Corso Law LLC - The Law Offices of Frank C Corso

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Experienced counsel... for when experience matters.An award winning trial attorney, Frank Corso is a leader in the Greater Boston legal community whose experience and professional credentials place him among the most select group of lawyers in the industry.His client focused approach to the law means that each case receives the focused attention of experienced counsel focused on results and client satisfaction- and not billable hours. It is this individualized approach to legal representation that distinguishes Frank Corso today's crowded legal marketplace.Please contact Frank Corso should you require legal representation in the following areas:

Recognized Excellence

Speak with an Attorney

617.227.0011

Boston

15 Court Square

Suite 240

Boston, MA 02108

T. 617.227.0011

F. 800-717-8156

click for directions

Wrongful Death & Personal Injury

Criminal & White

Collar Defense

Business Litigation

& Advising

Rehoboth

492 Winthrop Street

Suite 5

Rehoboth, MA 02769

T. 774.901-2677

F. 774.901.2678

click for directions

Attorneys

Experienced lawyers... for when experience matters.

Frank Corso No Frame

Frank C. Corso, Esq.

(p) 617.227.0011 (c) 617.216.9036 fcc_corsolawllc.com

Admitted

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

US Disctrict Court, District of Massachusetts

US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Faculty Appointments

Adjunct Professor, New England School of Law

Publications

Co-Author, Savery, Corso & Harrington, Federal Civil Practice, 46 Mass. Practice (West 2d Ed. 2009)

Background

Law Clerk, Hon. Joseph R. Nolan Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts

Partner, Sarrouf, Tarricone & Flemming, PC

Principal, Sarrouf Corso LLP

Education

New England School of Law, J.D., 1984

SUNY Stony Brook, B.S., 1980

. Frank Corso is an experienced litigator whose practice has focused on complex litigation at the trial and appellate levels. Frank has represented clients in devastating catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, professional licensure proceedings, employment discrimination cases, business litigation, and white collar and other criminal matters.Frank is also a trusted business adviser with experience counseling businesses and their officers on complex regulatory matters, employment issues, contract disputes, and corporate governance practices. His stature in the legal community is reflected in his repeated inclusion in Massachusetts Super Lawyers and his AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. In Frank's over 25 years of practice, he has successfully represented scores of individuals and business clients. Among his successes are the following:Seven- and eight-figure settlements in multiple wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury matters; Jury verdict and favorable settlement in favor of individual wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for over ten years; Multiple jury verdicts and favorable settlements in medical malpractice cases; Successful representation of automotive dealerships in dealer franchise disputes; Representation of corporations, partnerships, and other business entities in wide variety of litigation matters;Successful representation of numerous medical and legal professionals before professional oversight and registration boards. Frank has also made significant contributions to the legal profession through appellate advocacy which has established numerous precedent-setting legal decisions, including the following: Boffoli v. Premier Insurance Co., 71 Mass. App. Ct. 212 (2008)Heritage Jeep Eagle v. Chrysler Corporation, 39 Mass. App. Ct. 254 (1995)Goodman v. American Mutual Insurance Co., 419 Mass. 138 (1994)Frank's recent representation of Ulysses Charles, a Massachusetts resident wrongfully convicted of rape over two decades ago, was the focus of substantial attention in the profession. After Mr. Charles was released from incarceration, Frank successfully litigated one of the first cases brought under Massachusetts General Law c. 258D and obtained for Mr. Charles the maximum statutory award. A settlement with the United States followed. The Massachusetts chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates recently recognized Frank's courageous and skillful representation of Mr. Charles, awarding Frank the 2009 Robert Morris, Sr., Award for Courageous Advocacy. In addition, Frank's closing argument from the state trial was recognized as "The Most Compelling Argument" at the 2009 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Battle of the Lawyers. Frank has taught law students since his own graduation from law school in 1985. In 1991, he became an Adjunct Professor at New England School of Law, where he continues to teach Trial Preparation.Frank is a 1985 graduate of New England School of Law where he received the school's prestigious New England Scholar award in each of his years of study. He served as Case and Note Editor for the New England Law Review. Following law school, Frank served as law clerk to Hon. Joseph R. Nolan of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. He was the first student in the history of New England School of Law to be hired directly from law school to serve as a law clerk to a Supreme Judicial Court Justice. Mr. Corso attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and, in 1980, received his undergraduate degree from SUNY at Stony Brook. Following college and during law school, Mr. Corso worked as a high school teacher at Bishop Gurtin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Awards & Honors

AV Rating from Martindale Hubbell represents the highest in ethical standards and legal ability.

