Luke Ryan Comforts The Afflicted – And Sometimes Afflicts The Comfortable

Luke Ryan is a fifth-generation Northampton resident and defense attorney. In his line of work, he often finds himself shepherding clients through their lowest moments. But it also has required that he pursue people in positions of authority who have committed wrongs and attempted to cover them up. Nowhere is this dynamic more apparent than in his work to expose crime lab misconduct in Western Massachusetts in a quest to seek justice for his clients, a quest that Netflix brought to life in the outstanding docuseries, "How To Fix A Drug Scandal." In this episode, he discusses his journey from Amherst College to practicing law in his hometown. Along the way, he opens up about his personal struggles, his passion for civil rights and criminal defense law, and takes us deeper into the Massachusetts crime lab malfeasance that resulted in the overturning of about 38,000 drug convictions state-wide. In this episode, you'll learn about: The role of personal tragedy and substance misuse in shaping his approach to representing clients in Western Mass. How Luke went from swearing he'd never be a defense attorney to becoming an awfully good and tenacious one. The significant role he played in uncovering a major drug lab scandal in Massachusetts, leading to the dismissal of thousands of criminal cases. His go-to restaurants in Northampton when Antonio's Pizza in Amherst isn't an option. The Amherst classmates he wants me to interview next. You can email Luke at [email protected].