In 1770, the British had stationed troops in many colonial towns to keep order. Anti-British sentiment was running high. On March 5, 1770, a group of about 400 Colonists gathered in front of the Customs House in Boston. The British soldiers became upset with the Patriots. Someone shouted "Fire!" and the soldiers shot into the crowd. Five of the Colonists were killed. The incident became known as “the Boston massacre.” Charges were promptly filed against the British officers and soldiers.

A local attorney was solicited to undertake the defense. He was well aware of the popular indignation against these prisoners, and he was at that time a representative of Boston in the general court, an office which depended entirely upon popular favor.  Despite the possibility that accepting such a case might destroy his legal career, he not only provided a defense for the officers and soldiers, but succeeded in solidifying his reputation in the Boston area as an honest, though unpopular protector of human liberties. He first was able to sever the trial of the Captain from that of the soldiers, who were tried first. Their defense rested in part upon the orders, real or supposed, given by the officer to his men to fire. The strategy proved to be successful. At the trial of Capt. Preston, no such order to fire could be proved. Despite receiving personal threats and suffering professional criticism for agreeing to take on this unpopular case, he was successful in getting an acquittal for the Captain and five of the British soldiers. The other two were convicted only of manslaughter. The attorney’s name was John Adams and that same year he was elected to the Massachusetts General Assembly. He would be a principal author of the Declaration of Independence along with Thomas Jefferson, and later became the second President of the United States.

John Adams has been called the first public defender for his work on the Boston massacre cases. Several years ago, James K. Bredar, former Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland, and now a United States Magistrate Judge in Baltimore, initiated the John Adams Award, which is given annually to a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel who exemplifies the spirit of Adams.

In Baltimore County, we have many attorneys who work in the public sector, either in the State’s Attorney’s Office, Office of the Public Defender, Legal Aid Bureau, or the Baltimore County Office of Law, who largely go unrecognized for their fine work. Many of us, in fact, began our careers in one of these offices and obtain ed experience that has proven to be invaluable. The citizens of Baltimore County are fortunate for the work being done by these attorneys.