Joe is the best criminal defense lawyer you could find in Boston. Please read through my experience if you think otherwise. Hope this review can help get you on track to getting your life back.
Six weeks ago I was arrested for and charged with a serious crime I did not commit. The case was dismissed two hours ago and writing Attorney Serpa a review is the first thing that came to mind. Not only the quick dismissal (anyone familiar with this type of situations can tell you that normally cases like this would take up to at least 3-6 months) happened due to his sharp mind, great knowledge and tremeoundous experience, he made the waiting period much less painful by being unbelievably responsive and patient.
I am sure some of you reading this review would find yourself in a similar situation: having to deal with this country’s legal system for the first time and realizing your world is about to be turned upside down. Your only hope is to make the situation go away but have no idea how. If this is the case, you really need an attorney that can tell you everything will be okay.
After bail I had very little time to find myself legal representation, so I googled a few names and went with the first lawyer that returned my call. The initial attorney who took my case was rude and impatient. He never replied my calls / texts on time and was consistently cutting me off when I was making a point. He showed up late to court every time and was never prepared to present to the judge. As a result the case didn’t go anywhere and having to deal with him made me more stressful than I already was. Finally I decided to cut the cord and start to look for another lawyer.
I then did extensive research on criminal defense lawyers by reading all the reviews I could find. I asked around for referrals and spoke to 10-15 lawyers about my situation. During this process, Joe really stood out - he returned my call immediately and listened to what I had to say carefully. He never interrupted me once even though I was repeating a lot of the points due to high stress. He gave his professional opinion and never pressured me to hire him. After the initial call, Joe even met with me for another 30-40 minutes in person before I formally engaged with him. No one else out of the people I spoke with had this level of care and professionalism.
After the engagement, Joe made me feel like he was in this with me. Every time I had questions or doubts, he would respond to my calls or texts within an hour or two. He consistently told me things would be okay and also backed the conclusion up by explaining his strategy and plan every step of the way. He even proactively checked in on me when he sensed high level of stress. Joe also took a huge burden off my shoulders by handling the communication with my employer - he was able to calm them down successfully and provided timely updates so there’s a better chance I could get my job back (I was put on administrative leave after what happened).
In court, Joe was always able to make his points to the judge and the DA without offending anyone. Both times we were in court (hearing and trial day), we were able to get what we wanted - a quick trial and the final dismissal. After sitting in court for 3-4 long sessions and hearing all the cases being presented, I can confidently make the statement that sharp minds like Joe’s don’t come by that often. A lot of the attorneys (including the first one I had) would just cave in to the judge when DAs make a strong point. But Joe always stood firm and presented our case using his confident and convincing tone.
Overall, I feel so fortunate that I was able to work with Joe. He genuinely cared about my feelings and wanted the problem to go away for me. He gained my trust and I cannot thank him enough for what he did.