It is extremely sad to report to you that former Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Committee member, and long-time Chair, Willie Davis, passed away earlier this week. Willie had a storied career as a top criminal defense attorney in Massachusetts, and was the founding member and a partner with Davis, Robinson & Molloy, LLP in Boston.
Willie Davis began his career as a criminal defense attorney on a successful note, and he continued along that path for over 40 years. In 1977, Willie tried his first court appointed murder case and his client was found not guilty. It was to be the first of many successes in a long and successful career. Willie represented indigent clients in the District and Superior courts in virtually every county across the Commonwealth, as well as before the Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Several years back, Willie reported that over the course of his career, he had tried approximately 240 cases, of which approximately 100 were murder cases.
In March 1997, Willie Davis was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the CPCS Committee, and he remained a member of the Committee until 2012. Willie was selected Chairman in 1999, and in that role was front and center in helping to build and preserve the CPCS indigent defense system. He was a tremendous advocate for the agency, the staff, and most importantly, he always ensured that high quality representation for our clients came first. He advocated for CPCS effectively to SJC Chief Justices Margaret Marshall and Roderick Ireland, and to Governors Paul Cellucci, Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick. Willie’s leadership during periods where budget crises threatened the right to counsel and during the high stakes litigation against the Commonwealth in the Lavallee case, was truly heroic.
He was recognized by CPCS in 2012 with the Thurgood Marshall Award for his years of providing high quality representation to thousands of individual indigent defendants, and for his years of fighting for systemic changes to ensure that each and every poor person received the representation that they deserved.
Willie grew up in Georgia, and attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was a star athlete winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in the 100 yard dash twice, and setting a record in football for the longest run from scrimmage – hence his nickname “Flash.” That record went unbroken for 37 years. After completing a stint in the United States Army, Willie moved north to Boston to attend New England School of Law. Following his graduation, Willie served as an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and then as an assistant United States attorney.
Willie was an extremely active alumnus of Morehouse College, serving as the President of the Boston Chapter of the National Alumni Association, President Emeritus of the National Alumni Association, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Willie was a wonderful person who helped innumerable people throughout his career and CPCS and his clients were very lucky to have him in their corner for so many years. He will be missed.