Homicide in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 90, §§ 24(2)(a), 24G). The reckless or negligent operation charge, and the motor vehicle homicide charge that can follow a fatal crash, with or without alcohol.
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 90, §§ 24, 26). The duty to stop and give identification after property damage or personal injury, and the knowledge the Commonwealth must prove.
• Operating After Suspension and Unlicensed Operation in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 90, §§ 23, 10). Driving on a suspended or revoked license, the mandatory penalties tied to certain suspensions, and unlicensed operation.
• Negligent Operation and Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 90, § 24(2)(a)). The difference between negligent and reckless operation, and how the manner of driving is proved or disputed at trial.
• Massachusetts Sobriety Checkpoints and DUI Roadblocks and Breath Test and Blood Alcohol Science in Massachusetts. The written State Police guidelines and secondary screening at a roadblock, the Grimaldi bodycam decision, the Alcotest 9510 and the 501 CMR 2.00 test sequence, and the blood test consent rules. Common questions are answered in the DUI checkpoint FAQs and the breath test and BAC FAQs.

A driver licensed in another state faces the Massachusetts case and a separate set of consequences at home, because the Registry reports the Massachusetts outcome to the licensing state. See an out of state driver charged with OUI in Massachusetts.

Criminal Charges Defense

• Drug Crimes (M.G.L. c. 94C). Possession, distribution, trafficking, school zone charges, and search and seizure challenges
• Massachusetts Firearms Defense (M.G.L. c. 269, § 10 and Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024). Unlicensed carrying, the 2026 registration deadline, sensitive location offenses, and constitutional search challenges. See The October 2, 2026 Massachusetts Firearms Registration Deadline
• Fake ID Defense in Boston and Cambridge (M.G.L. c. 138, § 34B and M.G.L. c. 90, § 24B). Misdemeanor vs. felony charges, RMV license suspension, and BPD enforcement operations. See Student Fake ID Charges in Boston and Cambridge
• Massachusetts Revenge Porn and Nonconsensual Intimate Image Law (Chapter 118, Acts of 2024, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act). The 2024 Massachusetts law on nonconsensual intimate images, the conduct it addresses, and its place beside the federal statute.
• Sexual Assault and Rape Defense in Massachusetts. DNA evidence challenges, SORB consequences, Title IX parallel proceedings, and thirty years of not-guilty verdicts in sexual assault trials
• AI-Generated Sexual Imagery and Deepfake Defense (M.G.L. c. 272, § 29D). Massachusetts’s 2024 Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, authentication challenges, and SORB exposure. See How Massachusetts Courts Authenticate Deepfakes and AI Evidence in 2026
• Shoplifting and Larceny Defense (M.G.L. c. 266, § 30A and M.G.L. c. 266, § 30). Clerk-magistrate hearing strategy for first-time defendants, with CORI consequences for professionals and tradespeople
• Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest (M.G.L. c. 272, § 53). Street-level charges that often follow a chaotic scene rather than a real crime, and that frequently can be resolved at a clerk-magistrate hearing before any record is created
• Stalking and Criminal Harassment (M.G.L. c. 265, §§ 43, 43A). Stalking is a felony carrying up to five years in state prison, while criminal harassment is a misdemeanor. Both require a knowing pattern of conduct directed at a specific person, and neither can be sustained on protected speech or expression under the First Amendment
• Drug Possession with Intent to Distribute and Distribution (M.G.L. c. 94C, §§ 32-32E). Distribution and possession with intent to distribute are felonies carrying up to ten years for Class A substances. The most consequential defense opportunity is typically a Motion to Suppress the traffic stop or vehicle search that produced the evidence
• Drug Charges in a Massachusetts School Zone (M.G.L. c. 94C, § 32J). The school zone enhancement imposes a mandatory minimum two-year consecutive sentence for a drug distribution charge occurring within 300 feet of school property between 5:00 a.m. and midnight, whether or not the school is in session, where the Commonwealth also proves violence, a firearm, direction of another person’s drug felony, or a violation of § 32F or § 32K
• Breaking and Entering in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 266, §§ 14 through 18). Unarmed nighttime breaking and entering of a dwelling house with intent to commit a felony carries up to twenty years in state prison under § 15. Life exposure arises only under § 14, where a person is lawfully inside and the offender is armed, arms himself in the house, or makes an actual assault. “Breaking” is defined broadly to include any act of force removing a barrier to entry, however slight
• Massachusetts Criminal Harassment Defense (M.G.L. c. 265, § 43A). The pattern of at least three acts the criminal harassment statute requires, the fear it must cause, and the speech that stays protected.
• Firearms Offenses for Massachusetts Visitors or Out-of-State Travelers. How a firearm carried lawfully in another state can become a serious charge in Massachusetts, and the license rules a traveler faces.
• Massachusetts Theft and Larceny Defense. Larceny, shoplifting, and related theft offenses, the felony threshold, and the restitution that can resolve a case.
• Larceny Over $1,200 and Financial Crimes Defense in Massachusetts. The felony larceny threshold, and the fraud, embezzlement, and forgery charges that turn on intent and the amount involved.
• Criminal Charges Defense in Massachusetts. An overview of the offenses this office defends, from assault and theft to firearms and drug charges, and the strategy common to them.