Annual inclusion in the SuperLawyers listing as one of Massachusetts top attorneys.

Recipient of the 2009 MassABOTA Robert Morris, Sr., Award for Courageous Advocacy

Winner, Most Compelling Argument, 2009 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Battle of the Lawyers

New England Scholar, 1981-1984

Massachusetts Chapter

American Board of Trial Advocates

Robert Morris, Sr. Award

Practice Areas books 1.jpg

Experienced lawyers... for when experience matters.

Personal Injury

Wrongful Death & Personal Injury

Frank Corso is among the most experienced attorneys in the industry representing victims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Frank takes great pride in the skill and effort he brings to every case involving personal injury. Frank Corso is retained by injured individuals seeking dedicated and experienced counsel, as well as by fellow, referring attorneys who recognize his expertise in complex litigation.Frank has extensive experience in the following types of injury cases, among others:Wrongful deathMedical malpractice & nursing home neglectConstruction and machinery accidentsProduct liabilityPremises liabilityMotor vehicle accidentsPharmaceuticals and medical device litigation

Criminal Defense

White Collar & Criminal Defense

A government investigation or criminal prosecution presents one of the greatest personal and professional risks to an individual or business. These are circumstances that call for experienced, attentive, and dedicated counsel. Frank Corso is prepared to devise and carry out the most appropriate legal strategy to place each client in the best possible position to minimize criminal exposure or to avoid criminal charges altogether. Our attorneys have experience in the following areas:Credit card and access device fraudFederal and state criminal defenseOUI and vehicular offensesFederal firearms offensesGrand jury investigationsAttorney General investigations

Business Litigation

Business Litigation & Advising

Frank Corso has represented all sizes and types of business entities, including publicly held corporations, close corporations, partnerships, business trusts, and proprietorships, as well as their officers, directors, principals, and shareholders. Frank represents and advises these business clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including cases concerning contract disputes, business torts, unfair and deceptive practices, class actions, insurance coverage matters, and other commercial disputes. Frank is experienced litigating on behalf of commercial clients in federal and state courts across the country. In addition to litigation in court, our attorneys have substantial experience representing business clients in arbitration proceedings and mediations.While skilled in these litigation processes, Frank's true value is delivered to his clients by applying his experience and insight to advise his clients with the goal of minimizing the risk of litigation before it arises. Frank Corso has experience representing individuals and business clients in the following areas:Construction litigationContract litigationEmployment litigationInsurance coverage disputesArbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution

Personal Injury
Criminal Defense
Business Litigation

Articles

6/10/11

Prosecutors tell Sal DiMasi's kin: Don't worry June 10, 2011 - Boston Herald

The U.S. Attorneys Office will not put the wife and stepchildren of Salvatore F. DiMasi out on the street if the financially devastated former House speaker is convicted on corruption charges, prosecutors announced on the eve of todays closing arguments. DiMasi, whose high living in the Hub spun him from being the most powerful politician in the state to dependent upon a public defense, said in court papers before the trial began that he feared the forfeiture of his $968,300 North End condo would leave his family homeless. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Barclay, however, told U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf yesterday that the pricey property will be pursued only if DiMasi has no other means to satisfy any money judgment that might be brought against him.Prosecutors and the defense for DiMasi, 65, his financial planner, Richard Vitale, 66, and lobbyist Richard McDonough, 66, are expected to make their closing arguments today giving them one last crack at making a lasting impression on the 16 jurors who patiently sat through a month of testimony. Lead prosecutor S. Theodore Merritt is preparing himself for a passionate presentation by the defense team. Theres plenty to rebut, I anticipate, he said to Wolf. Boston trial attorney Frank C. Corso told the Herald that closings are really an art form for each individual lawyer. . . . In my experience, you win your case in openings and closings. But above all else, Corso said both sides of the aisle need to be honest with the jury, whether it helps you or hurts you. When you try to bury things intelligent people can see and process, you lose your credibility. Meanwhile, attorneys spent hours yesterday haggling with Wolf over technical language they want him to use when he instructs the jury Monday ahead of their deliberations. Longtime friends DiMasi, Vitale and McDonough are accused of conspiring to land a Canadian software firm, Cognos, two state contracts worth $17.5 million between 2005 and 2007 in exchange for their being funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. DiMasi, specifically, is charged with extortion, conspiracy and honest services fraud for betraying the faith of the commonwealths residents.

