Martha Coakley

Adjunct Professor
Middlesex District Attorney
B.A., Williams College
J.D., Boston University

Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley is a seasoned prosecutor who has committed much of her legal career to public safety in Middlesex. Since assuming office as District Attorney in January 1999, Martha Coakley has dedicated her time and energy to bringing justice to crime victims and their families, as well as to working with law enforcement and community leaders in a variety of diverse and multi-faceted prevention efforts and to improve public safety.

Martha Coakley first joined the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in 1986, as an Assistant District Attorney in the Lowell District Court office. In 1987, Coakley was invited by the U.S. Justice Department to join its Boston Organized Crime Strike Force as a Special Attorney. She returned to the District Attorney’s Office in 1989, and in 1991 was appointed the Chief of the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit. During her tenure as Chief, District Attorney Coakley investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases, including Commonwealth v. Louise Woodward. In December 1997, Coakley resigned her position to campaign for District Attorney in the 54 cities and towns of Middlesex.

During her term as District Attorney, Martha Coakley has earned the respect of the law enforcement, legal, and medical communities. She has been recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Massachusetts School of Law, and the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court. In November 2000, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts honored Coakley with its coveted Leila J. Robinson Award for her contributions to the field of law. In June 2002, the YWCA Boston selected District Attorney Coakley as a member of its Academy of Women Achievers Class of 2002. In January 2004, District Attorney Coakley received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Management in Government. District Attorney Coakley has served as a guest speaker and panel participant addressing concerns relative to child abuse, domestic violence, and criminal justice for various groups, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Boston Bar Association, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In January 2002, District Attorney Coakley completed a one-year term as the President of the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association. In addition, she is a former president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, and has served on the Board of Directors at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As Middlesex District Attorney, she serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to providing prevention and intervention resources and training to Middlesex school districts and communities. With Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, District Attorney Coakley has hosted numerous workshops and training seminars for law enforcement, social service providers, and educators, to help foster an atmosphere of respect and public safety for Middlesex youth. In addition, District Attorney Coakley’s office has produced several award-winning educational videos, on such topics as drinking and driving, internet safety, designer drugs, and youth sports violence.

District Attorney Coakley has been a frequent lecturer at Boston University, Boston College Law School, Tufts University, as well as at elementary and high schools in several communities. In January 2002 and 2003, she co-taught a winter study, “Law and Social Policy,” at her alma mater, Williams College. During the Fall 2003 semester, District Attorney Coakley taught “Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy” at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, MA.

Martha Coakley received a B.A. degree, cum laude, from Williams College in 1975, and a J.D. degree from the Boston University School of Law in 1979. She began her career as an associate at the law firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White, and later practiced at Goodwin Procter, both in Boston.

Coakley resides in Medford, Massachusetts, with her husband, Thomas F. O’Connor, Jr.