Laura Mannion

Attorney Laura Mannion has spent most of her career helping clients avoid, mitigate, and navigate through the so-called "collateral" consequences of criminal convictions. These are the consequences that don't show up until after a criminal case is over. While the ongoing effects of a criminal conviction can cause hardships for anyone, they can be especially devastating for non-citizens facing deportation and former sex offenders facing classification before the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB).

These cases require a different approach than ordinary criminal cases. Laura doesn't stand in front of a jury and argue that her client is innocent. Instead, she litigates complex post-conviction motions explaining how her non-citizen client didn't really get a "good deal" by accepting that guilty plea they had no idea would cause them to be deported from their family. She provides context and support to SORB hearing examiners to explain why her client who committed a sex offense in the past is no longer likely to reoffend.

Whether it's through creative investigation, incorporating the most up-to-date statistical research on sexual reoffending, integrating behavioral psychology concepts, or explaining cultural differences, Laura's extensive experience helps her think outside the box. She's always exploring new and interesting approaches to these cases because she know how high the stakes are for her clients.

Laura has litigated post-conviction cases in trial courts all across the state, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the Supreme Judicial Court. She appears frequently before the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) representing clients who are being classified for the first time, seeking to reduce or terminate their classification, or appealing their classification level.

Laura also mentors attorneys who are new to post-conviction and SORB practice, and is frequently asked to train and present to other attorneys. She sat on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts of Criminal Defense Lawyers ("MACDL") for six years, and for three years she taught advanced research and writing to second year law student New England Law | Boston. In 2015, she was honored by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as one of the 25 "Up and Coming Lawyers" and has been named a "Rising Star" or "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyers every year since 2015.