Martha Coakley has dedicated 25+ years of her life to a career in public service. She has been a strong advocate for individuals and communities across the Commonwealth.Martha began her legal career in 1979, practicing civil litigation with the firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White and later at Goodwin Procter LLP, both in Boston. She joined the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in 1986.. In 1987, Coakley was invited by the U.S. Justice Department to join its Boston Organized Crime Strike Force as a Special Attorney. She returned to the District Attorney’s Office in 1989, and in 1991 was appointed the Chief of the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit.In 1998, Martha was elected Middlesex District Attorney. During her 8 years as District Attorney, Martha established herself as a passionate advocate for public safety, not only bringing justice to crime victims and their families, but also emphasizing the importance of working with community leaders, schools, and law enforcement in a variety of diverse and multi-faceted prevention efforts.In January 2007, Martha took office as the first female Attorney General of Massachusetts. Martha has been a national leader in addressing the economic crisis by holding big banks accountable and keeping people in their homes. She was the first Attorney General to successfully challenge the Defense of Marriage Act, tackled fraud and corruption, championed major initiatives to address the costs of health care, including behaviorial health, and energy, and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for the Commonwealth's taxpayers.