Law Office of Franchesca M. Ferguson, PLLC

06/05/2026

AWESOME!!!! Rick Palingo is the best ❤️❤️

WE ARE THE BCSO
𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓃𝑒𝓇 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝒻𝒾𝓁𝑒

Pier Recovery Center of Cape Cod Outreach Coordinator Rick Palingo is the newest member of the team at The Bridge Center, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office’s support center for justice involved, at risk or formerly incarcerated people.

Rick’s a well-known professional within the Barnstable court and recovery community. For half a dozen years, he diverted court-involved people to treatment. Through the Gavin Foundation, he worked for Project NORTH and as a Peer Support Specialist at the Barnstable District Recovery Court (a specialty court that offers mandated treatment for people facing charges related to addiction).

In other words, Rick knows how to navigate the courts and maneuver through the recovery system. And he’s been around the block when it comes to treating addiction. Prior to six years working in Barnstable’s halls of justice, he was a clinician at Highpoint Treatment Centers’ Clinical Stabilization Services (CSS) and Detox units.

With 32 years of sobriety, the former advertising and sales manager gratefully spends his days helping people.

He said his current job is to direct those seeking recovery to the PIER Recovery Center of Cape Cod, which offers daily community-building peer-to-peer activities and meetings.

“We put on all kinds of social activities,” he said. “Bowling, whale watches, Duck Boat tours. It’s all peer run. We are doing serious work and we want people to take advantage of it.”

Rick will be at The Bridge Center on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

06/03/2026

What a wonderful time getting to catch up with Justice Kathryn Hand who sits on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Judge Hand was the Presiding Justice in Barnstable District Court when I became an attorney.

The Massachusetts Appeals Court was held in Barnstable Superior Court this morning and heard oral arguments on three cases!

Exciting day being able to introduce my intern to Judge Hand and retired Judge Merrick!

06/03/2026

Please join me in welcoming Makeda to the firm! Makeda will be interning with us for the summer!

She is going into her senior year at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and studying to take the LSAT this August!

Makeda will be graduating next year with a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice!

Welcome Makeda, we are so excited to have you!

05/29/2026

Please join me in wishing Judge Wright the best, well-deserved retirement! Her kindness and fairness to anyone who came before her, will never be forgotten. I had my very first jury trial in front of her years ago, and I will always remember how patient and respectful she was to not only me, but the entire defense bar, prosecutors, court staff, and litigants. We will miss you Judge Wright 🫶🏻👩🏼‍⚖️⚖️

05/15/2026

We are very excited to announce that our office has been selected as a Top 5 nominee for Cape Cod's Best in legal services!

please click below to VOTE for us!!

as always THANK YOU for all your love and support 🙏🏻

PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE ❤️

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

05/13/2026

Love to see it 👏🏻

05/13/2026

Starting on the first day of incarceration, the BCSO case managers help people navigate a successful path to re-entry. They set them up with services, housing, medical appointments, and vital documents. In April, our case managers:
📝 Conducted Intakes: 120
👥 Did one-on-one check-Ins: 543
🏥 Filled out and submitted MassHealth Applications: 16
🏛️ Referred individuals to Specialty Courts: 9
🏠 Referred individuals for Residential Placements: 77
⚕ Made Post-Release Medical Appointments: 18

04/22/2026

love to see it 👏🏻

The road to re-entry isn’t a straight line, and there are quite a few bumps in the road. That’s why the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office has a case management team to prepare people for release beginning on day one of incarceration.

Our case managers:
↗️Coordinate services: They do one-on-one intakes at the beginning of a booking and check-ins throughout incarceration.
↗️Assist in obtaining individuals’ social security cards, and birth certificates. These documents are necessary for all the next steps of re-entry.
↗️Find treatment or housing. Many individuals cannot return to their previous living circumstances; they need structured housing for addiction or mental illness treatment.
↗️Enroll them in MassHealth. Chronic illnesses including addiction and mental illness cannot be managed without active health insurance.
↗️Assign them a case worker on the outside through state sponsored programs like BHJI (Behavioral Support for the Justice-Involved.)
April is month, a time to recognize that we must allow people to move on, or else every sentence becomes a life sentence.