Press Release  Probation General Counsel Crispin Birnbaum is recognized as one of the “2017 Top Women of Law”

Boston, MA — Crispin Birnbaum, Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) General Counsel, was recently honored as one of the state’s “2017 Top Women in Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. A ceremony in November was held at the Marriott Copley Hotel in Boston.

Ms. Birnbaum, who has had a long and impactful career in public service, was among 50 honorees from across the state who represented law firms; city, state, and local agencies; and private industry. She has 33 years of government and legal experience.

“I can think of no one more deserving of recognition as one of the 2017 “Top Women of the Law” than Crispin Birnbaum. This is a fitting acknowledgement of a 30 plus year career committed to the law and to public service in some of the most demanding and important positions in the Commonwealth.” said Probation Commissioner Edward J. Dolan.

As the MPS General Counsel, Ms. Birnbaum oversees the Legal Unit where she provides legal support to the Probation Commissioner, the agency, and its employees. She is a member of the Probation executive and senior management teams and assists in the development of policy, legislative and litigation strategy, administrative goals, and initiatives. She also designs and conducts numerous training programs for employees. Before coming to Probation in 2013, she served as the General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS).

Ms. Birnbaum began her legal career in state government in 1984 as a Middlesex County assistant district attorney. In the district attorney’s office, she prosecuted cases such as misdemeanors and felonies- including homicide, sexual assault, and white collar crimes. In 1995, she was named chief prosecutor in the Public Protection Bureau of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. As chief prosecutor, Ms. Birnbaum both prosecuted and supervised the prosecution of a variety of crimes involving the protection of consumer rights, civil rights, elderly and health care fraud, patient abuse, investment scams, and telemarketing fraud.

Following a two-year stint as chief prosecutor, Ms. Birnbaum became a member of the Trial Division in the Government Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office where her focus switched to civil litigation. It was in this position that Ms. Birnbaum defended the Commonwealth, its agencies and employees in contract, tort, eminent domain, civil rights and employee matters both defensively and affirmatively. Ms. Birnbaum was given the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in 2005. In 2006, Ms. Birnbaum was named DYS General Counsel where she supervised a legal staff of 10, advised the agency on matters of policy, training, investigations, litigation, legislation, regulation, administration, and management.

Throughout her career, Ms. Birnbaum has served as a faculty member on both criminal and civil panels with Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), Boston Bar Association (BBA), and the Flaschner Institute. She has also served as an instructor at the Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshop and has spoken at conferences on juvenile justice issues in Washington, D.C.

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