Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Attorney Ramos Receives Hines-Burnham Award

Attorney Ramos Receives Hines-Burnham Award

On March 19, 2025, the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers presented Attorney Ramos with the Hines Burnham Award. The award is given in recognition of exceptional service, skill and innovation in the defense of the accused by an attorney practicing for ten years or less. Melissa has recently either been lead or second chair in cases that resulted in the overturning of a second-degree murder conviction, a jury verdict of manslaughter where the defendant was charged with first-degree murder, and the entering of a not guilty finding on appeal of a conviction for a restraining order violation. She also recently helped two clients convicted of extremely serious offenses successfully petition for parole. The Hines-Burnham Award is named for two trailblazing African-American women criminal defense lawyers who advanced the profession and excelled for their clients. Attorney Ramos is the continuation of that proud tradition.

Brownlow Speer Award for Appellate Advocacy

Brownlow Speer Award for Appellate Advocacy

On March 1, 2023, Attorney Wood received MACDL's Brownlow Speer Award for "excellence in appellate advocacy in the defense of the accused." The award recognizes both Attorney Wood’s work on behalf of his own clients resulting in the reversal of more than twenty convictions and sentences and his work with MACDL in advancing the law, authoring or co-authoring approximately 120 amicus briefs as co-chair of MACDL’s amicus committee. (Pictured is Attorney Wood with CPCS Attorney Rafael Feliciano-Cumbas who received MACDL’s Hines-Burnham Award for young defenders whose work shows exceptional promise, skill, and innovation.)

MACDL Conference Features Multiple Wood & Nathanson Attorneys

The 2022 conference of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers featured multiple Wood & Nathanson attorneys. MACDL’s newest board member, Senior Associate Melissa Ramos, made sure the event ran smoothly taking charge of logistics for MACDL’s largest substantive event of the year. Attorney Wood presented on gang databases as an unreliable and unconstitutional proxy for race. He also recruited many of the speakers. Attorney Jellison presented on the police use of “training and experience” as cover for racial profiling and lack of reasonable suspicion. Wood & Nathanson attorneys are consistently sought out to present at MACDL and other continuing legal education seminars.