~ Boston trial attorney Frank C. Corso told the Herald that closings are really an art form for each individual lawyer. . . . In my experience, you win your case in openings and closings.

~ But above all else, Corso said both sides of the aisle need to be honest with the jury, whether it helps you or hurts you. When you try to bury things intelligent people can see and process, you lose your credibility.

5/18/09

In 'hell' for 18 years, Boston man now vindicated May 18, 2009 - David E. Frank Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Boston, MA- Ulysses Charles' legs felt like jelly when he walked out of Judge Nancy Staffier Holtz's courtroom four weeks ago.The 59-year-old union welder's steps were unsteady, his stomach queasy, his mouth incapable of forming any words.At the end of a three-week trial and two days of deliberations, a Suffolk Superior Court jury on April 21 found him innocent under the state's wrongful conviction compensation statute, Chapter 258D, enacted in 2004 in response to an increasing number of post-trial exonerations of convicted felons.From the actual words on the verdict slip read out that day in Courtroom 1015, Charles heard the jury agree that he had "proved by clear and convincing evidence that he did not commit the crime or crimes for which he was convicted in 1984. "After spending 18 years of an 80-year prison term in a place he described as "hell" and learning from behind bars about the suicide of his teenage daughter, a civil jury had finally exonerated Charles on charges he had violently raped three women in 1980 inside their Brighton apartment.The verdict entitles Charles to as much as $500,000 in damages, the exact amount to be determined at a later hearing. The jury's decision came eight years after Judge Barbara J. Rouse vacated his 1984 criminal conviction when DNA testing revealed that previously undisclosed semen found on a victim's bed sheets and robe did not belong to him.'I got back my good name'The fact that the case marked the first time a jury in Massachusetts had ever come back with a verdict under the 2004 statute meant nothing to Charles as he left the courtroom.He needed to locate his 79-year-old mother, Ursula, who was sitting in the hallway, unable to bear the pressure of the verdict."She did this time with me, and I had to find her. I had to tell her," he says. "This verdict was all or nothing for us, because if I prevailed I got back my good name as well as the potential to be compensated. And if the jury verdict had not been in my favor, I would be doomed forever. The cloud of suspicion would be forever. "But when he tried to deliver the good news to his mother after spotting her outside the courtroom, Charles was unable to speak."I went to open my mouth, and I couldn't say anything," he recalls. "I became ill. I just had a breakdown, a physical breakdown. "Charles, whose first 258D trial ended six months earlier with a hung jury, says he was later told by people at The Innocence Project that his reaction was a common one for those who finally receive word they have been exonerated. When he was able to speak, the words he uttered through his thick Caribbean accent were simple."I said to her: 'Ma, the jury found me innocent,'" he says. "She didn't say a word. She didn't say a word because it was something we always knew. It wasn't a surprise for us. It was only that finally we got to the public, to the community, to society. We got through. "'He carried the day'From there, Charles turned to his Boston lawyer, Frank C. Corso, of Sarrouf Corso, who had inherited the case a few months earlier from WolfBlock after the mistrial."I told Mr. Corso: 'Thanks for giving me back my good name. Thank you very much for that,'" he says through tears. "Mr. Corso is a real trial lawyer. How can I ever repay this man?"A day later, Charles followed up that expression of appreciation by presenting Corso with a blown-up rendering of his mug shot, taken 21 years earlier, that contained a handwritten note with the same message."It was just a beautiful story," says Corso in an interview with Charles at the lawyer's waterfront office a few days after the trial. "It was a fight to dig himself out of a hole, and when he told his story to the jury, step by step, of what he did, when he did it and how he did it, it just rang and resonated with the truth. And I think he carried the day for himself by being able to explain his circumstances. "While Corso will likely never receive a dime for his work on the case and is actually being sued by WolfBlock for recovery of fees it spent on expert witnesses during the first trial, the litigator says he has no regrets."I've had cases with eight-figure recoveries and for zero dollars. This was the most satisfying result that I've ever had for a client, and it was the most appreciated by a client," he says. "You can go get an enormous verdict or a huge settlement, and it is in no way, shape or form as satisfying as it is to delivering the truth to someone. Being sued and having to report it to my malpractice insurer is not something I'm happy about, but I wouldn't trade this case in for anything. "While satisfied that the jury verdict vindicates him, Charles says he is still an angry man, particularly with Charles M. Campo Jr., the former Suffolk prosecutor who tried him in 1984. Although the two came face-to-face when Campo testified last month, Charles says they exchanged no words in the courthouse."I didn't say anything to Campo. I knew he would burn in hell. I knew that his life is miserable," he says. "He will self-destruct. I don't have to do anything. "Several calls to Campo, who is now a mediator in Wellesley, were not returned. In an e-mail to Lawyers Weekly, he stated: "[I]'m not going to engage in name-calling with him. There is no truth to his accusations against me. He has a long, verifiable history of making up false allegations against me in order to suit his purpose. I'll leave it at that. "Campo directed all other inquiries to Attorney General Martha Coakley's office, which defended the case.'A reverse criminal case'Getting to a point where Corso could put aside his client's anger and convince a jury to deliver its verdict required him to prove his case under a difficult-to-define, untested standard. Unlike the preponderance-of-evidence threshold used in most civil cases, the law placed the burden on Charles to demonstrate his innocence with clear and convincing evidence."Clear and convincing evidence is a foreign concept that civil litigators don't run across every day, and the Legislature has set the bar pretty high in these cases by doing that," Corso says. "This was really a reverse criminal case because our mission was to undo something that had already been done. "To prove his case, he argued that Campo and the police investigators assigned to the case had engaged in shoddy work that included serious failures to disclose exculpatory evidence. Corso says he showed the jury that DNA results from the crime scene, which were never disclosed to his client, would have exonerated Charles had they not been improperly identified as vaginal fluid during his criminal trial.In addition, Corso presented evidence of statements made by one of the victims at the hospital that her attacker was circumcised; Charles is not. Although the statements were recorded in Campo's notes, Corso says they were never turned over to Charles' criminal lawyer, James W. Gilden of Sharon. (Gilden could not be reached for comment prior to deadline.)While he never questioned whether the women were raped, Corso says he presented evidence to show that their descriptions of the alleged attacker were unduly suggestive. In their initial descriptions to police, the women described the assailant as a light-skinned black man with an American accent. The women, Corso says, made no mention of Charles' dread-locks hair style or Caribbean dialect."My biggest concern heading into trial was deciding how to deal with the eyewitness identification that was going to be as strong today as it was in 1984," he says. "My goal was not to make these victims re-live the crime. It was just to demonstrate how the description of the attacker changed from the time of the crime to the time that Mr. Charles was arrested. Once he was arrested and it became known that he was a dark-skinned West Indian with an accent, those characteristics morphed and started to be attributed to the rapist. "By showing jurors how the eyewitnesses' descriptions had changed to match Charles' after his arrest, Corso says he was able to convey his message to the jury."My point in this case was that there were five victims. There were the three women who were raped," he says. "Mr. Charles was a victim, and because this man went to prison for some crime he didn't commit, society was a victim. "'The burden ... can be met'