Immigration Consequences

• Immigration Consequences of Massachusetts Criminal Charges. How Massachusetts charges affect immigration status, including deportability, crimes involving moral turpitude, controlled substance offenses, domestic violence, and the CWOF as a federal conviction.
  • Motions for a New Trial Under Padilla v. Kentucky. The motion for a new trial when a noncitizen was not advised of the immigration consequences of a plea, under Padilla v. Kentucky.
  • The CWOF and Immigration, and Why a CWOF Is a Federal Conviction. Why a continuance without a finding counts as a conviction under federal immigration law, and the risk it carries for a noncitizen.
  • Crimes of Moral Turpitude and Aggravated Felonies in Massachusetts Cases. How federal immigration law classifies Massachusetts offenses as crimes involving moral turpitude or aggravated felonies.
  • OUI and Immigration in Massachusetts. How an OUI charge and its disposition affect a noncitizen, including a drug offense or a repeat offense.
  • Domestic Violence Charges and Immigration (8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(E)). How a domestic charge or a restraining order can make a noncitizen removable under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(E).
• Immigration Consequences of Massachusetts Criminal Charges. How a conviction or a continuance without a finding affects a noncitizen, and the pleas that avoid a removable offense.

FAQs and Criminal Law Resources

• Greater Boston & Massachusetts Criminal Case FAQs. Common questions about how a Massachusetts criminal case moves from arrest through disposition.
• Massachusetts Clerk-Magistrate Hearing FAQ. Common questions about the show cause hearing that decides whether a criminal complaint issues.
• Massachusetts OUI/DUI FAQs. Common questions about a Massachusetts OUI charge, the roadside and breath tests, and the two proceedings it begins.
• Massachusetts Hardship License FAQs. Common questions about eligibility for a hardship license and the Registry process behind it.
• Massachusetts Domestic Violence Law FAQs. Common questions about domestic violence charges, restraining orders, and their collateral consequences.
• CWOF, Pretrial Probation, and Diversion FAQs. Common questions about a continuance without a finding, pretrial probation, diversion, and what each leaves on a record.
• Massachusetts CORI Sealing and Expungement FAQ. Common questions about sealing or expunging a Massachusetts criminal record and clearing a CORI.
• Massachusetts Wiretap and Secret Recording FAQs. Two-party consent vs. knowledge, recording a spouse or partner, Ring camera audio, 209A hearings, suppression, and penalties.
• Massachusetts 209A and 258E Violation FAQs. What counts as a criminal violation of a restraining order, accidental contact, and defenses.
• Massachusetts Traffic Stop FAQs: Exit Orders, Searches, and Your Rights. When police may stop a car, exit orders, searches, and roadside rights.
• Massachusetts Phone and Computer Search FAQs. Phone seizures, digital search warrants, passcodes, and location data.
• Massachusetts Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest FAQs. Disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest.
• Massachusetts Warrant Removal: Frequently Asked Questions. Default and outstanding warrants, and how to remove them.
• Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Crimes FAQs. Motor vehicle charges, license consequences, and court process.
• Massachusetts Student Criminal Defense FAQs. Criminal charges against college and university students, campus discipline, and record protection.
