Paul Rudof

Paul Rudof has extensive experience as a criminal defense lawyer instate and federal court in Massachusetts and a national reputation as an expert in trial skills, forensics, and criminal law.

Before entering private practice, Paul worked for 18 years as a public defender at the Committee for Public Counsel Services ("CPCS"), first in the Essex County office, then in the Public Defender Training Unit, and finally as the state-wide Public Defender Co-Counsel.

As a trial lawyer, Paul has handled almost every type of criminal case, from misdemeanors to first degree murders, in almost every county in Massachusetts, winning acquittals in many cases. He has also litigated complex legal motions, including motions to dismiss and suppress and motions challenging the admissibility of forensic evidence. And he has successfully negotiated favorable resolutions for many clients, by thoroughly researching and understanding his client's life story and telling that story in an empathetic, powerful, and persuasive way, both orally and in written memos.

As an appellate attorney, Paul has briefed, argued, and won many criminal appeals in both the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court. And he has written amicus briefs ("friend of the court" briefs) on behalf of both CPCS and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in several cases in which important legal issues were decided.

Nationally, Paul is recognized as a leading trainer of other criminal defense attorneys. Since 2006, Paul has been on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College, where he has trained over a thousand criminal defense lawyers from around the country.He has also lectured on criminal law and forensics and taught trial skills for criminal defense organizations in:

•Arizona •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Georgia •Louisiana •Maryland •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New York •New Jersey •Rhode Island •Vermont •Wisconsin

Paul is the author of chapters in several Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education publications, including Trying Murder Cases in Massachusetts, Trying Sex Offense Cases in Massachusetts, Trying Drug Cases in Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts District Court Criminal Defense Manual. Prior to his career as a criminal defense attorney, Paul was a law clerk for the Honorable Michael Murphy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. And before law school, he was a middle school teacher in Washington, D.C.