We Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the District Court Offices
Happy 10-year Anniversary!!!
Gabriela Robin
Ethan Yankowitz
Tracy Magdalene
Jamie Bennett
Anne “Beau” Kealy
Meaghan Cary
Kurt Conner
Colleen Duarte
Katherine Grubbs
Robert Hofmann
Bonnie Michalowski
Mark Hopkins
Lisa Newman-Polk
Anne Rousseve
David Shea
Erin Steadman
Carla Barrett
Tim Brown
Janice Rhoden
Julie Soucy
Mike Perpall
Sara Plansky
Carole Kane
Amanda Ward
Gail Sargent
Dominique Decoster
Danielle Kane
Cindy Nicholls
David Parke
Margaret Kennedy
Barbara Lomax
The original crew: The O.G.’s C.P.C.S.
The Original District Court Directors including:
P.D.D Deputy Chief, Andy Silverman and
Assistant Deputy Chief Benjamin Keehn
Ben Keehn and two eager new lawyers!
“When we opened the Barnstable District Court office, no office space had been acquired yet. The Superior Court office was gracious enough to let us use two rooms in their already overcrowded space. The small rooms and tight space made practicing trial techniques difficult without disturbing everyone else in the office. As a result, we came up with creative solutions. When we practiced openings and closings, we drove down to the Cape Cod canal, sat on rocks, and took turns practicing. The benefits? The noise of the wind and waves made projecting voices imperative, and there was this great ice cream store on the way home.” Sue Crocker
Framingham Office – 2006
“There existed a sense of excitement in the room that first day of training back in 2006. The class was so large(I think there were about 85 new attorneys) that we were split up into two different trainings, one in Boston and one in Worcester. On that first day we all came together at MCLE on Winter Street. For many, this was the beginning of a lifetime goal. Personally I was nervous, excited, and curious for what awaited me back in my office. That first day in court we must have looked like the new kids at a new school – no idea who was who, what was what, or where to go! What stuck out most was how fast paced everyone and everything seemed. Words and phrases were being thrown around that I swear I never heard in law school. At the time I never thought I would be able to navigate the courts the way the attorneys I was watching were on my first days in court. I remember court officers telling me to hurry up in lockup and judges telling me to get to the point. I wondered how long before that would end… after all this was, is, and forever will be about my client’s needs, not some other persons desire to get to destination 4:30!!! It’s been ten great years….and thankfully I am still being told to hurry up and get to the point!”
Mike Perpall, Framingham
“I remember my very first day with CPCS. I was so nervous, it was something completely different for me but I was ready for the change. I walked into the Lowell Superior Court Office and I was greeted by Dee and then brought in to see Lynda who then proceeded to introduce me to our office. I was met with hugs from everyone and everyone was so happy to have me. I immediately felt at home and so comfortable with everyone. I was lucky to have Dee train me on everything I needed to know. She still trains me to this day LOL. After 10.5 years of being with this office through all the ups and downs and many many changes I can say I’m still happy to be part of such a wonderful office and team.”
