Lawrence, MA Criminal Defense Attorney

How criminal defense cases proceed under Massachusetts law

Most criminal cases that start in Lawrence start in the District Court, and the reason is written into the statute rather than left to habit. Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 26, the District Court and the Boston Municipal Court have original jurisdiction, concurrent with the Superior Court, over every misdemeanor, every felony punishable by no more than five years in state prison, and a long list of specific felonies named in the section, and the complaint is brought in the division covering the place where the offense is alleged to have happened. A Lawrence arrest for OUI, assault and battery, larceny or a drug offense therefore lands in the local division, and only the most serious charges, or cases the prosecutor chooses to present to a grand jury, move to the Essex County Superior Court by indictment.

Two early steps decide more than people expect. The first can happen before any arrest at all: under c. 218, sec. 35A, a person who is not under arrest and is named in an application for a misdemeanor complaint is entitled to be heard, personally or through counsel, before a clerk magistrate decides whether to issue it, unless there is an imminent threat of bodily injury, of a crime, or of flight. That show cause hearing is often the best chance to stop a case before it becomes a court record. The second is release. Under c. 276, sec. 58, the default is release on personal recognizance, and bail may be set only where that release will not reasonably assure the person's return to court, in an amount set after taking the person's financial resources into account.

The rest of a Lawrence case is about the record as much as the outcome. A charge can end in dismissal, a nolle prosequi, pretrial probation under c. 276, sec. 87 with the defendant's consent, a continuance without a finding, a plea, or a trial. Each leaves a different trace in the court activity record kept by the Commissioner of Probation, and Massachusetts has separate routes for sealing each kind, from the automatic sealing of an acquittal under c. 276, sec. 100C to the three-year and seven-year waiting periods for convictions under c. 276, sec. 100A. The intake conversation looks at the charge and the court date first and at the long-term record second, because a decision made at arraignment can decide what an employer sees years later.

Massachusetts statutes and case law

• M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 26. District Court and Boston Municipal Court criminal jurisdiction, concurrent with the Superior Court, over misdemeanors, felonies punishable by no more than five years in state prison and specifically listed felonies, with the complaint brought in the division where the offense allegedly occurred.
• M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 35A. The show cause hearing: a person not under arrest who is named in an application for a misdemeanor complaint is given an opportunity to be heard, personally or by counsel, before process issues, unless there is an imminent threat of bodily injury, of a crime, or of flight.
• M.G.L. c. 276, sec. 58. Release on personal recognizance is the default; bail may be set only where that release will not reasonably assure appearance, and in an amount set after taking the person's financial resources into account.
• M.G.L. c. 276, sec. 58A. The dangerousness hearing for listed offenses involving force or abuse; a person detained under it must be tried as soon as reasonably possible and, absent good cause, may not be held beyond 120 days by the District Court or 180 days by the Superior Court, excluding excludable delay.
• M.G.L. c. 276, sec. 87. Pretrial probation: the court may place a person charged with an offense on probation, with the defendant's consent, before trial and before a guilty plea, on conditions the court sets.
• M.G.L. c. 276, secs. 100A and 100C. Record sealing: acquittals, no bills and no probable cause findings are sealed under sec. 100C, dismissals and nolle prosequi can be sealed where substantial justice would best be served, and conviction records can be sealed by request after 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony under sec. 100A.

Common case patterns in Lawrence

1. A Lawrence resident receives a notice of a clerk magistrate hearing on an application for a misdemeanor complaint, and the work is to be heard under c. 218, sec. 35A before any complaint issues.
2. A Lawrence arrest for OUI, where the first appearance is arraignment in the local District Court division and the questions are the license consequences, the conditions of release and the evidence behind the stop.
3. A Essex County domestic assault and battery charge under c. 265, sec. 13M, which often arrives together with a c. 209A restraining order and a stay-away condition, so that two proceedings run at once.
4. A Lawrence defendant held on a dangerousness motion under c. 276, sec. 58A, where the hearing itself, and the 120-day and 180-day limits on detention, shape everything that follows.
5. A Lawrence resident with an old dismissal or a decade-old conviction on the record, where the question is not the case but whether c. 276, sec. 100A or sec. 100C allows it to be sealed now.

