Criminal Defense

For over three decades, Rankin & Sultan has vigorously defended individuals facing criminal investigation or prosecution. We provide aggressive advocacy to our clients in both state and federal court at all stages of the criminal process, including:

We also frequently represent clients accused of misconduct in administrative proceedings, including university disciplinary proceedings and professional disciplinary proceedings.  Our other areas of concentration include Sex Offender Registry Board [“SORB”] proceedings and parole hearings.

Unlike most other firms, Rankin & Sultan has concentrated on criminal defense since its founding in 1986. Our lawyers attended a top law school. Some of us clerked for the judiciary before starting practice.  All of us are fighters, ready, willing, and able to do whatever is required as zealous advocates to achieve the best possible results for our clients whose reputation, future, and liberty hang in the balance.  Creativity, seasoned judgment, fearlessness, and hard work are some of the qualities we bring to bear in each and every case.

Rankin & Sultan’s criminal defense practice in the Massachusetts state courts runs the gamut from representation of clients charged with assault & battery, larceny, and other misdemeanors in District or Municipal Court to serious felonies in Superior Court, including drug crimes, firearms offenses, sex offenses, fraud charges, and murder . In federal court, we represent clients facing a broad array of charges, including fraud, political corruption, conspiracy, drug offenses, child pornography, and everything else covered by the increasingly-comprehensive federal criminal code. We are also called upon to represent clients in other states, joining forces with local counsel to create a powerful and effective criminal defense team.  

Our appellate advocacy regularly brings us before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. We have also represented clients challenging their convictions in other federal circuits. While every appeal presents unique challenges and results can never be guaranteed, Rankin & Sultan has a well-deserved reputation for extraordinary success in this difficult field.