John E. MacDonald is a trial attorney practicing criminal defense, immigration law and post-conviction relief in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. MacDonald represents clients in state and federal court in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He has aggressively and successfully defended clients charged in every type of criminal case, including capital murder, child molestation, sexual assault, felony assault, domestic assault, patient abuse, bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud. He is the former president of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. For a review of the prior criminal cases, see Cases.

Mr. MacDonald is the author of Rhode Island Criminal Defense, A Practice Manual (4th Edition), a top rated trial manual used by criminal defense attorneys throughout Rhode Island. See below.

Mr. MacDonald represents clients seeking permanent residence and naturalization. He practices before the Providence Immigration Office and the Boston Immigration Court. For many clients facing deportation, the only recourse is post-conviction relief; that is, vacating the original conviction in state or federal court. Mr. MacDonald has successfully vacated convictions in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. For a review of prior immigration and post-conviction results, see Cases.

Mr. MacDonald is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School (1995) and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Rhode Island (1990). He is admitted to practice in all state courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Districts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts as well as the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Criminal Defense

The criminal defense lawyers here have the expertise and experience to successfully represent the accused for crimes from a simple traffic stop to a murder charge. We have represented aggressively and successfully clients facing felony or misdemeanor charges in the state and federal courts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts for cases such as:
- Drug Possession
- Domestic Assault
- Assault and Battery
- Sexual Assault
- DUI
- Molestation
- Criminal Fraud

Immigration

The immigration lawyers of The Law Office of John E. MacDonald, Inc. successfully represent clients at the Boston Immigration Court and Providence Immigration Office. We successfully terminate deportation cases in the Boston Immigration Court. We also help our clients obtain permanent residence through adjustment of status in the United States or consular processing abroad. Clients seeking US citizenship obtain our services to ensure that their petition is filed and approved quickly.

Post Conviction Relief

Attorney John MacDonald works with many clients whose immigration status requires vacating a criminal conviction or modifying the sentence. If you or a family member or friend requires post-conviction relief representation in Massachusetts or Rhode Island for the purpose of ameliorating adverse immigration consequences, contact us today to schedule your free consultation.

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 30%

Mr. MacDonald represents clients in state and federal court in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He has aggressively and successfully defended clients charged in every type of criminal case, including capital murder, child molestation, sexual assault, felony assault, domestic assault, patient abuse, bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud. Mr. MacDonald is the author of the Rhode Island Criminal Defense Manual (7th Edition), a top-rated manual used throughout the state by criminal defense attorneys.

31 years | 5,000 cases

30%

Immigration 25%

POST CONVICTION RELIEF AND IMMIGRATION: Mr. MacDonald represents clients seeking permanent residence and naturalization. He practices before the Providence Immigration Office and the Boston Immigration Court. For many clients facing deportation, the only recourse is post-conviction relief; that is, vacating the original conviction in state or federal court. Mr. MacDonald has successfully vacated convictions in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. For a review of prior immigration and post-conviction

31 years | 1,500 cases

25%

DUI and DWI 15%

31 years

15%

Domestic Violence 15%

31 years

15%

Sex Crime 15%

31 years

15%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Contact for Details

Awards

2025 2024 2023

...

+ 9

Avvo Client's Choice Awards

The Avvo Client's Choice Award Badge is granted to attorneys with a significant number of 4+ star reviews in a given year.

Licenses

Licensed in Massachusetts for 23 years

State: Massachusetts

Acquired: 2002

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Rhode Island for 30 years

State: Rhode Island

Acquired: 1995

Active

No misconduct found

See All Attorney Licenses See Less Attorney Licenses

Location

Law Office of John E. Macdonald, Inc.

One Turks Head Place, Suite 1440, Providence, RI, 02903

aggressivelegalservices.com/

Message Get Directions

See All Locations See Less Locations

Gallery

John E MacDonald's Reviews

Have you consulted or hired this attorney before?

Leave a review for your experience with this attorney.

Write a Review

Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.