Julie Soucy, Lowell
”The Lowell District Court pilot program started as a consolidated effort lead by Gaby Robin and supported by the Superior Court team. The Superior Court Unit was gracious enough to allow a group of new attorneys and staff to acquire the limited space they had available for themselves. Finding ingenious ways to accommodate our growing staff like sharing space with the filing cabinets, utilizing empty hallway space and piling three attorneys an investigator and social service advocate in one office seems minimal, but tolerating the extra decimals of noise was another. Each one of the staff offered their time and attention mentoring the new District Court staff. Gaby Robin however was the trendsetter for us. I would provide “guidance” and she would go forth. A lot of days she would come back and tell me, “that’s not how they do it” or “that’s impossible” but she never stopped trying. Gaby continues to this day to be an incredible asset to CPCS. Katelyn Creighton after making her mark and putting CPCS District on the map in Lowell left us for the beach down in Barnstable. Jenna Brownson took what she learned and continues to practice criminal defense on her own. Amazingly, Cindy Nicholls the first SSA in Lowell is getting ready to retire from our Salem Office. Julie Soucy the first AA in Lowell continues to keep the office running smoothly. And last, but not least, Sara Plansky the first Investigator in Lowell is continuing to perform miracles in our Salem Office. We have had many successes and many frustrating times, but nothing has stopped this dedicated staff from making a difference in a whole lot of lives.””The Lowell District Court pilot program started as a consolidated effort lead by Gaby Robin and supported by the Superior Court team. The Superior Court Unit was gracious enough to allow a group of new attorneys and staff to acquire the limited space they had available for themselves. Finding ingenious ways to accommodate our growing staff like sharing space with the filing cabinets, utilizing empty hallway space and piling three attorneys an investigator and social service advocate in one office seems minimal, but tolerating the extra decimals of noise was another. Each one of the staff offered their time and attention mentoring the new District Court staff. Gaby Robin however was the trendsetter for us. I would provide “guidance” and she would go forth. A lot of days she would come back and tell me, “that’s not how they do it” or “that’s impossible” but she never stopped trying. Gaby continues to this day to be an incredible asset to CPCS. Katelyn Creighton after making her mark and putting CPCS District on the map in Lowell left us for the beach down in Barnstable. Jenna Brownson took what she learned and continues to practice criminal defense on her own. Amazingly, Cindy Nicholls the first SSA in Lowell is getting ready to retire from our Salem Office. Julie Soucy the first AA in Lowell continues to keep the office running smoothly. And last, but not least, Sara Plansky the first Investigator in Lowell is continuing to perform miracles in our Salem Office. We have had many successes and many frustrating times, but nothing has stopped this dedicated staff from making a difference in a whole lot of lives.”
Lynda Dantas
Brockton District 2006
“Those of us who started before the district court offices were officially open—when CPCS’ district court presence was still a “pilot project”—had the “opportunity” to go through training twice: once a crash-course that January, and then again for the real new-lawyer training with the first official class in September 2006. Going through new lawyer training after 9 months of practicing was particularly fun—I was able to really appreciate how little I knew (and how many mistakes I was making!) during those first nine months!”
Carla Barrett, Boston
Early birds–class of 2006
Carole Kane, Brockton
Kari Tannenbaum, Roxbury
“For the first 10 months of the office’s existence in Salem, the four new staff attorneys shared one office since we were housed in the superior court office until we had space. I had spent the month of August with a temp, inventorying and moving about 15 or 20 years of superior court office files off site to empty the room. The original crew as Sierra Rosen, Tatum Pritchard, John Fennel and Sharon Chaitin-Pollack. They shared two phones between the 4 of them, which had its comical moments. It was an interior room which was always unbearably hot as a result of the uneven heating of the office. Much to the consternation of Larry McGuire, Sierra Rosen at one point threatened to wear her bikini to work.
Despite the physical shortcomings, those months in the superior court office space created strong bonds, both in our little office, but also with the staff of Larry’s office. We all learned a lot from them and there was a shared sense of mission as we forged our way in the district courts unused to a staff attorney presence. When it came time to move into our own space there was much to celebrate, but we also missed the close sense of camaraderie.
Those early months were a time of growth for CPCS, growth for such a large cohort of new attorneys, and growth for people like me who took on new leadership responsibilities and challenges. We grew together, in an unprecedented sense, because we all started in the positions at the same time.”
Susan Oker, Salem
“The Committee for Public Counsel Services District Court Program started with myself and two staff attorneys with no office space. We are now 15 strong with a presence in five different courts in Hampden County.
One of my favorite memories was taking the Season One crew over for a first tour of the Springfield District Courthouse. I was walking them into Courtroom #2 after explaining that this was where they were going to spend most of their time. As we approached the dock (a few feet away) the accused demonstrated his displeasure with the Court’s ruling by attacking a Court Officer. A full-fledged brawl ensued. Welcome to Springfield!We continue to provide the best representation to indigent folks charged with crimes, and our team-spirit keeps us strong. We’ve really upped the level of representation in District Court.”
Larry Madden, Springfield
Springfield District Court office 2006
Fall River District Court -2006
Alan, Dana and Carlos The crew grew—one year later