Philip G. Cormier

Philip G. Cormier has been practicing since 1989, beginning with the firm of Silverglate, Gertner, Baker, Fine & Good, and most recently as a partner in the firm of Good Schneider Cormier. For over twenty-five years, he has passionately defended his clients’ freedoms from government intrusion and overreach.

Mr. Cormier’s litigation practice in the state and federal courts concentrates on defending individuals and corporations charged with white collar offenses, including mail and wire fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, securities fraud, FDA and EPA regulatory offenses, currency transaction violations, and computer-related crimes such as hacking and unauthorized access. He has also represented clients charged with serious drug offenses, illegal possession of firearms, larceny, armed robbery, kidnapping, motor vehicle homicide, murder, and child abuse. His experience includes several notable cases in which his firm represented…

Leona Helmsley in the appeal of her federal tax evasion conviction, defended au pair Louise Woodward on charges of murder, and represented Dr. Jeffrey R. MacDonald in his multi-decade effort to overturn his wrongful conviction. He has represented and defended clients in grand jury investigations, pre-trial proceedings, trials, sentencings, appeals, and forfeiture matters. In a number of instances, he has successfully prevented grand jury indictments of clients or obtained pre-trial dismissal of charges in serious matters involving tax evasion, mail fraud, kidnapping, harboring illegal aliens, firearms possession, and aggravated forcible rape. He often represents clients in parallel civil actions or enforcement proceedings that are related to an ongoing criminal action or criminal investigation, as well as in proceedings before professional regulatory boards such as the Board of Bar Overseers, the Board of Registration in Dentistry, and the Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine.

Throughout his years in practice, he has represented scores of students in plagiarism and disciplinary proceedings in colleges and universities, including sexual misconduct and Title IX investigations, as well as in related criminal proceedings brought against student-clients in the Massachusetts state and federal courts. In a number of instances, he has obtained successful resolution of college disciplinary matters by persuading the institution that the charges were unfounded on the merits, were the result of a procedurally-defective fact finding process, or that the conduct at issue warranted a much less serious sanction so that his clients’ academic careers were not irreparably damaged.

He has extensive experience in the use of DNA testing, crime scene reconstruction, computer forensic investigations, and mental health investigations in the defense of criminal cases. In 2003 and 2015, utilizing DNA and other forensic testing, he successfully overturned on appeal the first-degree murder convictions of two of his clients in Massachusetts. Mr. Cormier was responsible for overseeing the DNA testing in U.S. v. Jeffrey MacDonald after he and his firm successfully re-opened Dr. MacDonald’s habeas corpus proceedings by obtaining one of the first post-conviction DNA testing orders issued by a federal court.

His First Amendment work has involved cases in which the government and others have sought to restrict the free speech of individuals and organizations, including attempts to ban commercial advertising deemed harmful to the general public, the censorship of sexually explicit television shows, and the imposition of sanctions on professors and students for their speech.

Mr. Cormier has served as a cooperating attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (ACLUM), representing persons who have been subjected to investigation, surveillance or harassment by the federal government because of their Islamic faith, ethnicity or political beliefs. He has also represented and counseled clients whose international travel has been restricted or impeded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

He has authored supporting amicus briefs on behalf of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) on important issues concerning retributive sentencing and the insanity defense.

Mr. Cormier teaches the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at Boston University School of Law.