Rachel M. Self

Rachel M. Self is the founding member of Rachel M. Self, P.C..  She represents individuals in criminal and immigration matters, specializing in criminal trial work, family immigration, citizenship, deportation defense, and post-conviction relief. She has regularly appeared as a legal analyst for various news networks, and has been featured in multiple documentary productions and interviews. 

After 49 migrants were abducted and flown to Martha’s Vineyard in the fall of 2022, she was instrumental in organizing support for them from local agencies.  She also assisted in coordinating the criminal investigations of all the victims with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department resulting in U visa certifications for all 49 victims. Her efforts garnered national recognition, including features in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Honorable Mention as a Bostonian of the Year 2022 in the Boston Globe Magazine. She recently contributed to Fareed Zakaria’s Immigration Breakdown, a CNN documentary on the subject of immigration. 

Ms. Self has been selected by Boston Magazine and Superlawyers as a top immigration attorney from 2009-2023.  She is regularly asked to teach and speak on both criminal and immigration issues. She has taught advanced immigration and crimmigration seminars for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Bar Association, Flaschner Judicial Institute, and the New Hampshire Judicial Education Program. She has also taught at New England Law Boston. She is rated “Superb,” the highest possible ranking, by Avvo, a national attorney rating service and was awarded with the Client’s Choice award for 2013-2023. Rachel is fluent in Spanish, and has a broad base of knowledge in international and cross-cultural issues.

Ms. Self also provides defense representation to people who have been charged with state or federal offenses. The types of cases that she has handled in this regard have included driving under the influence, domestic violence, sex crimes, money laundering, assault and battery, drug possession and distribution, and juvenile crimes.

Since obtaining her Juris Doctor in 2004, Ms. Self has earned the respect of her colleagues for her dedication to her clients and high degree of ethics. The holder of a 10.0 "Superb" peer review rating through Avvo, she has also been named to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 for several consecutive years. Admitted to practice before all Massachusetts state courts, Ms. Self is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.  In her spare time, Rachel loves traveling, cooking, and spending time with her dog and her many chickens.