Criminal Attorney John MacDonald Presents at the Rhode Island Department of the Public Defender's Office on Precedent Set by the Supreme Court's Recent Immigration Ruling in Padilla v. Kentucky

    PROVIDENCE, RI, June 10, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In April and May of 2010, Rhode Island Criminal Defense and Immigration Attorney John MacDonald was the guest speaker at the Rhode Island Department of the Public Defender's Office. Mr. MacDonald spoke to a group of attorneys in the trial unit about the implications in the precedent setting case of Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. (2010), wherein a defendant was not informed of the conditions of a plea agreement that included deportation.

This case set legal precedent in the area of criminal defense for all cases also affecting immigration status, as well as the ramifications for counsel's failure to advise a client sufficiently of the conditions of their plea agreements.

"I was happy to be able to provide some insight into this situation," Attorney MacDonald stated. "Given the severity of deportation consequences, the proper legal advice given to defendants who are not U.S. citizens is critical. I credit the Rhode Island Public Defender's Office for recognizing the impact of the Padilla decision and training their trial attorneys accordingly."

Attorney MacDonald gave two seminars for the trial attorney unit in total, and spoke about providing the correct immigration advice to clients facing deportation consequences.

About Aggressive Legal/John MacDonald, Esquire

John E. MacDonald is a trial attorney practicing criminal defense, immigration law and post-conviction relief, and representing clients in state and federal court in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. MacDonald is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School (1995) and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Rhode Island (1990). He is admitted to practice in all state courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Districts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts as well as the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also the author of the Rhode Island Criminal Defense Manual (3rd Edition), a top-rated manual used throughout the state by criminal defense attorneys, and the former president of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Learn more about Aggressive Legal at http://www.AggressiveLegalServices.com.

About the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender's

The Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender's mission is to provide high quality representation to its clients, fulfilling the governmental obligation to provide effective assistance of counsel and to endeavor to secure fundamental fairness and due process for its clients.

Learn more at http://www.ripd.org/.

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