“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
~Aristotle
Attorney George’s cases have been the subject of books, newspaper articles, magazine pieces, and television coverage for many years. His trials can be researched and reviewed through the wonder of the internet in the archives of the People Magazine, National Enquirer, Newsweek Magazine, USA Today, Court TV, A & E, MSNBC, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Times, Cape Cod Times and many other cable networks, websites and blogs. Twenty books on Mr. George’s cases have been written by various authors including Invisible Eden, If I Die, Deadly Alliance, Fire in the Desert, Killer Bodies, Black Mass, Deadly Greed, Death of an Angel, Killing Season, Missing Beauty, Murder in Boston, And Justice For Some, Shattered Innocence, Victims of Memory: Sex Abuse Accusations and Shattered Lives, Reasonable Doubt, Shallow Graves, and The Politics of Murder. Over the past forty years, Mr. George’s cases and his representation of his clients in their cases were the subjects of news coverage by regional and national newspapers, magazines, and television programs.
These matters have also been covered by national and local news networks and by media outlets and programs such as MNBC, CNN, Court TV, ESPN, HBO, A&E, NECN, 48 Hours, Dateline, Nightline, Today, Good Morning America, Donahue, Oprah, American Justice, Catherine Crier, Dan Abrams, Larry King, Nancy Grace, Jami Floyd, Greater Boston, and many other shows and specials. A sampling of the print and audio media commentary on some of Mr. George’s cases can be easily recovered and reviewed by searching the archives of these publications and news media outlets as well as the corresponding blogs and chat rooms attached to these websites. Although much of the discussion of Mr. George’s work is available online, what follows are some excerpts.
“… What (spectators) are fascinated by most is watching the flamboyant and often smirking defense lawyer Robert A. George… ” Meghan Tench, Boston Globe
“…one of the most prominent criminal defense lawyers in Boston…he’s known as a tough lawyer, a good lawyer, a well-connected lawyer…a fighter for his clients…”David Yas, Lawyers Weekly
“…The scrappy Boston defense lawyer… is known for tough cases…just because the case is difficult doesn’t mean a guy like George is going to shy away from it. He’s won big cases. He’s lost big cases.” Stacey Myers, Cape Cod Times
“… He has a little more bulldog in him…. he doesn’t believe in the old quote that you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar…he’s been very effective.” Hillary Russ, Cape Cod Times
“… [They] retained the services of a hired gun. A hired legal gun, that is… The proverbial 800-pound quarterback. In the person of Robert A. “Bob” George [they] have settled on their very own Johnnie Cochran. And why not?” Peter Gelzinis, Boston Herald
“… A go-getter defense lawyer with earnest brown eyes, a manner both friendly and slick, and the extravagant gestures of a stage actor… ” Francesca Coltrera, Boston Herald
“Robert George (is) considered a brilliant criminal lawyer and a tough opponent to face in court…Street-tough, court-wise, rhetorically simple but brilliant… ” Mary Ryzuk, Author of Shattered Innocence
“He has been laser-focused on his clients’ cases, as well as his own…and…is a ferocious advocate, unlike anyone I have ever worked for.” Thomas Shamshak, (Ret) Police Chief in Spencer and Winthrop, Private investigator
“… It is not often that we use the term brilliant, but that cross-examination was just that… ”Craig Jarrod, Court TV
“George is the wild card…probably one of the hotter defense attorneys in Massachusetts state courts.” Ralph Ranalli, Boston Herald
“… I am proud to know him…he is as passionate an advocate as anyone who has ever appeared on Court TV.”Rikki Klieman, Court TV
“… A high profile defense specialist who loves tough cases… the man to have at your side…”Dan Davis, Death of an Angel
“As a Judge, I looked forward to Bob’s court appearances inasmuch as he was always prepared, ready, respectful and courteous to everyone, and professional…He had a way of taking over the courtroom without offending anyone…Bob is an old-fashioned trial lawyer in that he does his own research, does his own writing, prepares and handles his own appeals, and appears with his clients at every stage in a case. No one out-worked Bob and no one out-fought him at trial. He is a fierce advocate yet he belittles or demeans no one. He is totally committed to his clients and their cases, and he prepares so thoroughly that when he appears in court at any event he knows everything about his client, the case, and the applicable law. As a Judge, I trusted Bob just as other attorneys, his clients, and court personnel trusted him. Unlike so many others, Bob gets what it means to be an officer of the court.”Hon. Daniel W. O’Malley, First Justice, Stoughton District Court
