Gerald J. Noonan
Brockton, Massachusetts Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer
Education
Gerald J. Noonan graduated from Brockton High School in 1968. He graduated from Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts in 1971 where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Education.
Upon graduating from Stonehill College, Attorney Noonan attended the Master’s program in Urban Affairs at Boston University. At Boston University, Attorney Noonan was a standout Dean’s List student studying finance, city management, land use planning, intergovernmental relations, and consumer law. In 1974, Attorney Noonan earned his Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs at Boston University.
In 1997, Attorney Noonan earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Administration at Boston State College.
Attorney Noonan attended the New England School of Law in Boston where he was a standout Dean’s List student. He was awarded the American Jurisprudence Prize Book and Certificate Award for being the highest marked student in Family Law. Based on his outstanding academic performance, Attorney Noonan was selected to be a member of the New England Journal on Prison Law, the nation’s only law periodical dedicated to the discussion of correctional law and prisoner’s rights. In 1982, Attorney Noonan earned his Jurist Doctor degree and graduated cum laude from New England Law with a class rank of 21.
Career as an Assistant District Attorney
From January of 1983 through April of 1986, Gerald J. Noonan was an Assistant District Attorney in Plymouth County. In his prosecutorial career, Attorney Noonan tried hundreds of cases in the juvenile courts, the district courts, and the superior court. Attorney Noonan prosecuted a wide array of cases, including:
Attempted Murder, Assault with Intent to Murder, Accessory to Murder, Conspiracy to Murder, Solicitation of Murder, Mayhem, Motor Vehicle Homicide, Operating under the Influence of Alcohol, Operating under the Influence of Drugs, Rape, Assault with Intent to Rape , Rape of Child, Indecent Assault and Battery, Open and Gross Lewdness, Indecent Exposure, Assault and Battery, Aggravated Assault and Battery, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, Armed Robbery, Armed Assault with Intent to Rob, Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime, Breaking and Entering in the Daytime, Breaking and Entering with Intent to Commit a Felony, Breaking and Entering with Intent to Commit a Misdemeanor, Larceny from a Person, Larceny over $250, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Receiving Stolen Property, Extortion, Arson, Malicious Burning of Property, Malicious Destruction of Property, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, Unlawful Carrying of a Firearm, Unlawful Discharging of a Firearm, Unlawful Distribution of Drugs, and Trafficking Drugs.
Conviction Percentage as a Prosecutor
In the hundreds of cases Attorney Noonan tried, he earned convictions in 80% of all the trials he prosecuted. Attorney Noonan won almost 90% of the cases he tried and prosecuted in the juvenile courts. As a prosecutor, Attorney Noonan tried 55 cases in the juvenile court and won convictions in 49 of those 55 trials. Attorney Noonan won 92% of the cases he prosecuted and tried in bench trials in the Brockton District Court. Of the 41 bench trials he prosecuted in the Brockton District Court, Attorney Noonan won convictions in 38 of the 41 trials. Attorney Noonan was the lead prosecutor in the 6-man jury session in the Wareham District Court. He tried 62 cases in the jury session and won convictions in 43 of those trials.
Based on his extensive trial experience and successful track record of earning convictions, Attorney Noonan was assigned to try a number of complex, major felony cases in the Brockton Superior Court where he won convictions in 75% of the trials he prosecuted.
The District Attorney’s specially assigned Attorney Noonan to prosecute a number of high-profile motor vehicle homicide cases in which innocent people were killed at the hands of drunk, reckless, or negligent motorists.
Historic Civil Rights Conviction
As a prosecutor, Attorney Noonan obtained the very first conviction in Massachusetts for Violation of Civil Rights with Bodily Harm. Here is a description of the case.
The victim was a 41 year-old African-American Brockton resident. On June 14, 1983, the victim was walking down Main Street in Brockton with a female friend at approximately 1:00 in the morning when several white males started calling him a “nigger.” The female walking with the victim stated that they yelled out, “Hey Niggers.”
