Lawyer for speaker has bulldog reputation

When a defense lawyer got locked up for contempt of court by an angry judge, she made just one telephone call: to attorney Richard M. Egbert.

She was free in about two hours.

Now, House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, facing a federal investigation on suspicion of perjury, has turned to Egbert, considered one of the best criminal defense lawyers in Massachusetts, with a client list that includes former Providence mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr., former superior court judge Maria I. Lopez, and an assortment of mobsters and organized crime figures.

In hiring Egbert, legal and political observers said yesterday, Finneran has picked a smart, tough, seasoned lawyer whose entrance into the case signals to US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan's office, which is believed to be conducting a grand jury investigation, that the Mattapan Democrat will not passively wait for bad news to arrive from the federal courthouse.

"This is a classic case where good legal advice is not necessarily good political advice, but under the circumstances, the legal advice has to come first," said Louis C. DiNatale, director of state and local government studies at the McCormack Institute for Public Affairs in Boston. "He's one of the best criminal lawyers and if most people were going before a grand jury in any capacity, that would be a good choice."

The 57-year-old Egbert is active in the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, part of a national group that shares information about developments in forensics and the courts.

"People try to typecast him as a mob lawyer. . . . [implying that] because Richie's represented over the years some bad characters that he, too, is bad," said Charles W. Rankin, a Boston lawyer on the board of the Massachusetts criminal lawyers' group with Egbert. "That is far from the case. Judges, they love to see him come in the courtroom. . . . He's just remarkably smart and aggressive and hardworking and skillful."

Added Rankin, "If I was in trouble, I'd hire Richie Egbert without a doubt."

Egbert, a 1972 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, is former past president of the defense lawyers association and remains an active member of a "strike force" that gives lawyers free emergency legal help. He answered such a call himself about eight months ago when a lawyer handling a court-appointed case drew the ire of a judge and was locked up for contempt.

Egbert said he cut short a staff meeting on a case to head to a Suffolk County courthouse. He declined to identify the attorney or the judge. "She had a reputation of being a real fighter," Egbert said of the attorney. "She was locked up until I got there. . . . The matter was dismissed within days."

Egbert said he remains active on the task force out of a deeply held belief in the crucial role lawyers play protecting the rights of the individuals against the power of government in the form of judges, prosecutors, and police. "It's important that lawyers who zealously defend their clients not find themselves alone when prosecutors, judges, or anyone tries to interfere," he said yesterday in a telephone interview. "It can be very lonely."

Egbert bristled at the reference "mob lawyer," telling an interviewer that such a description "borders on the ridiculous and, frankly, the incompetent" because he has represented politicians, lawyers, journalists, and judges. "It's so unfair and misrepresentative of not just what I do, but what other lawyers do and how the system works," he said.

Last May, Egbert donated $125 to Finneran, according to state campaign finance records. "That's what got me in," he said with a laugh. He said he has dealt with Finneran on criminal justice issues both personally and as head of the defense lawyers group, but did not have a close business or personal relationship with Finneran before he was hired.

"He's made the decision that he can't just sit idly by. . . . and that he should retain someone to protect his interests and speak to his interests publicly," Egbert said. "I'm honored that Tom Finneran, with his background, integrity, and character, thought to hire me."

Although Egbert has had success in the past negotiating plea agreements with prosecutors, DiNatale said that is probably not why Finneran hired the Milton resident. Finneran, DiNatale said, has to prevent any indictment being returned against him in order to preserve his political power, his prestige, and his personal legacy.

"This is a proud guy with a string of successes and accomplishments. He's not going to want it spoiled," DiNatale said. "If the first chapter is the grand jury, you play the law all the way and you get yourself the best criminal defense attorney you can get, and try to shut it down up front."