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Vikas Dhar
High-Profile, Award-Winning Boston Criminal Defense Firm
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Claimed Lawyer ProfileQ&AResponsive Law
Biography
Vikas is widely recognized as a leader in the New England legal community. He specializes in White-Collar Criminal Defense, International Extradition matters and State Criminal Defense. He is a past recipient of the “Excellence in the Law” award by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and has been recognized by Boston Magazine annually for the past 15 years as a “Super Lawyer” in white-collar criminal defense.
He has twice been invited by the Federal judiciary to serve on Merit Selection Panels to appoint new Federal magistrate judges in Boston, served a 5-year term as a Hearing Officer for the Board of Bar Overseers and is a panel member of Senior Partners for Justice. Vikas is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and his firm’s pro bono work and community contributions have been profiled by Forbes Magazine and Harvard Business Review.
Regarded as powerful in the courtroom and unflappable at the negotiating table, clients rave about his calming demeanor, friendliness, and never-ending energy reserves.
Practice Areas
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Appeals, Drug Crimes, Expungement, Fraud, Gun Crimes, Internet Crimes, Sex Crimes, Theft, Violent Crimes
- Domestic Violence
- Domestic Violence Criminal Defense
- White Collar Crime
- DUI & DWI
- Stockbroker & Investment Fraud
- Immigration Law
- Asylum, Citizenship, Deportation Defense, Family Visas, Green Cards, Immigration Appeals, Investment Visas, Marriage & Fiancé(e) Visas, Student Visas, Visitor Visas, Work Visas
Fees
- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Massachusetts
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- 1st Circuit
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- U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts
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Languages
- Arabic: Spoken, Written
- English: Spoken, Written
- French: Spoken, Written
- Mandarin: Spoken, Written
- Portuguese: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
Professional Experience
- Partner
- Dhar Law, LLP
- - Current
Education
- Southern Illinois University School of Law
- J.D. (2003) | Law
- Full Merit Scholarship; John S. Rendleman Award
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- Washington University in St. Louis
- B.A. (1999) | Political Science
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Awards
- Super Lawyer
- Super Lawyers
- 2014-2023
- Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Boston
- Expertise.com
- Superb Rating
- Avvo
- Client's Choice Award
- Avvo
- 2011-2014, 2016-2017, 2022
- Peer Reviewed 5.0/5.0
- Martindale-Hubbell
Professional Associations
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being
- Mentor
- Current
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- Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member
- Current
- Activities: Judicial Advisory Committee
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- Senior Partners for Justice
- Pro Bono Panel Member
- Current
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- South Asian Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- Boston Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- Activities: Criminal Justice Section
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- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- Litigation Counsel of America
- Fellow
- Current
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- American Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member
- Current
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- Massachusetts State Bar # 657539
- Member
- - Current
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- Federal Merit Selection Panel
- Member
- -
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- Board of Bar Overseers
- Hearing Officer
- -
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- National Clemency Project - Obama Administration
- Member
- -
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- Federal Merit Selection Panel
- Member
- -
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- American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Member
- -
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- Governor's Commission for Revision of the School Code
- Member
- -
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Publications
Articles & Publications
- The Dookhan Fallout: Tainted Drug Lab Samples & Guilty Pleas
- Dhar Law LLP
- The Use of Substitute Experts at Trial and the Confrontation Clause
- MCLE
- Coordinator, Forensic Psychiatry & Memory: Perspectives in Law
- MCLE Program
- The Department of Homeland Security Initiative
- Massachusetts Bar Institute Section Review, Vol. 7, No. 1
Speaking Engagements
- The Intersection of Civil & Criminal Legal Issues: Exploring the Crossover, Commonalities and Differences of Both Practices, Boston Bar Association
- Extradition in Federal Criminal Cases - Featuring US v. Taylor (2020, D-MA), Boston Bar Association
- Practical Advice for New Lawyers, Social Law Library
- Hot Topics in Criminal Law, Know Your Rights Community Seminar
- Speaker, New England Law Journal Commencement
Dhar Law, LLP
Legal Answers
4 Questions Answered
- Q. If you please guilty to a felony crime in the state of Massachusetts can you appeal your guilty plea
- A: Instead of “appeal”, I think you should reflect on the more general term of “seeking post conviction relief.”
Yes, after entering a guilty plea in Massachusetts, if you have sufficient grounds, you can attempt to go back and undo the guilty plea, which is often times done based on Rule 30 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, which states that if your plea was not completed in the interests of justice, there may be a way for you to walk it back. Other avenues of relief could be ineffective assistance of counsel, constitutional grounds or procedural error. As always, you should consult an experienced Massachusetts criminal defense attorney. Good luck!
- Q. I wanted to know if the federal court system take ONLINE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS. OR DO THEY HAVE TO BE DONE IN PERSON?
- A: This is a great question as it has come up previously due to the changes in the Federal court system system because of the pandemic. In the end, however, the possibility for you to perform community service online is going to be specific to the court in which your case is in, and even more specifically, what your probation officer will allow you to do. You should definitely check with your probation officer, and when you do, be prepared to provide reasons why you feel that you need to do this online rather than in-person and you should also be prepared to provide programs that you have found which will allow you to do it online. The more prepared you are to be in being persuasive with your probation ... Read More
- Q. If I’m on federal pretrial can I switch my lawyer in get a new one my lawyer not doin her job now bein though I’m reales
- A: I’m assuming that you mean that you’re currently on pretrial release while your case is pending, correct? You can certainly terminate and hire a new lawyer at any time. If your current lawyer is court-appointed, you should discuss it with them to determine whether or not you would be eligible for another court appointed lawyer. If your lawyer is privately retained, then you can certainly choose to terminate them and hire a new lawyer. Best of luck to you!
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