Lawrence District Court

The Lawrence District Court sits in the Fenton Judicial Center at 2 Appleton Street, Lawrence, MA 01840, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Clerk’s office and probation department: (978) 687-7184
• Criminal clerk’s fax: (978) 687-0794
• Civil clerk’s fax: (978) 975-3171
• Probation fax: (978) 686-2063
• Clerk’s email: cmlawrencedc@jud.state.ma.us

Two paid lots sit near the courthouse and a paid garage adjoins it. Lawrence station on the MBTA Haverhill commuter rail line is about half a mile away, and the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority runs bus service to the area. The courthouse is minutes from I-495 and Route 28.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes criminal cases in the Lawrence District Court. The court holds arraignment and bail sessions every weekday and hears many drug, firearms, and domestic violence cases. The clerk-magistrate also holds regular hearings on applications for criminal complaints. Attorney Joe Serpa has practiced Massachusetts criminal defense since 1995. He has represented clients in the Merrimack Valley courts at every stage, from clerk-magistrate hearings through jury trials. Attorney Serpa prepares each Lawrence case before the first court date.

The firm’s page on how criminal cases get dismissed in the Massachusetts district and municipal courts explains when the prosecutor or a judge can dismiss a case.

Communities Served. Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, and North Andover.

Drug and Firearms Cases. Police often focus regional drug enforcement on Lawrence and the I-495 corridor. Many drug and firearms cases in the Lawrence District Court begin with a car stop, an apartment search, or a street encounter. Attorney Serpa examines the stop, any exit order, the search, and the defendant’s statements to the police in each drug or firearms case. He files a motion to suppress when the police violated the defendant’s constitutional rights. The Commonwealth often cannot proceed with the case after the judge suppresses the evidence.

OUI, Motor Vehicle, and the Four-Day Rule. Many OUI and motor vehicle cases in the Lawrence District Court begin with a traffic stop on I-495, Route 28, or Route 114.

A driver who receives a citation for a misdemeanor motor vehicle offense, with no felony charge and no arrest, has four days from the date of the violation to ask the clerk-magistrate in writing for a hearing before a criminal complaint issues. G.L. c. 90C, § 3(B)(2). The citation itself serves as the application for the criminal complaint.

Domestic Violence and Non-Citizen Defendants. The Lawrence District Court hears many domestic violence cases and 209A restraining order hearings. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office often prosecutes a domestic violence charge even when the alleged victim asks the prosecutor to drop it. Attorney Serpa defends the criminal charge and the restraining order together.

Many defendants in the Lawrence District Court are not United States citizens. Attorney Serpa completes the immigration analysis of each noncitizen client’s case before the first court date. Federal immigration law can treat a continuance without a finding as a conviction, even though Massachusetts law does not treat it as a conviction.

The Clerk-Magistrate Hearing. A person summoned to the Lawrence District Court on an application for a criminal complaint usually has a show cause hearing before a clerk-magistrate under G.L. c. 218, § 35A. The hearing is private. No complaint issues, no arraignment takes place, and no CORI entry results when the clerk-magistrate denies the application. Attorney Serpa prepares documents for each Lawrence hearing and challenges probable cause when the police report does not support every element of the offense.

Prepared for Trial From Day One. Attorney Serpa prepares every Lawrence case for trial. The firm’s Massachusetts Criminal Defense Results page describes past outcomes. Call Serpa Law Office at 617.936.0201 for a confidential consultation before your date in the Lawrence District Court.

Related Serpa Law Office Resources: Clerk-Magistrate Hearings in Massachusetts • The Massachusetts Criminal Traffic Citation • Illegal Searches and Seizures • Massachusetts Drug Crimes Defense • Immigration Consequences • Courts Across Greater Boston • Haverhill District Court