Why Choose H. Ernest Stone, Attorney PC

We defend good people who have had a really bad day. Here's what that means in practice, and why it matters for your case.

More Than 30 Years, Always for the Defense

Ernest Stone has practiced criminal defense in Massachusetts exclusively since 1996 —more than 30 years. He has never worked as a prosecutor. That matters: a defense attorney who has spent decades only on this side of the courtroom has built one set of instincts — how to find weaknesses in the Commonwealth's case, not how to build one.

"Never Prosecuted, Always On Your Side" isn't a slogan we picked for marketing. It's the actual shape of the last three decades of this practice.
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Comprehensive Criminal Defense

We don't see clients as a set of legal problems to be resolved and forgotten.

Many of the people we represent are dealing with something underneath the charge — a substance use issue, a mental health crisis, a relationship in crisis, a family crisis, a financial crisis — and the criminal case is one part of a larger, harder moment in their life.

Alongside the strongest possible legal defense, we connect clients with the treatment and support resources that address what'sactually going on, because winning the case and helping someone rebuild their life are not the same project, but they are equally important. We don't think you should have to choose one over the other.
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I Understand, Because I've Been There

The nature of our philosophy comes from personal experience. Ernie has been sober since 2001. He has experienced the pain and struggle of addiction, and the work and rewards of recovery. That experience shapes how this firm treats our clients, who we prefer to call "our people": without judgment, with compassion and dignity, and without pretending that a criminal charge exists apart from everything else going on in their life.

Ernie believes that "we should recover loudly so that others don't have to suffer in silence." He doesn't hide his experience with addiction and recovery, because he feels it may help others for him to share it. If part of what's happening in your case involves addiction or mental health, you're not being represented by someone reciting talking points about empathy — you're working with someone who has lived through it.
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Trauma-Informed Defense

Being accused of a crime is traumatic — even when you did nothing wrong, even when the case gets dismissed. We built our practice on that fact rather than around it.

Ernie has taught other criminal defense lawyers how to implement trauma-informed practices into their defense work. He has written and published on trauma-informed criminal defense, including in publications like the New York Law Journal, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' Champion Magazine, and the American Bar Association's Criminal Justice journal, identifying concrete tactics for representing clients who are dealing with trauma. He has also written about why the way a firm handles a case and interacts with a client is as important as what legal steps and tactics the firm employs in it.

This isn't a soft-skills add-on to the legal work — it shapes how we take an intake call, how we prepare a client for what is happening, how we gather information, and how we talk to you about what'scoming next.

A Team That Knows Both Sides of the Courtroom, and Is All About Communication

Attorney Kaitlyn Duval joined our team after serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County. She has seen how prosecutors build a case from the inside — and now uses that insight to help our people. She brings trial experience and a compassionate approach that fits our firm well.

You'll also have a dedicated case manager as your primary point of contact at the firm, so you always know who to call and never have to start over explaining your situation to someone new. Our staff is built around being genuinely responsive: phone calls get answered, messages get prompt, real responses, and you can expect the kind of emotional support through a difficult case that many firms simply aren't set up to provide.

Real People, Answering 24/7

Arrests don't happen on a schedule, and we're prepared. Our phones — and even the chat feature on this website — are answered around the clock by real people, not an automated system reciting a script.

If you need to reach us at 2 a.m., a human will be on the other end.

Flat Fees, No Surprises

We don't bill by the hour. You'll know what your defense is going to cost from the beginning.

Communication is critical to success in a defense,  and we don't want you worried that if you call us with a question or new information that the "meter will be running."

We have financing options available so that cost doesn't stand between you and the defense you need.

Real Trial Experience, Across the Range of Serious Charges

We handle serious felonies and misdemeanors, like sexual assault and rape cases, domestic violence, assault and battery, OUI and substance-related charges, serious embezzlement cases, motor vehicle homicide charges, and cases with a mental health component. We defend the most complex and highest-stakes matters a person will ever face.

Ernie and Kaitly have decades of trial experience between them. They've negotiated successful outcomes, convinced judges to dismiss charges, and won at trial in the District and Superior Courts.

For a few of our representative cases, you can go here.

Free Consultation, Real Answers

If you're facing an criminal charge, your first consultation is free — not a sales call, a genuine conversation about what you're facing and what your options are.

We take the time to understand who you are and how this case fits into the rest of your life - not just the facts of the current charge - and we make sure every question you have gets answered.

We take as long as it takes — we don't rush people out the door.

(If you're seeking general legal information without a pending case, we also offer paid consultations for people who want legal guidance without a pending case.)

Frequently Asked Questions