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Getting to the bottom of the Manhattan well murder
The lengthy murder indictment of Levi Weeks read, in part, that he “not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, on the 22d day of December, in the year of our Lord 1799, [did murder Gulielma Sands].”
Letter: For seniors, tax exemption policies ‘unsettling’
Too many Massachusetts municipalities continue to deny exemptions on formalistic grounds, elevating title technicalities over fairness and clear policy supporting residential exemption and the Homestead Act, a reader writes in a letter to the editor.
The IG’s broken report on a breaking criminal system
Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro's report on indigent criminal defense in Massachusetts displays a common misunderstanding of criminal justice that amounts to disorientation, a commentary argues.
Letter: ‘Look-back window’ for child sex-abuse victims badly needed
There is a need to create a look-back window for the sake of justice, accountability and public safety. Just as there is no statute of limitations in murder cases, there should also be no statute of limitations in civil child sexual abuse cases.
Letter: Court interpreter to Trial Court: ensure due process, equal protection
Trial Court policies have exhausted staff interpreters, have kept contract interpreters from making ends meet, and have increasingly left courts with no interpreter or only a remote interpreter.
Jurisdiction is in the eye of the beholder
My assignment in the case of New England mob boss Raymond Patriarca that’s been discussed in prior columns was more complicated than the usual “go see what’s happening.”
A spreadsheet is not the Constitution
The Massachusetts inspector general’s recent report on indigent defense deserves to be read. But it gets the diagnosis backwards. And that matters because the Legislature will use the report to write the next round of reform.
Confidently wrong: What generative AI means for your reputation, your obligations
Generative AI is the most consequential tool the legal profession has ever encountered. Unlike prior legal technology, it both gathers information and produces finished work product. That is both the source of its promise and its danger.
Why your best employees are quietly losing their edge
The conversation about modern work is stuck in two camps, and both are wrong. The hustle camp produces big achievements and bigger burnouts. The comfort camp produces a slow corrosion you don’t notice until you can’t remember the last time you were proud of something you built.
When is a PIP an adverse employment action?
As illustrated by a recent 1st Circuit decision, not all PIPs are created equal in evaluating when they may serve as a basis for an employment discrimination claim.
In case of New England mob boss, justice delayed or justice denied?
Raymond Patriarca was the powerful and ruthless boss of the Patriarca crime family in New England for more than three decades. His criminal history started in his teenage years when he was charged with hijacking, armed robbery, assault and more.
Letter: Surprise thank-you brings lawyer to tears
Nineteen years ago, a gentleman charged with indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over walked into my office. He insisted that the charge was untrue and that it arose out of a dispute between neighbors. He hired me.
