Larni Levy

After 24 years, Larni S. Levy left her position at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) where she most recently served in a management role as the Director of the Alternative Commitment and Registration Support Unit (ACRSU). The ACRSU certifies and trains private bar attorneys to represent indigent clients in Sexual Offender Registry Board (SORB) and Sexually Dangerous Person (SDP) trials and appeals matters. The unit assigns, oversees and supports these attorneys to advance the interests of clients, many of whom are reintegrating into the community and living productive lives, or hoping to do so.

During Larni’s tenure, the ACRSU established, curated, and mediated highly regarded panels of private bar attorneys to represent indigent clients in challenging SORB and SDP proceedings. A committed advocate, Larni and her colleagues also changed the SORB legal landscape, supporting litigation to narrow the application of the SORB registration requirements and expanding sex offender rights, such as expanding the right to counsel, requiring the state to pay for expert expenses in SORB hearings, and most recently and importantly, changing the burden of proof for the classification of a sex offender to a more favorable standard for the petitioner. In 2012, Larni spearheaded litigation, in conjunction with the ACLU, that successfully challenged the constitutionality of residency restrictions in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. In her role as ASCRU Director, Larni collaborated closely with state and Federal committees to develop best practices, testifying before the state legislature, and serving on commissions that addressed changes to sex offender laws in Massachusetts.

In 2012, CPCS awarded Larni the Paul Liacos Mental Health Advocacy Award for her zealous advocacy of indigent clients. Larni is a graduate of Northwestern University and Northeastern University School of Law.

Larni is excited to transition to immigration law while continuing to serve those most in need as an Access to Justice Fellow in the Immigration Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS). The GBLS Immigration Unit provides legal representation and advocates on behalf of low-income immigrants, with the goal of enabling clients to become documented, and ultimately to attain permanent legal status in the United States.