Jellison & Nathanson, LLP is delighted to welcome Shayla J. Mombeleur to the firm as our lead trial associate. Attorney Mombeleur joins J&N with three years of mainly white collar federal and state trial defense experience at Todd & Weld and five-years of experience as a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Attorney Mombeleur's hiring marks a new chapter for J&N, which has been a go-to firm for post-conviction litigation and university disciplinary proceedings for adults and adolescents for the past decade under its previous name, Wood & Nathanson, LLP. Attorney Mombeleur will help to grow the trial practice arm of the firm with the backing of some of the best appellate lawyers in the Commonwealth for record preservation issues and pleading support. Attorney Mombeleur will also bring her experience as a trial attorney and creativity to support our general post-conviction litigation practice.

J&N is also excited and proud that we can include Attorney Mombeleur in our ranks because of her fierce advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion, her proven leadership in the Massachusetts Bar Association, and her deep commitment to addressing the broken criminal legal system which disparately affects those who are poor and of other minority identities.

Watch this space for more information and Attorney Mombeleur’s bio coming soon!

Attorney Ramos Receives Hines-Burnham Award

On March 19, 2025, the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers presented Attorney Ramos with the Hines Burnham Award. The award is given in recognition of exceptional service, skill and innovation in the defense of the accused by an attorney practicing for ten years or less. Melissa has recently either been lead or second chair in cases that resulted in the overturning of a second-degree murder conviction, a jury verdict of manslaughter where the defendant was charged with first-degree murder, and the entering of a not guilty finding on appeal of a conviction for a restraining order violation. She also recently helped two clients convicted of extremely serious offenses successfully petition for parole. The Hines-Burnham Award is named for two trailblazing African-American women criminal defense lawyers who advanced the profession and excelled for their clients. Attorney Ramos is the continuation of that proud tradition.