“… One of Boston’s best, most irrepressible lawyers…upbeat, a born advocate, [he is] itching to get back to the only place where he felt completely at ease: a courtroom… The Supreme Judicial Court…recently accepted the Board of Bar Overseers unanimous recommendation to restore that license. Bobby George is putting out a shingle again, back to practicing something he was very good at the law… Back in the day, Bob George was arguably the busiest lawyer in town. High-profile murders. Wiseguys. Ordinary schmucks. He likes to try cases, rather than cop a plea, and that takes time and genuine effort. He also did appellate cases, which are wildly time-consuming … No one wants to be judged by their worst act in life. The redemption of Bobby George means he won’t be … Like George Bailey, the protagonist in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Bobby George received a gift: after a moment of human frailty and failing, he got a second chance and got to find out who his real friends are. He was able to learn something we all know in our hearts but sometimes forget. ‘Without your family and your friends,’ Bobby George said, ‘you’re nothing.’”Kevin Cullen, Boston Globe
“He not only represented his clients, he immersed himself in their cases and displayed a rarely equaled commitment and passion to the pursuit and a just outcome in the case or cause at hand. He never shied away from taking on the most difficult or unpopular clients and always handled such matters with integrity and professionalism.”Paul V. Kelly, Principal at Jackson Lewis P.C.
“… George lets his reputation as a skilled and effective criminal defense attorney do the talking for him…George has had plenty of high-profile, headline-grabbing cases to keep him busy…George represents each of them with zeal and aplomb.”Tony Wright, Lawyers Weekly
“As the larger-than-life defense attorney Robert George can recite in his sleep, every criminal defendant should be presumed innocent…In his career, George represented a number of big-time clients, from mobsters and police officers to the trash collector convicted in a notorious Cape Cod murder…” Boston Globe Editorial Board
“Mr. George has been an excellent trial lawyer, fighting for the rights of his clients and others; …When I was on the bench, Mr. George appeared in front of me fairly regularly. I observed not only zealous advocacy and always ready to go forward, but also a collaborative effort that reflected integrity and honesty.”(Ret) Judge Isaac Borenstein, Massachusetts Superior Court
“Bob is a zealous advocate for his clients. It is always a thrill to watch him in action…Bob is a true believer. Fifteen-hour trial days were the norm for Bob. He worked nights and weekends to give his clients the best possible chance of walking out of the courthouse…He is a legend.”Rosemary Scapicchio, Principal, Law Offices of Rosemary Curran Scapicchio
“… the best of the best, an honest and upstanding person. As an attorney, he never backed down from the huge legal challenges facing his clients, people who came from all levels of life and backgrounds. Most importantly, Bob was always professionally upright and never compromised any of the courthouse staff he worked with. He knew every one of our names, asked after our families, and was there for us when he was needed for legal problems…”Mark Gannon, Chief Court Officer, Somerville, Malden, and Woburn District Courts
“Bob is a man with an incredible intellect, charismatic personality. and a compassionate soul. I have known him for over twenty-five years and we speak often. We became close friends after a particularly difficult court-appointed case in which he defended a destitute man as if he was a member of his own family. I, as the court, was struck by the passion Bob exhibited for somebody he didn’t know until the case had been assigned to him before trial. Before and after that case. I marveled at his ability to zealously defend his clients.”Christopher M. Markey, State Representative, Ninth Bristol District
“I spent most of my career in the criminal justice system, mostly as a probation officer. I have known Bob George for a long time and watched him in courtrooms for many years. His defense performance never depended on who the defendants were or what they had done. Bob was one of the most intense and well-prepared lawyers I ever dealt with. He was always honest and straightforward with me and other court personnel with whom he dealt.”James J. Brennan, (Ret) Chief Probation Officer, Quincy District Court
“As a law enforcement officer for most of my life, I have crossed paths with thousands of lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel. Bob George was one of the most talented, tenacious, and dedicated advocates I ever met and came to know, a man who devoted much of his time representing police officers and police unions pro bono, including many officers in my own department. He felt that everyone, including those of us who enforced the law, deserved the protection of the criminal justice system. Forcing the prosecution to make its case was his goal and he applied it in every case he handled.”Dennis J. Teehan, (Ret) Chief, Dedham Police Department