Typical timeline

1. The first telephone consultation captures the charging document, the court date, any prior record and the conditions of release, because those four facts decide what has to happen first. If the matter is still at the application stage, the show cause hearing under c. 218, sec. 35A is the first event and can be the last. If there has been an arrest, arraignment in the division covering Lawrence is usually within days, and release, bail or a dangerousness motion under c. 276, sec. 58A is decided there.
2. After arraignment the case moves to pretrial conferences, discovery and motions. This is where the evidence is obtained, where motions to suppress or to dismiss are filed, and where options such as pretrial probation under c. 276, sec. 87 are raised with the prosecutor and the court. Cases that remain in the District Court are tried there; the most serious charges proceed by indictment in the Essex County Superior Court, where the same stages run on a longer calendar.
3. The final stage is disposition and, often, the record that follows it. A case can end in dismissal, a continuance without a finding, a plea, or a verdict after a bench or jury trial. Afterward, the sealing rules in c. 276, secs. 100A and 100C decide when, and whether, the matter can be removed from ordinary view. Where a Lawrence matter needs specialist handling, Jim Glaser Law connects the client with a Massachusetts criminal-defense partner attorney at no extra cost to the client.

What a Massachusetts criminal defense can achieve

• A decision by the clerk magistrate not to issue a complaint after a c. 218, sec. 35A hearing, which ends the matter before a court record is created.
• Release on personal recognizance, or bail set at an amount that accounts for the person's financial resources, under c. 276, sec. 58.
• Dismissal of the charge, or a nolle prosequi entered by the prosecutor, where the evidence or the procedure does not support the case.
• Pretrial probation under c. 276, sec. 87 or a continuance without a finding, which can resolve a case without a conviction when conditions are met.
• Suppression of evidence obtained in violation of constitutional protections, which can decide the outcome of the whole case.
• An acquittal after a bench or jury trial, which is sealed under c. 276, sec. 100C unless the defendant asks otherwise.
• Sealing of an older record under c. 276, sec. 100A once the 3-year or 7-year waiting period has run.

Key terms

Arraignment

The first court appearance where charges are formally read and conditions of release are set.

District Court

The Massachusetts court that hears most misdemeanors and many felonies.

Superior Court

The Massachusetts court that hears serious felonies and cases proceeding by indictment.

Conditions of release

The terms, such as bail or a stay-away order, set by the court while a criminal case is pending.

District Court vs. Superior Court

More questions from Lawrence residents

• Which court will hear my Lawrence criminal case?

  Most likely the District Court division covering Lawrence, or the Boston Municipal Court for offenses in Boston. Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 26 those courts hear every misdemeanor, felonies punishable by no more than five years in state prison and a list of specific felonies, and the complaint is brought where the offense allegedly happened. The most serious charges, or cases a prosecutor takes to a grand jury, proceed by indictment in the Essex County Superior Court.

• What is a clerk magistrate hearing in Massachusetts?

  It is a hearing before a complaint issues. Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 35A, a person who is not under arrest and is named in an application for a misdemeanor complaint must be given an opportunity to be heard, personally or by counsel, in opposition to the issuance of process, unless there is an imminent threat of bodily injury, of a crime, or of flight. If the clerk magistrate finds no probable cause, no complaint issues, which is why the hearing is worth preparing for.

• Will I have to pay bail after a Lawrence arrest?

  Not necessarily. M.G.L. c. 276, sec. 58 makes release on personal recognizance the default, and bail may be set only if that release will not reasonably assure your appearance in court. When bail is set, it must be in an amount no higher than needed to assure appearance after taking your financial resources into account. A separate dangerousness hearing under c. 276, sec. 58A applies to certain offenses involving force or abuse.

• Can a Massachusetts criminal record be sealed?

  Often, yes. Under M.G.L. c. 276, sec. 100C an acquittal, a grand jury no bill or a no probable cause finding is sealed, and a dismissal or nolle prosequi can be sealed where the court finds substantial justice would best be served. Under c. 276, sec. 100A a conviction record can be sealed by request to the Commissioner of Probation after 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony, with no new conviction in that time.

• What does Jim Glaser Law charge for a Lawrence criminal matter?

  Criminal matters are billed on a fixed-fee or hourly basis depending on the charge and the court, and the arrangement is set out in the written fee agreement signed at intake. Criminal cases are not handled on contingency. Where a Lawrence matter is better handled by specialist counsel, the firm connects the client with a Massachusetts criminal-defense partner attorney at no extra cost to the client.