I hired Patrick T Donovan to defend against a potential criminal complaint for driving on a suspended license in Quincy, MA at Quincy Courthouse. The suspension was for civil offences. I was concerned as my driving record is not good and I have appeared at speeding ticket hearings previously to no av...ail. My drivers license is very important to me. Patrick was able to get my case dissmissed without a fine or any further requirements on my behalf. I am sure if I appeared on my own the clerk magistrate would have peppered me with questions and fined me or suspended my license again or who knows what else. The court could have even found me guilty of criminal offence. If you have a case like this or even a speeding ticket, trust me, having Patrick there makes a big difference. After Patrick had my case dissmissed, without question, I will never appear on my own again.

I highly recommend Attorney Donovan as a defense lawyer for criminal matters. He came to my arraignment after I called him only the night before (I had called several lawyers and he was the only attorney to call me back that morning). His fees are reasonable and he is very knowledgeable. He took t...he time to explain what I needed to know and had an excellent plan for how to handle my case. He was very understanding about my situation and made me feel confident about relying on his expertise. He was able to negotiate effectively with the prosecutor, but I believe he would have been very tough in defending the matter at trial if we had needed to get that far--we didn't because he negotiated an excellent deal.

I hired Mr. Donovan based on reading reviews on this site and I was not disappointed. I had received a serious traffic citation (passing a stopped school bus with its lights on), which I did not do, but I did not know the first thing about traffic court. Mr. Donovan was accessible, explained how the ...system works, outlined our approach, and alleviated much of my stress about the process. The hearing went quickly and the case was resolved in my favor. I would have fared poorly without Mr. Donovan's participation at the hearing.

Patrick explained the process and steps clearly and followed up with reminders and instructions. Even if I wasn't an attorney this was very comforting and reassuring that I was not just a number and a fee to him. I had done research on why my ticket should be invalidated and Patrick patiently exp...lained that no magistrate would go along - those are arguments for a judge if we have to get that far. His goal was to get this dismissed without having to go that far! He then explained the theory we should use and how he has dealt with my particular magistrate successfully before. I was nervous because I had not planned the hearing like that but I trusted him to guide me. When we went up he did all the talking and I just had to nod my head yes. His argument was accepted and I was found "not responsible". Case over. This was very important to me as my license was from out of state where points are treated harshly because there are ways to eliminate them that MA does not have. I had just moved here and felt caught between a rock and a hard place. When Patrick won the "not responsible" based on his arguments and saving all of mine if ever needed for a de novo trial only, he saved me time (no trial) and money (I would have spent far more than his fee on increased insurance alone for several years) and he made me feel well supported throughout the process but more importantly in that hearing where he was in his element. Patrick, I hope I never have to use you myself again, but if I or anyone I know gets into trouble again, I will use or recommend they use you if they are smart. You are worth more than your fee not merely because of a successful result but because of your support and instructions showing you know the right response at each phase of the process.