5.0 /5.0

112 Client Reviews

Avvo

5.0

(111)

Lawyers.com

5.0

(1 )

See client reviews from Lawyers.com

Filter Avvo Reviews (111) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Star rating

5 stars 111

4 stars 0

3 stars 0

2 stars 0

1 star 0

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense (46) Immigration (18) Lawsuits & Disputes (17) Expungement (14) Violent Crime (3) Litigation (2) Sex Crime (2) Civil Rights (1) DUI & DWI (1) Domestic Violence (1) Family (1) Federal Crime (1) Juvenile (1)

What Clients Mention

Case Results (71) Advocacy (49) Recommendation (47) Professionalism (36) Communication Style (30) Practice Area Knowledge (30) Character & Conduct (26) Responsiveness (26) General Knowledge (23) Trustworthiness (18) Compassion (13) Cost of Services (9) Staff & Support (6) Punctuality (3) Free Consultations (1)

Showing 6 - 10 of 30 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by James | June 20, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Self defense

For the last 2 years john stuck by my son and my family never faltering and always making sure that we were well protected. My son was on trial for murder when it was a clear cut self defense case. John always believed in not only my son but the evidence. He put together an amazing defense and guided... us thru every step of the process. The end result was my son was cleared of all charges and after two years has his life back and can now look forward. So if you need a lawyer there is not a better one in the state. And to john when you read this me and my whole family thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being there for us every step of the way!!

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Dan | July 15, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

The hands down best!

John represented me in one of the biggest headline cases in the state of Rhode Island. John worked with me personally and kept me informed throughout the entire process. We won the case because John was in my corner!

Posted by Herland | April 19, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Immigration Specialist!

I wasn't sure if I would ever be eligible to apply to become a United States citizen after some previous trouble with the law. John McDonald assured me to be patient and follow his advice. His years of experience and overall knowledge of the USCIS system gave me peace of mind and got me through the f...inish line successfully! Thank you John!

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by anonymous | March 14, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Very professional and knowledgeable

I contacted John after being the target of a grand jury investigation. He was very good at explaining what we needed to do and walked me through the process. I hired him and the end result was a no true bill from the grand jury. I would recommend John to anyone that finds them self in need of an atto...rney.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Joshua | September 24, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Life Saver

John saved my life. There truly is no other way to put it. John acted as an investigator and was able to find major issues with the accusers story. Using this information he was able to successfully reduce a class A felony to a misdemeanor and have it expunged from my record before I would have even ...gone to trial. What John was able to accomplish in my case was considered impossible. But through his hard work and no-nonsense attitude he did the impossible. I highly recommend John to anyone. At the end of the day his cost was minimal. Having a felony on my record would have cost me so much more throughout my life. Be smart and pay the man. I will forever be in debt to John. Two years ago I would never have thought I'd be where I am today, a new homeowner with a bright future a head of me. All thanks to John MacDonald.

See Full Review Collapse Review

See All Client Reviews

1 2 3 4 5 6

« First ‹ Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next › Last »

John E MacDonald's Lawyer Endorsements

Received

Given

Endorse John

Brett Beaubien

Criminal defense lawyer | Aug 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Ali Ebrahimzadeh

Unknown lawyer | Jan 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Monique Kornfeld

Criminal defense lawyer | Dec 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"John is an expert in criminal defense and post conviction relief in MA and RI. He serves hiss clients with integrity, intelligence and dedication. I unequivocally recommend him for criminal defense cases."

Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 13

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Kara Hoopis Manosh

Criminal defense lawyer | May 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"John is the expert- he is a mentor to new lawyers and a consummate professional. You are in good hands with this attorney."

Frank Orabona

Criminal defense lawyer | Nov 24

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse Attorney MacDonald. I have tried several cases with Attorney John MacDonald. John is an excellent attorney with a command of the law second to none. He works tirelessly to achieve the best possible results for his clients. Moreover, he is always willing to lend his expertise and assist fellow attorneys."

Joseph Torri

Unknown lawyer | Sep 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Anthony Tuorto

Criminal defense lawyer | Jul 03

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Richard Rosenstein

Unknown lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. MacDonald is a skilled and respected member of the legal community. He is a zealous advocate for the rights and interests of his clients."

Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse John. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

John Pensa

Criminal defense lawyer | Mar 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"John is one of the most experienced criminal defense attorneys in Rhode Island and arguably the best attorney on the market. He has paved the road for success and has excelled in ways that most attorneys can only imagine. I endorse John MacDonald."

Neville Bedford

Immigration lawyer | Oct 06

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Reliable attorney"

Lawrence Signore

Criminal defense lawyer | Feb 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. John cares about his clients and getting them the results they deserve. You would be well served to consult with Mr. MacDonald."

See More Lawyer Endorsements See Less Lawyer Endorsements View All Endorsements

John Larochelle

Divorce and separation lawyer

Monique Kornfeld

Immigration lawyer

Evelina Ruszkowski

Car accident lawyer

Frank Orabona

Personal injury lawyer

Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer

John Pensa

Criminal defense lawyer

Elisha Morris

Divorce and separation lawyer

Jonathan Whaley

Criminal defense lawyer

Lawrence Signore

Workers compensation lawyer