criminal defense lawyers

Jessica Hedges is widely respected for her courtroom presence, creative legal arguments, and tireless commitment to clients. Working for more than a decade in both federal and state courts, Jessica has successfully represented clients in numerous criminal and civil rights cases.

Jessica has a thriving federal criminal practice and has achieved excellent results in a variety of serious cases.  She has, for example, represented clients in wire-fraud, child pornography possession and distribution, mail-fraud, international money laundering, drug distribution, and gun cases. As a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel, she is one of a very limited number of attorneys in the Boston area certified to accept appointed federal criminal cases in the United States District Court in Boston.

Jessica also has a great deal of experience in the state courts throughout Massachusetts. She has worked on first and second-degree murder cases from the moment of charging up until trial. In these cases, she believes that early and thorough investigation, accompanied by a great deal of client input at all phases is key to success. She is known for her deep involvement in the investigation of such cases, and has developed systems for analyzing and comparing large volumes of discovery in cases with many witnesses and a great deal of evidence. She prides herself on her careful analysis of even the most complicated of cases, and for her willingness to take whatever time necessary to secure the best result for her clients.

Jessica also has brought numerous civil lawsuits in state and federal courts seeking compensation for individuals whose constitutional rights have been violated by police and other government agents. She has handled cases involving excessive force and police brutality, illegal arrest, prisoner abuse, illegal strip searches, illegal searches of homes, high speed chases by officers, and First Amendment violations. She has also represented police officers who break the “code of silence” and speak out against constitutional violations by other police officers. She has successfully settled numerous civil rights cases, securing significant monetary compensation for her clients. Jessica has tried many of these cases successfully to verdict. She is an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, “Police Accountability Project,” the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Jessica graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa in 1994 from Boston College and received her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 1999, and was a law clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court after law school. Jessica has been asked to speak at a variety of trainings and panels throughout Boston, including Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Northeastern University Law School, and Harvard Law School.   She has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, in polls published in the Boston Magazine for five consecutive years. She is a lecturer at Boston College where she has been invited to teach a course called “Crime and Social Justice” since 2005. She also teaches the Criminal Advocacy Clinic at the Northeastern University School of Law, where she teaches criminal trial skills to law students.   Jessica has also taught trial advocacy skills at Harvard University Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. She is also a member of the West Virginia Bar.