Chauncey Wood

Chauncey Wood has been involved in criminal defense since 1990 when he began work as a paralegal for the Boston firm of Silverglate, Gertner, Fine & Good. In 1994, Mr. Wood graduated with high honors (top 10% of class) from Boston University School of Law and took a job as an associate in the business crimes unit at Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin, a large Washington, DC firm. At Dickstein, Mr. Wood specialized in defending so-called "white collar" criminal cases, more accurately known as financial crime cases. In 1996, Mr. Wood moved back to Boston, and started working with local criminal defense attorney John Swomley. In 1997, they formed the firm of Swomley & Wood. In 2000, Mr. Wood moved to Washington, DC and spent two years as a public defender. During that time he served in a Post-Conviction Unit and a felony trial unit. In 2003, Mr. Wood again returned to Massachusetts and formed the firm of Shea, LaRocque and Wood, LLP with Mark Shea and Jean LaRocque. He is currently a member of the murder panel and the federal Criminal Justice Act list and serves on the Board of Directors of the Suffolk County Bar Advocate Program, Suffolk Lawyers for Justice.

Mr. Wood has had a wide array of experience in criminal litigation, including trial and post-conviction work, in state and federal cases. He has handled all manner of criminal cases from district court misdemeanors to first degree murder cases, street crime to complex federal money laundering charges.

EDUCATION

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW - J.D. magna cum laude, 1994.
Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, Editor-in-Chief, 1993-1994.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY -Graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in English (1989); Varsity Crew.

EMPLOYMENT

Partner - SHEA, LAROCQUE & WOOD - CAMBRIDGE, MA. Small law firm specializing in criminal defense. Numerous post-conviction challenges to serious felony charges, primarily murder. Extensive experience with collateral consequences of criminal convictions. September 2002 - 2007.

Assistant Public Defender - OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER - PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MD. Felony Trial Division. Represented indigent prisoners in state circuit court felony proceedings. Primary responsibilities included investigating and litigating cases. Extensive experience in plea negotiations, evidentiary hearings and jury trials. September 2000 - September 2002.

Partner - SWOMLEY & WOOD - BOSTON, MA. Small law firm specializing in criminal defense. Numerous felony and misdemeanor trials and criminal appeals. Numerous Evidentiary Hearings on Motions to Suppress, Dismiss and Compel Production of Privileged Material. Extensive experience with collateral consequences of criminal convictions. Appellate representation of persons subject to lifetime civil commitment under Massachusetts A "Sexually Dangerous Person" Legislation. Limited representation of indigent criminal defendants in federal court pursuant to Criminal Justice Act. August 1996- August 2000.

Associate - DICKSTEIN, SHAPIRO & MORIN - WASHINGTON, DC. Member of Business Crimes Practice Group, specializing in white collar criminal defense. Advised and defended clients in the full spectrum of criminal and quasi-criminal matters from pre-investigation compliance programs, through formal proceedings to post-appeal matters. Litigation experience in other areas including contract, tort, administrative, federal election, insurance and commercial law. August 1994 - August 1996.

PUBLICATIONS

Note, Rape Prosecutions and Privileged Psychological Counselling Records: How Much Does a Defendant Have a Right to Know About His Accuser?, 3 B.U. Pub. Int. L.J. 351 (1993).

LECTURES

Practice Tips for Maryland Public Defenders on Protecting the Record for Appeal and Avoiding Post-Conviction Attack, Upper Marlboro, Maryland (May 17, 2002)

A Practical Guide to Self-Defense Cases after Commonwealth v. Adjutant, Annual Public Defender Training Conference, Worcester, Massachusetts (May 5, 2005)

A Practical Guide to Self-Defense Cases after Commonwealth v. Adjutant, Massachusetts Appointed Murder Counsel CLE Program, Worcester, Massachusetts (September 9, 2005)

A Practical Guide to Self-Defense Cases after Commonwealth v. Adjutant, Suffolk Lawyers for Justice CLE Program, Boston, Massachusetts (January 5, 2006)

Winning Issues in Criminal Appeals, Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys CLE Program, Boston, Massachusetts (April 7, 2006)

Commonwealth v. Lykus: A Case Study in the Challenges Facing Forensic Identification Technicians, Suffolk University/Boston Police Crime Laboratory Class on Forensic Testimony, Boston, Massachusetts (June 14, 2006).

The Role of Expert Testimony in Evaluating Eye-Witness Identification
Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, CLE Program, (November 16, 2006)

Preserving Appellate Rights in Massachusetts Trial Courts, Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, CLE Program (February 13, 2007)

Litigating a State Court Post-Conviction New Trial Motion with an Eye Toward
Federal Habeas Litigation, Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers Post-Conviction Seminar, (March 30, 2007)

Preserving Appellate Rights in Massachusetts Trial Courts, Middlesex
Defense Attorneys, CLE Program (June 9, 2007)

Massachusetts v. Melendez-Diaz: A Challenge to Forensic Evidence Under Crawford v. Washington, Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, CLE Program (April 3, 2008)

MEMBERSHIPS