• Boston Fake ID Law FAQs for College and University Students. Fake ID charges involving Boston-area college students.
• Massachusetts Licensed Professionals Criminal Defense FAQs. Charges, reporting duties, and license exposure for licensed professionals.
• Massachusetts Drug Crimes FAQs. Possession, distribution, searches, and drug case defenses.
• Massachusetts Probation Violation FAQ. Probation violation hearings, detention, and defenses.
• Massachusetts Revenge Porn and Nonconsensual Intimate Image FAQ. Nonconsensual intimate image and revenge porn charges.
• FAQ: What to Do After an Arrest in Massachusetts. What to do after an arrest: booking, bail, and first court dates.
• Massachusetts OUI Arrest and RMV License Suspension FAQs. OUI arrests, breathalyzers, and license suspensions.
• Massachusetts Witness Intimidation FAQs. What G.L. c. 268, § 13B covers, drop-the-charges requests, forfeiture by wrongdoing, dangerousness detention, and penalties.
• Boston Criminal Law Updates. The Serpa Law Office blog: current analysis of Massachusetts criminal law as it changes. Recent posts examine secret recordings in domestic violence and 209A cases, whether a judge can simply dismiss a case, recantation, criminal harassment and the First Amendment, and driver’s license requirements for new residents.
• Defending Against 209A and 258E Restraining Order Violations in Greater Boston. Common questions about being charged with violating a restraining order or a harassment prevention order in Massachusetts.
• Excited Utterance and Recanting Accuser FAQs. Common questions about excited and spontaneous utterances, the 911 call, forfeiture by wrongdoing, and Section 806 when a domestic violence accuser recants or refuses to testify.

Massachusetts Courts Where Serpa Law Office Practices

Attorney Serpa has represented clients in the Federal Courts, the Massachusetts Superior Courts, and the Massachusetts District Court and Boston Municipal Court divisions listed below. For dedicated court-specific defense guides see Massachusetts District Courts.

Local knowledge matters in these courts. Each clerk’s office has its own practices for scheduling show cause hearings, each session has its own culture on continuances and diversion, and the realistic range of outcomes for the same charge varies from courthouse to courthouse. Thirty years of appearing in these buildings informs every recommendation Serpa Law Office makes about where and how to resolve a case.

Boston Municipal Court, All Eight Divisions (Suffolk County)

• BMC Central Division (Downtown Boston, Financial District, Beacon Hill, North End, Chinatown, Seaport)
• BMC Brighton Division (Brighton and Allston)
• BMC Charlestown Division (Charlestown)
• BMC Dorchester Division (Dorchester)
• BMC East Boston Division (East Boston, Winthrop, Logan International Airport)
• BMC Roxbury Division (Roxbury)
• BMC South Boston Division (South Boston)
• BMC West Roxbury Division (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Roslindale)

Suffolk County District Courts

• Chelsea District Court (Chelsea and Revere)

Norfolk County District Courts

• Quincy District Court (Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Randolph, Milton, Cohasset, Holbrook)
• Brookline District Court (Brookline)
• Dedham District Court (Dedham, Dover, Medfield, Needham, Norwood, Wellesley, Westwood)
• Stoughton District Court (Stoughton, Canton, Sharon, Foxborough)
• Wrentham District Court (Wrentham, Franklin, Plainville, Norfolk, Millis, Medway, Milford, Bellingham)

