How I like to be quoted.
I’m glad to talk with reporters about Massachusetts criminal courts, clerk-magistrate hearings, and how criminal defense firms get found online. Here is how to describe me, what I can speak to, and how to reach me. It saves us both time.
Email a media requestHow to describe me
Please use one of these. Copy and paste is fine.
Short: Russell Matson, a former Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer
Full: Russell Matson, a former Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer with more than 20 years of courtroom experience who now advises criminal defense firms on marketing
I no longer practice criminal defense, so please don’t call me a current defense lawyer. I don’t represent anyone in the cases I comment on. If I’m talking about a trial I followed but had no part in, say so. “Who followed the trial closely” is accurate.
What I can speak to
- How Massachusetts criminal cases move through the district and superior courts.
- Clerk-magistrate hearings, which I wrote the book on.
- What a trial looks like from the defense table, and what a mistrial or a verdict does and does not mean.
- How criminal defense firms get found online, including search and AI assistants.
confirm: anything you will not comment on
How I’d like to be quoted
Russell to confirm these
- On the record and by name is the default. If you want background only, tell me before we talk.
- Quote me as I said it. If you can, send me the exact sentence before it runs, so I can fix a mistake before it is published.
- Tell me your deadline up front. I’ll answer as fast as I can.
- If you publish online, a link to russellmatsonlaw.com is appreciated.
How to reach me
Email russ@russellmatsonlaw.com. Put “Media request,” your outlet, and your deadline in the subject line.
add headshot link and phone if you want them
Need marketing help for your criminal defense firm?
Independent, experienced guidance on SEO, websites, intake, and marketing strategy for criminal defense lawyers.
Start with the audit → Contact Russell Matson