Allison S. Cartwright has worked tirelessly for over thirty years to advocate for everyone from children to adults, immigrants, citizens, people in recovery—essentially everyone who has ever needed a second chance.
She believes a judicial system that is fair, open, and equitable is critical to preserving fundamental constitutional and human rights.
Allison’s grandfather Arthur Cartwright with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Graduation at BC Law.
Allison grew up an “army brat” with her parents and three siblings. After finishing undergrad at the University of Michigan and graduate school at Michigan State University, Allison was inspired by her great-aunt, the Honorable Jessie P. Slaton, who served as a Common Pleas Judge for the City of Detroit, and her grandfather, Michigan State Senator Arthur Cartwright, to pursue a legal career in public service.
She moved to Boston and attended Boston College Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor in 1992. It was during a summer internship with U.S. Magistrate Judge Joyce London Alexander that Allison became interested in criminal defense. The criminal cases that came before the Court breathed life into her legal studies. Following that internship, Allison participated in the law school’s BC Defenders Clinic, where she represented clients charged with crimes in the Dorchester District Court.
Allison launched her legal career with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) – the state’s public defender agency. She was proud to join the Roxbury Defenders’ Office where she practiced for 4 years.
Allison then worked for the City of Boston as Assistant Corporation Counsel, before entering private practice.
She returned to CPCS in 2019 as Attorney-In-Charge of the Roxbury Defenders, and was later promoted to her current role as a Managing Director of the Public Defender Division’s Central Region, where she manages offices in Suffolk and Norfolk counties overseeing roughly 75 staff members.
Allison Cartwright stands as Mayor Marty Walsh signs an Executive Order to create the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency’s Internal Affairs Oversight Panel. Allison served as a member of the Panel.
In her three decades of practice, she has worked with many clerk’s offices throughout the Commonwealth and understands the importance of accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in the Clerk role. She lives in Hyde Park with her mother and son.