The victim and the female ignored the comments and continued walking down the street and suddenly the victim was struck by a motor vehicle. The victim was thrown up onto the hood and the windshield and rolled off the vehicle and landed on the street. While he was lying on the ground, two white males got out of the vehicle and started punching him in the face. One of the white male’s then started cutting him in the face with a knife. The white male yelled, “I’m going to kill you nigger” and the white male stabbed the victim in the back with a knife. The female with the victim cried out to the white male stabbing the victim, “Why are you doing this?” The white male responded, “Because he’s a nigger. You’ve got two seconds to walk or you’ll die too.” The female ran in terror screaming trying to find someone for help. The female identified one of the white males as the co-defendant.
An independent witness was driving in a vehicle with three other people when she saw the vehicle strike the victim throwing him up in the air. This witness saw two white males get out of the vehicle and start punching the victim, as he was lying on the ground. This witness and the occupants of her car got out and ran over and said to one of the white males’, “Jesus Christ, what are you doing?” One of the white males answered, “Of, we’re just hitting a nigger.” The white males got back into the car and sped away burning rubber.
When police arrived, the victim was bleeding from the face and back. Police interviewed a witness who identified the operator of the vehicle speeding away from the scene as the co-defendant. A detective was dispatched to locate the co-defendant. The detective received a radio transmission that the defendant was the one who did the stabbing. The detective located the defendant on the street and interviewed him. The defendant gave the detective a false name. The defendant said that he had nothing to do with it and that police had nothing on him. The defendant told police that the co-defendant was the one who ran over the victim with the car. The defendant then changed his story several times. Police placed the defendant under arrest and police found a knife on the defendant. The knife was approximately eight and one-half inches long with a three and one-half inch blade. The tip of the blade had been broken off. Police observed that the knife had a reddish stain on the blade. The knife was submitted to the crime lab where it was determined that the reddish substance was blood. The knife wound to the victim’s face was so bad that he required plastic surgery. The knife wound to the back caused serious drainage of the victim’s kidneys.
The defendant was indicted for Violation of Civil Rights, Violation of Civil Rights with bodily Injury, Assault with Intent to Murder, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon to wit: motor vehicle, and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon to wit: a knife.
After a three-day jury trial, Assistant District Attorney Gerald J. Noonan earned Guilty verdicts on the indictments. Attorney Gerald J. Noonan obtained the first Civil Rights conviction in Massachusetts for Violation of Civil Rights causing Bodily Injury.
Other Experience
In 1969-70, while attending Stonehill College, Attorney Noonan worked as a Probation Officer Aide under Judge George N. Covett of the Brockton District Court.
While attending Boston University in the early 1970s, Attorney Noonan underwent a 15-week internship under Massachusetts State Senator Joseph Timilty doing research and drafting legislation in the areas of health, education, welfare and urban development.
While teaching History and Social Studies at Brockton High School in 1975, Attorney Noonan was one of five teachers selected in the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts to undergo a legislative internship under State Senator John F. Aylmer where his work included: legislative research, testifying at committee hearings, and drafting and filing legislation.
For 11 years (from 1971 – 1982), Attorney Noonan taught History, American Government, Urban Geography and American Minorities at Brockton High School. While teaching full-time at Brockton High, Attorney Noonan attended law school at night.
For 25 years from (1971 – 1996), Attorney Noonan owned and operated Noonan Painting and Construction. Attorney was a licensed construction superintendent. Attorney Noonan started and developed this entrepreneurial effort into a successful painting, construction, and general contracting business employing 25 workers and servicing a number of large accounts such as Stonehill College, Wellesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wheaton College, Filenes Department Store, Good Samaritan Hospital, and Saint Luke’s Hospital.
From 1986 to Present, Attorney Noonan has been the owner and operator of the Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan. The firm specializes in criminal defense and personal injury.
Elected Positions
For 14 years (from 1973 – 1987), Attorney Noonan was elected to the School Committee at the Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in South Easton, Massachusetts where his work included: budget control, contract negotiation, formation of school policy, curriculum development and planning.
From 2002 – Present, Attorney Noonan has been elected to the Easton Board of Assessors. It is the job of the Board of Assessors to assess all Real and Personal Property at Market Value. The Assessor’s Office generates the bulk of revenue for the Town of Easton through Real Estate Taxes.