~ "I told Mr. Corso: 'Thanks for giving me back my good name. Thank you very much for that,'" he says through tears. "Mr. Corso is a real trial lawyer. How can I ever repay this man?"

~ While Corso will likely never receive a dime for his work on the case and is actually being sued by WolfBlock for recovery of fees it spent on expert witnesses during the first trial, the litigator says he has no regrets.

~ "My point in this case was that there were five victims. There were the three women who were raped," he says. "Mr. Charles was a victim, and because this man went to prison for some crime he didn't commit, society was a victim. "

6/10/11
5/18/09

Contact

Speak with an Attorney

617.227.0011

Recognized Excellence

Contact an attorney for a response within 24 hours:

.
.

Boston

15 Court Square

Suite 240

Boston, MA 02108

T. 617.227.0011

F. 800-717-8156

click for directions

Rehoboth

492 Winthrop Street

Suite 5

Rehoboth, MA 02769

T. 774.901-2677

F. 774.901.2678

click for directions

Disclosures No Frame

Legal Disclosure

The information contained in the Corso Law LLC web site is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Recipients of this information should not act upon it without consulting legal counsel as individual situations and facts vary.

Transmission and receipt of information on the Corso Law LLC web site is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship nor will the act of sending e-mail or confidential information without first receiving permission to do so from one of our attorneys at Corso Law LLC. If you are not currently a client of Corso Law LLC, your e-mail or confidential information will not be privileged and may be disclosed to other persons or subject to discovery by third parties.

Speak with an Attorney

Recognized Excellence

617.227.0011

.
.

Boston

15 Court Square

Suite 240

Boston, MA 02108

T. 617.227.0011

F. 800-717-8156

click for directions

Rehoboth

492 Winthrop Street

Suite 5

Rehoboth, MA 02769

T. 774.901-2677

F. 774.901.2678

click for directions

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