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 16 - 20 of 30 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by Carlos | March 14, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Being in removal proceedings for about 4 years now. Attorney MacDonald vacated all criminal charges in order to request termination of deportation to an Immigration Judge. Termination was granted! He is now helping me obtain citizenship. Attorney MacDonald has been openly available from day one. ... Extremely knowledgeable in criminal defense, particularly as it pertains to immigration. He is quick to answer questions in person, on the phone, and in email. Office staff is accommodating and friendly. He has my recommendation hands down.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Chelsea | December 03, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

AMAZING! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

My husband and I are so happy to have found Mr. John MacDonald! He is truly a blessing and lifesaver! He put our family back together! From the moment that we met he was very kind, welcoming and most importantly 100% honest. My husband’s case was tricky. When I consulted with Mr. MacDonald my husband... had already been detained for a few months. An immigration judge had ordered him removed and his case was closed. Mr. MacDonald told me about our options for post conviction relief. He was extremely knowledgeable in the matter and walked me through the process step by step. It was evident that he knew his stuff! He communicated with me regularly and promptly throughout this process and was always available to answer the million questions that I had. Within a short period of time Mr. MacDonald was successful at getting both of my husband’s charges dismissed and vacated. Due to these vacations, my husband’s immigration case was re-opened, dismissed and he was released. Mr. MacDonald went above and beyond in so many ways to help my family and I am so thankful to him for that! I would recommend his services to anyone!!!! He and his staff are amazing! Thank you John!!!

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Aboubacar | November 13, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Mr. Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite

I hired attorney John E MacDonald to help in the adjustment of my immigration status, after having gone through a couple of other lawyers who have no clue about what they are doing . waisted my time,money and lots of frustration. John MacDonald restored my believe that not all attorneys are created e...qual . The great thing about hiring attorney MacDonald and his partner attorney Elisha Morris is that not only you are getting a great lawyer but 2 top notch attorneys for the price of one. You can't be in a better hand. They exceeded my expectations, put their talent to work and got my case approved with immigration and a green card in my hands. Bravo team : attorneys Elisha Morris and John E MacDonald. Thank you so very much.

See Full Review Collapse Review

Posted by Oyeniran | March 28, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Immigration

Prolific Attorney.

I consulted then hired Attorney McDonald some months back regarding a case I had with the immigration. He proved to be more than a paid lawyer but rather a compassionate human being. I thank God that I hired him as my attorney. The result was excellent.

Posted by anonymous | February 18, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Case never made it to court. Best outcome possible.

John MacDonald recently represented me in a 1st degree sexual assault case. I was denied bail and spent 14 days in the ACI. My family did some research and found John on the Internet. He came to visit me immediately and then got bail granted. I was allowed to work and continue my life while the ...process was going on. He prepared me for situation that was unthinkable and ultimately got me the best result possible. Which ended up being the case was dismissed before trial even began. For that I am overjoyed in eternally thankful. John was always very professional in sympathetic to my situation. He kept an open line of communication with me in my entire family throughout the process. I can't thank him enough. If your even thinking about choosing John don't think anymore, hire him He's excellent.

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