Quincy District Court Criminal Defense Attorney

The Quincy District Court sits at 1 Dennis Ryan Parkway, Quincy, MA 02169, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Clerk’s office: (617) 471-1650
• Clerk’s fax: (617) 472-1924
• Probation department, 1150 Hancock Street, Quincy: (617) 847-8963
• Probation faxes: (617) 847-1574 at the annex, (617) 773-0530 at the courthouse
• Clerk’s email: cmquincydc@jud.state.ma.us

Public parking sits beside and behind the courthouse, paid at a central meter operated by the City of Quincy, and one hour of on-street parking is available in front on Dennis Ryan Parkway. A public pay garage across from the courthouse is reached from Cottage Avenue. Quincy Center Station on the MBTA Red Line is the closest stop, and the Greenbush, Kingston and Plymouth, and Middleborough and Lakeville commuter rail lines all stop there.

Quincy District Court sits at 1 Dennis Ryan Parkway, five minutes from the Red Line and 4.6 miles from Serpa Law Office’s Quincy Office at 500 Victory Road, Suite 400A. Attorney Joe Serpa has appeared in this building since 1995: for arraignments, clerk-magistrate hearings, motions, and jury trials. The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes all matters here. Call 617.936.0201.

A dismissal here can come from the prosecutor or from a specific legal ground raised by the defense, such as a lack of probable cause or a denied clerk-magistrate hearing. The firm’s page on how criminal cases get dismissed in Massachusetts lays out each path.

Jurisdiction

Quincy District Court covers Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Randolph, Milton, Cohasset, and Holbrook.

The Clerk-Magistrate Hearing

Quincy’s clerk-magistrates see a varied docket: highway OUI applications from Route 3 and I-93, shoplifting matters from South Shore Plaza, residential assault complaints from Weymouth and Braintree, and first-time-offender applications involving Milton and Cohasset professionals. A clerk-magistrate hearing under G.L. c. 218, § 35A is an individualized proceeding.

Under Victory Distributors v. Ayer, a clerk-magistrate may consider the accusation and the person’s circumstances and may decline to issue a complaint even when probable cause exists. If the complaint is declined, the application does not create a criminal court case, a public arraignment, or an arraignment-based CORI entry, although a police or other agency record may remain. If the application is held in abeyance, it remains pending until the clerk-magistrate closes it. Attorney Serpa has appeared before Quincy’s clerk-magistrates across the full range of matters that come through this court.

Common Charges

OUI (G.L. c. 90, § 24): Routes 3 and I-93 through Norfolk County’s South Shore generate among the highest OUI volumes in the district court system. State Police enforcement is systematic and consistent. The Norfolk County DA prosecutes these cases.

A case may proceed to trial or resolve through a plea or other disposition, including a Section 24D disposition when the defendant qualifies. A first conviction is punishable by up to 2.5 years in a House of Correction, a $500 to $5,000 fine, and a one-year license suspension independent of any RMV administrative action. Defense addresses the stop, the field sobriety test administration, and the Draeger Alcotest 9510 calibration records. See: Massachusetts OUI License Suspensions.

Domestic Violence (G.L. c. 265, § 13M; G.L. c. 265, § 13A): Norfolk County operates a strict no-drop policy on domestic assault and battery charges. The Commonwealth proceeds on police reports, 911 recordings, and medical documentation whether or not the complainant cooperates. Weymouth and Braintree generate the highest domestic violence volume in this court’s jurisdiction. A qualifying conviction may create a federal firearms disability and may require professional-license disclosure, depending on the governing law and the licensing board. See: A&B on a Family or Household Member; Strangulation Charges.

209A Abuse Prevention Orders (G.L. c. 209A): A separate civil proceeding may produce an ex parte 209A order based on the applicant’s affidavit before the defendant is heard. After service, an order may impose immediate stay-away and no-contact terms, require firearms surrender under G.L. c. 209A, § 3B, and exclude the defendant from the family home.

