BOSTON, July 19, 2018—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s top appellate lawyer received his office’s highest honor last month, recognizing his courage and determination in seeing justice done during 25 years as a prosecutor.

Assistant District Attorney Jack Zanini, legal counsel and chief of the Appeals Division, received the Paul M. McLaughlin Award for a Career Marked by Courage in the Pursuit of Justice at the 15th annual Suffolk Awards ceremony, held June 13 at Suffolk University Law School. Zanini is a graduate of the University of Dallas and the University of Connecticut Law School.

“Jack’s fingerprints are visible on just about every major appellate decision in the office for the past 15 years, shaping and improving the landscape of Massachusetts case law,” Conley said during his introduction. “He helped advance the successful practice of teaming appellate attorneys with trial prosecutors on cases with complex legal issues. And he’s been a vocal supporter for funding to attract and retain the best and brightest attorneys as prosecutors in a city that deserves them. His accomplishments, advocacy, and passion are truly remarkable.”

When Conley first took office, he said, the role of appellate prosecutors was simply to defend convictions.

“Early in my first term, I knew that dogmatic approach had to go and I appointed Jack to lead the unit,” he said. “And after reviewing the wrongful convictions of several men who were either factually innocent or tried unfairly, I named Jack to the DNA Committee that later became our Conviction Integrity Program – the first formal program in Massachusetts law enforcement dedicated to identifying, correcting, and preventing wrongful convictions.”

With input from Zanini and other senior members of the office, Conley has filed or assented to nearly a dozen motions vacating past convictions for homicide, sexual assault, and other violent crimes after finding that the defendants were either factually innocent or had not received fair trials.

“Many of those decisions were tough to make,” Conley said. “We work in a system that tries very hard to get it right the first time, and each of these cases was an admission that the system we trust and abide in simply had not worked. But these were the right decisions to make and I credit Jack for the integral part he played in all of them. Because if you’ve ever sat in a conference room with him, you’ll know that he’s never afraid to argue a minority opinion, challenge the status quo, or stand up to powerful interests. He’s absolutely fearless in fighting to correct an injustice, regardless of the consequences.”

Under Zanini’s supervision, Conley said, the Appeals Division supports prosecutors at every level of the office on a daily basis. Appellate prosecutors now work closely with trial prosecutors at almost every procedural stage, from arraignment to post-conviction hearings – including one in which the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court commended a member of the unit for acting “in the highest tradition of the prosecutive trade.”

“Our foremost duty as prosecutors isn’t to winning or preserving convictions,” Conley said. “It’s to the interests of justice. I’m deeply grateful to Jack for all the work he’s done to carry out that duty.”

Other members of the DA’s staff recognized during the 2018 Suffolk Awards were Assistant District Attorney Kyle Siconolfi and Administrative Assistant Paula Ptas of West Roxbury Municipal Court; Victim-Witness Advocate Vanessa Vicente and Investigator Kate Leary of the Child Protection Unit; Victim-Witness Advocate Sasha Brown of the Elders and Persons with Disabilities Unit; Administrative Assistant Thomas Moakley of the Major Felony Bureau; Investigator John Westcott of Dorchester Municipal Court; and Assistant District Attorney David Deakin of the Family Protection and Sexual Assault Bureau.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.