According to Yahoo, Massachusetts ranks as the most expensive state to fight a ticket. In order to fight a ticket in Massachusetts a driver has to pay a twenty five dollar non-refundable fee to have a clerk an appeal before a clerk magistrate. If the driver does not agree with decision of the magistrate then… Read More

The Massachusetts Safe Driver Insurance Plan is an optional insurance plan by the state Registry of Motor Vehicles for providing insurance premium reductions to those drivers with safe driving histories. The Safe Driver Insurance Plan, also known as SDIP, is not mandatory for Massachusetts insurance companies; they are free to develop their own models if… Read More

The United States Supreme Court ruled today that police do not need to get warrants before taking a person’s DNA. The Court ruled 5-4 that police can continue to DNA samples from people that have been arrested with the need for a warrant. The Court likened the taking of a person’s DNA to fingerprinting or… Read More

In Massachusetts, the purpose for bail is to ensure a person’s appearance at the next court date. Most people charged with crimes in Massachusetts are released on their own personal recognizance, or their promise to appear at the next date. For other people, it is up to the judge to set the bail amount. Bail… Read More

A law that forbids sex offenders from using social media sites that allow children to access has been ruled unconstitutional by a Federal Appeals court in Illinois. An Indiana state law made it a crime for sex offenders from accessing sites like Facebook because children also used the site. The Federal Appeals court called the… Read More

Nobody plans to get arrested and therefore nobody plans to hire a criminal defense attorney. Yet when the need arises everyone wants the best criminal defense attorney. Unless you have been raised by a family of criminals you probably don’t know what to look in a criminal defense attorney. Here are the top seven things… Read More

For the first time a Massachusetts judge has issued a restraining order on behalf of a dog. The 6 year old Labrador mix named Panzer is the first dog to be the subject of a restraining order since Governor Patrick signed a new animal welfare bill into law. The new law created a spay and neutering… Read More

Gary Zerola, 2001 People Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelor and former Assistant District District Attorney, was found not guilty by a jury in his second rape case of the year. Mr. Zerola a criminal defense attorney was accused of raping a 19 year old Boston woman. Earlier this year, a jury acquitted him of the rape… Read More

In today’s Sunday Boston Globe there is an article about the effort in Massachusetts to apprehend people wanted for crimes. Click here to read the story. This shows that every warrant should be taken seriously. Even if it was mistakenly issued the results can be severe. if you or someone you know has a warrant… Read More

My name is Patrick Donovan and before becoming a criminal defense attorney I was as an Assistant District Attorney in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. There I worked in the Dedham, Stoughton, and Quincy District Courts as well as Norfolk County Superior Court. I am now a criminal defense attorney. My practice takes me into courtrooms all… Read More