At the contested hearing, defense counsel may examine the objective reasonableness of the claimed fear, inconsistencies in the plaintiff’s account, and prior communications between the parties. A violation under G.L. c. 209A, § 7 is a criminal charge punishable by up to two and one-half years in the house of correction. The prosecution must prove the order was valid, in effect, known to the defendant, and violated. Plaintiff-initiated contact does not authorize the restrained person to violate the order. See: Violation of a Massachusetts 209A Abuse Prevention Order; 209A and 258E Violation FAQs.

258E Harassment Prevention Orders (G.L. c. 258E): Quincy District Court handles a substantial volume of 258E matters: neighbor disputes in Quincy’s densely developed residential neighborhoods, commercial and landlord-tenant disputes in downtown Quincy, and South Shore residential conflicts from Weymouth and Braintree. Because Quincy’s housing stock is predominantly multi-family and owner-occupied condominiums, neighbor-on-neighbor harassment complaints are common and frequently involve ongoing disputes about noise, parking, and shared spaces that have escalated over months.

Defense counsel in these cases examines whether each alleged act independently satisfies the willfulness and maliciousness requirements under O’Brien v. Borowski, 461 Mass. 415 (2012). Many acts that form the basis of a 258E application turn out to be legitimate complaints to landlords or municipal authorities that do not qualify as malicious under the statute. Serpa Law Office represents both defendants contesting orders and plaintiffs who need protection. Violation of a 258E order under G.L. c. 258E, § 9 is punishable by up to 2.5 years in the house of correction. See: When Does Unwanted Contact Become Harassment?

Drug Offenses (G.L. c. 94C): State Police highway enforcement on Routes 3 and I-93 generates possession and distribution charges throughout this jurisdiction.

Possession under § 34 is a misdemeanor for a first offense; some distribution and trafficking provisions impose mandatory minimum sentences; § 32J adds a two-year mandatory minimum for a distribution or trafficking offense within 300 feet of school property between 5:00 a.m. and midnight, and only where the Commonwealth also proves violence or a firearm, direction of another person’s drug felony, or a violation of § 32F or § 32K. Defense centers on the constitutionality of the stop and search and the evidentiary chain of custody.

Firearms (G.L. c. 269, § 10): Unlicensed carrying under § 10(a) is punishable by an 18-month mandatory minimum with no continuance without a finding (CWOF) eligibility. Serialization and registration requirements under G.L. c. 140, §§ 121C and 121B took effect under An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, St. 2024, c. 135. See: Massachusetts Firearms Registration Deadline.

Shoplifting and Larceny (G.L. c. 266, §§ 30, 30A): South Shore Plaza in Braintree and the Quincy Center commercial district generate much of this court’s theft docket. First-offense shoplifting under $250 is a misdemeanor; larceny over $1,200 is a felony. A dishonesty conviction can create employment, licensing, or security-clearance consequences. Whether a particular decision-maker may obtain the CORI depends on its level of access and whether the record has been sealed.

Motor Vehicle Offenses (G.L. c. 90C, § 3): Criminal citations for negligent operation, leaving the scene, and operating after suspension require a clerk hearing request within four days. See: The 4-Day Deadline.

Professional License and Immigration Consequences

Quincy’s mix of South Shore tradespeople, medical professionals, financial-services workers, and state employees makes professional-license consequences a regular part of defense strategy. A continuance without a finding may be reportable, but the disclosure duty depends on the profession, the board or regulator, and the wording of the question. That analysis should occur before a plea or admission. Randolph and Quincy also have significant immigrant communities. For noncitizens, criminal counsel and immigration counsel should review a proposed disposition before it is accepted. See: Immigration Consequences of Massachusetts Criminal Charges.

See also: Massachusetts Criminal Court FAQs | Clerk-Magistrate Hearing FAQ | Sealing and Expunging a Criminal Record | What to Do After an Arrest

For a deeper look at how cases move through this courthouse, including who appears here and why, read the firm’s guide, Criminal Cases at Quincy District Court: How Norfolk County’s Busiest Courthouse Works.

Contact Serpa Law Office at 617.936.0201. Boston: 20 Park Plaza #400A. Quincy: 500 Victory Road, Suite 400A.