Expertise
American criminal and civil justice and their role in a free society; Trial procedure, strategy, and tactics; Sentencing and criminal justiceResearch Interests
Communication between the public, media, justice systems, and academia; Dispute resolution; Sentencing and criminal justiceEducation
Certificate of Completion: Negotiation, Mediating Civil Disputes, Harvard Law School
J.D., Boston University School of Law
B.A., Johns Hopkins University
Biosketch
I work in three domains. provide thoughtful legal analysis to media organizations and journalists about civil and criminal justice. I am a mediator, and I have taught at colleges, universities and law schools since 2003.
I was a Massachusetts judge for 21 years, 16 on the Massachusetts Superior Court, and five on the Boston Municipal Court. I was a trial lawyer for 16 years before that. I chaired the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission when it passed the only overhaul of the Massachusetts Sentencing Guidelines in 21 years. I have participated in numerous initiatives on sentence ranging from local to national. I've taught many different courses, both online and in-person, and I've taught in Massachusetts, at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, and in Sichuan, China as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.
Selected Awards and Honors
2021 Haskell Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies. Selection is 100% based on student nominations.