Attorney Michelle Menken is licensed to practice in all Massachusetts state and federal courts. Her current practice brings her primarily to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Ms. Menken is on the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services’ juvenile and adult post-conviction panels. She also sits on the advisory board of the United States District Court’s Massachusetts Criminal Justice Act Panel. Before opening her own office, Attorney Menken was a partner at the renowned criminal defense firm of Rankin & Sultan. Her practice while at Rankin & Sultan brought her to state and federal appellate courts, the Trial Court of Massachusetts (including Superior Court, District Court, Boston Municipal Court, and Juvenile Court), and various quasi-criminal, administrative settings (including college and university disciplinary proceedings for faculty and students). She has amassed significant pretrial and trial experience which she applies to her appellate practice. In short, Attorney Menken knows the realities of the criminal court system from top to bottom.
Education and Experience
Attorney Menken graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1999. While in law school, Ms. Menken worked for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the CPCS Youth Advocacy Project, a Superior Court judge, and the law firm of Stern, Shapiro, Weissberg & Garin (now Shapiro, Weissberg & Garin). Attorney Menken has also worked as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in the Juvenile Court’s CASA Program, and as a middle school English Teacher. Ms. Menken speaks Spanish.
Memberships and Affiliations
Attorney Menken is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, the U.S. District Court Bar, and the Bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She is a member of the advisory board of the United States District Court’s Massachusetts Criminal Justice Act Panel. She is a CPCS Appellate/Post-Conviction Panelist on the Murder, Superior Court, District Court, and Juvenile Court lists. She belongs to the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is a lifetime member of the Women’s Bar Association.