Middlesex County District Courts

• Cambridge District Court (Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont)
• Somerville District Court (Somerville, Medford)
• Malden District Court (Malden, Everett, Melrose, Wakefield)
• Waltham District Court (Waltham, Watertown, Weston)
• Woburn District Court (Woburn, Burlington, Winchester, Wilmington, Stoneham, Reading, North Reading)
• Newton District Court (Newton, all 13 villages)
• Concord District Court (Concord, Lexington, Carlisle, Lincoln, Bedford, Acton, Maynard, Stow)
• Framingham District Court (Framingham, Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, Sudbury, Wayland)
• Natick District Court (Natick and surrounding MetroWest towns)
• Marlborough District Court (Marlborough, Hudson, Northborough, Southborough)
• Lowell District Court (Lowell, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford)
• Ayer District Court (Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend, Dunstable, Ashby)

Plymouth County District Courts

• Hingham District Court (Hingham, Norwell, Scituate, Hanover, Hull, Rockland)
• Brockton District Court (Brockton, Abington, Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Whitman, Easton)
• Plymouth District Court (Plymouth, Carver, Duxbury, Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke)
• Wareham District Court (Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Middleborough, Lakeville)

Essex County District Courts

• Salem District Court (Salem, Marblehead, Swampscott, Manchester-by-the-Sea)
• Lynn District Court (Lynn, Nahant, Saugus)
• Peabody District Court (Peabody, Danvers)
• Newburyport District Court (Newburyport, Amesbury, Merrimac, Newbury, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury)
• Gloucester District Court (Gloucester, Rockport)
• Ipswich District Court (Ipswich, Hamilton, Topsfield, Wenham)
• Haverhill District Court (Haverhill, Georgetown, Groveland, Boxford)
• Lawrence District Court (Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover)

Bristol County District Courts

• Taunton District Court (Taunton, Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk)
• Attleboro District Court (Attleboro, Mansfield, North Attleborough, Norton)
• Fall River District Court (Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Westport)
• New Bedford District Court (New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven)

Worcester County District Courts

• Worcester District Court (Worcester)
• Fitchburg District Court (Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Townsend)
• Leominster District Court (Leominster, Lancaster, Sterling)
• Gardner District Court (Gardner, Ashburnham, Hubbardston, Phillipston, Templeton, Westminster, Winchendon)
• East Brookfield District Court (Brookfield, East Brookfield, Leicester, North Brookfield, Oakham, Paxton, Rutland, Spencer, Warren, West Brookfield)
• Dudley District Court (Dudley, Charlton, Douglas, Northbridge, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Webster)
• Milford District Court (Milford, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Millis, Holliston)
• Clinton District Court (Clinton, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Harvard, West Boylston)
• Westborough District Court (Westborough, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough)

Barnstable County District Courts

• Barnstable District Court (Barnstable, Yarmouth, Sandwich)
• Falmouth District Court (Falmouth, Bourne, Mashpee)
• Orleans District Court (Orleans and the Lower Cape)

Massachusetts Superior Courts

Serpa Law Office also handles felony cases in the Massachusetts Superior Courts across all counties, including Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Plymouth, Essex, Bristol, and Worcester Superior Courts. Superior Court cases typically involve grand jury indictments and carry potential state prison sentences. Attorney Serpa has obtained not-guilty jury verdicts in Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Plymouth, Bristol, and Essex County Superior Courts, including acquittals in first-degree murder, aggravated rape, armed assault with intent to murder, and mayhem cases. See Representative Trial Results.

For court-specific defense guides covering the 49 courts with dedicated pages see Massachusetts District Courts and Boston Municipal Court.

Contact Serpa Law Office at 617.936.0201 for a free consultation. Boston office at 20 Park Plaza #400A. Quincy office at 500 Victory Rd., Suite 400A. Available 24 hours a day.