Ruth O'Meara-Costello

Ruth founded the Law Office of Ruth O’Meara-Costello in January 2023 after practicing law for 15 years at a boutique litigation firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Ruth is committed to providing her clients with compassionate, thoughtful, and effective representation. She is proud to have helped many clients to navigate extremely difficult situations and achieve victories both in and out of court.

Ruth’s years of experience litigating in areas including criminal defense, appellate and post-conviction litigation, Title IX and student conduct, discrimination and civil rights, and employment law help her solve problems for her clients in court, as in workplace and college or university investigations. Her diverse practice and wide-ranging expertise serve her well in assisting clients facing criminal, personal, educational, or professional consequences following misconduct allegations. 

Ruth’s belief in the importance of due process and free speech informs her work in all of her practice areas. She is committed to indigent criminal defense and represents clients in appointed appeals in state and federal criminal matters as a member of CPCS’s post-conviction panel and the First Circuit’s Criminal Justice Act panel. Between 2016 and 2021, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She also does pro bono work representing protesters on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild’s Mass Defense Committee. 

Ruth graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. She also holds a cum laude A.B. degree from Harvard College with a concentration in English. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable William K. Sessions III of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. 

Ruth has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America for Education Law every year since 2020. She was recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2017-2020 and has been listed as a Super Lawyer in the category of criminal law since 2021. 

Ruth lives and practices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a mother of three, a runner, and an enthusiastic baker.