Our Comprehensive Approach To Criminal Defense

We do criminal defense differently.

We fight the charges in court, with the highest level of advocacy developed over almost 30 years in the courtroom.

We also help our clients address the the underlying life circumstances and nonlegal issues that so often play a role in driving good people into the criminal justice system in the first place. These can include trauma, addiction, mental health issues, family crisis or instability, developmental disability, and physical illness and disability.

We make it a priority to understand each client as a whole person.

We take the time to understand their full story - family circumstances, past trauma, mental health challenges, addiction issues - and their goals, hopes and dreams. This informs how we build the best defense strategy and identifies how to build the best team for each client and their case.

We have cultivated a carefully vetted network of professionals we work with regularly who we can call upon for each client's team.

We seek to help make lasting, positive change in our clients' lives.

How We Can Help You

A criminal accusation is a storm crashing into your life.

Everything is threatened.

Your future becomes uncertain.

We get you through the storm, safely.

We bring the skill and experience you need on your side, the support and understanding, the help, to right the ship and continue your voyage.

That's what we do.

On A Mission To Change Criminal Defense

It's a big goal, one that we pursue one person, one case, at a time.

We think there is a better way to do criminal defense, and we want to be an example of that better way. We want to be leaders in developing and promoting Comprehensive Criminal Defense as a better way to help and advocate for clients.

We want to set an example, one client at a time.

Our Team

Ernest Stone

Attorney

After nearly thirty years as a lawyer representing people during the most stressful times of their lives, I don’t think people really care where I went to law school or what bar associations I belong to. I don’t blame them. When we are working together for months at a time, and sometimes longer, we really get to know each other.  What is important is our trust, and how we work together.

There are a few things that I believe in that guide me in representing people.  You can read about what I believe here.

I know what it is like to feel like you’ve lost control, that your future is in jeopardy, that your whole life is threatened. In 2001, I thought my life was over, that I had lost control, and that everything I had worked for and dreamed of was about to be destroyed. I lost hope. I’ve had those feelings and fears that my clients experience.  I was so lucky that some great people helped me in my darkest times, and on September 1, 2001, I got sober.  I’ve been there. It was a long time ago, and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, but now I see my years of struggles and fear as a gift that lets me help others get safely through their own storms. 

Some people are surprised that I would talk about my struggles and my recovery so publicly.  Years ago I was told by a man much wiser than me that, “we recover loudly so that others may not die in silence.” I firmly believe that, and I try to live up to that ideal. So, I try to bring empathy and understanding to the clients I have the great privilege of defending in their darkest days.  

I got my law degree at Washington and Lee University School of Law, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. I enjoyed living in Virginia, but was glad to come back home to Massachusetts after school. Virginia is beautiful, but I missed New England. This is home. I started my criminal defense practice in 1996. Since then, I have represented people in State and Federal Courts, at trial and on appeal.

I have never been a prosecutor.  Some defense lawyers advertise the fact that they are former prosecutors.  Since I began my practice, I have wanted to represent and defend people, not the government.  The government has enough power, enough people ready to do its bidding. I have never been one of them.

I want to help people get safely through the storm.

Joanne Dubray

Case Manager

Joanne, our Case Manager, is the liaison with our people. She is the first, and continuing, point of contact for clients and their families. She is a trained paralegal. But she does so much more than that.  

She is the calm friendly voice helping our clients to understand the complex process they are going through, and to feel comfortable and safe. She answers the questions, addresses the concerns, and provides emotional support and assistance throughout the course of their case, and beyond.

Joannne maintains and manages our relationships with other lawyers, therapists, doctors, treatment programs, and others, who we call on to join our clients’ teams. She works with Ernie and others on the team to identify our peoples’ needs and to find the right fit, and makes the referral and onboarding processes frictionless.  

Joanne says: “Working with Attorney Stone is a very rewarding experience. He truly cares about each and every one of his clients. We go above and beyond to help our clients both during and after their case.”

Katherine Powers

Business Manager

Katherine had a whole career as an architect before she joined us. Now retired from architecture, she is our Practice Manager. She manages our business, but she is not just a bookkeeper. She is so much more.

She brings all the experience of her first career to us, adding her special perspective and creativity to our team. She is involved in our brainstorming on cases, and is an invaluable resource as a “mock juror” as we craft defenses. Sometimes she is our voice of reason, sometimes our devil’s advocate. We value Katherine’s judgment and insights more than we can express.  

Katherine manages our HR matters, vendor/insurance management, and she works with clients to manage payment plans. She may not tell you, but she is also a highly accomplished clothing designer and seamstress who had her own boutique. We also think she is the coolest member of the team.  

Katherine says: “I came here for a challenge and to learn new things, and I have learned so much. Knowing that we are helping people get their lives back on track is the most fulfilling part of my job.”

Janice Levesque

Client Advocate

Janice does it all. She is the record sealing and expungement guru. She manages all of the sealing/expungement cases, and has developed connections and relationships at the agencies we work with. She is constantly learning and updating her knowledge base, and our success in those matters is due to her.  

But Janice does more than that here. She helps communicate with and support our clients. She is our in-house investigator, and we rely upon her evaluation and judgment of cases and people. She has become a master at investigating through databases and digital sources. She usually has some piece of evidence or information ready to hand to Ernie before he even thinks to ask for it.

He job title is "Client Advocate”. But most importantly, she brings compassion and understanding for our people and their families.

Janice says, “I love working here. Helping people get a new start; working on cases to help good people get out of bad situations; plus I get to work with the best people I could ask for.”

Contact us today to get a free consultation

Contact our team today to get started on your case. Contact us through our website or call (978) 969 2890. We are available 24/7 and want to help you through this time in your life.

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