Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer
Law Offices of Russell J Matson, PC - Criminal Defense
Consumers love the car service Uber, and the business has been massively successful. A million think pieces have been launched on the “Uber economy”, and tech investors are always looking for the next business to be disrupted Uber-style as has happened to the taxicab business. The Uber-ization of everything is a trend that continues to explode.
So where is the Uber for Lawyers? [Read more…]
Cops are a problem.
Of course, not all cops are bad, and not all cops oppose decriminalization and legalization. There are actually lots of decent police officers in the community who would much rather be doing actual public safety than busting harmless pot smokers. And the fine folks at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition have been tirelessly pointing this out and doing fantastic advocacy work.
But far too many police officers are simply behind the times. They are stuck in old ways of thinking. They were weaned on enforcing the war on drugs, running DARE programs for kids, and absorbing prohibitionist propaganda.
But ALL cops are going to have to adapt to a future that we are creating after decriminalization and, soon, legalization. Because the capacity of police to cause enormous problems for harmless marijuana smokers remains far too high. [Read more…]
As a long time criminal defense lawyer, I get a lot of panicked calls from people who find themselves arrested and accused of a crime.
Sometimes in comes in the form of an odd legal question: What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony? Which am I facing? (Most charges are misdemeanors, and usually only felonies must be disclosed on a job application.)
Very often people call in terror after making a mistake, perhaps accidentally hitting another car and driving away without thinking. Am I going to jail??
What is the absolute worst case scenario? [Read more…]
In light of the horrific and wildly unexpected events that shocked the city of Boston – and the nation as a whole – law enforcement officials are considering a plethora of tactics to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. The shrapnel-packed bombs that rocked the finish line at this year’s Boston marathon slipped by the tight security that always accompanies the Patriot’s Day event. How, then, can police prevent another horrific event of this magnitude from falling through the protective cracks?
In one word, drones. [Read more…]
If you were to believe everything you saw on television, you would think a hair or a single microscopic fiber of clothing would be enough to solve any crime. While these can sometimes be useful pieces of evidence, they are rarely the sole crime-solver as they are sometimes portrayed on modern crime dramas. [Read more…]
A federal judge has suspended the previously approved sex change operation for a Massachusetts man imprisoned for killing his wife. US District Judge Mark Wolf, called his previous order approving the surgery “unpopular and misunderstood” but acknowledged that this unpopular decision was sounds based on the principles of the 8th Amendment that forbid “cruel and unusual punishment.” Independent state psychiatrists have determined that the surgery is appropriate medical care for gender identity disorder, an accepted mental illness.
