Frequently Asked Questions

An initial conversation to determine whether we are the right fit costs you nothing. If we take the matter on, we will explain how the fee works before any work begins, in writing. Depending on the matter that may be an hourly rate, a flat fee for a defined piece of work such as a residential closing or an estate plan, or a budget with a not-to-exceed cap for a longer development project.

You work with one of our attorneys. This is a three-attorney firm, so there is no layer of junior associates learning on your file. Whoever you meet with is who handles the matter.

Our practice is centred on Norfolk County and the surrounding MetroWest and southeastern Massachusetts communities, with our office in Norwood. Because so much of our work is local permitting, our value comes from knowing the specific boards, bylaws, and history of these towns. We also serve as local counsel to firms based elsewhere who need someone who already knows the room.

It varies enormously with the project and the town. A straightforward special permit might move through in a few months. A larger project touching several boards, or one requiring a bylaw change, can run a year or more. The single biggest factor is how much is resolved before the first public hearing, which is why we spend real time in the pre-application phase with your engineers and the town staff.

In broad terms, a special permit allows a use the zoning bylaw already contemplates in that district, provided you satisfy conditions the board sets. A variance asks for relief from the dimensional requirements of the bylaw itself, and Massachusetts sets a deliberately high bar for granting one, requiring hardship tied to the specific soil conditions, shape, or topography of the parcel. Which route applies depends on your parcel and your town’s bylaw, and getting that choice right at the outset matters a great deal.

Chapter 40B is the Massachusetts comprehensive permit law. It gives developers of qualifying affordable housing a streamlined route through a single comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, and in communities below the statutory affordable housing threshold it limits the grounds on which a board can deny the project. It is powerful and heavily litigated, and both applicants and municipalities benefit from experienced counsel.

Organised opposition is normal on any project of size and it is not necessarily fatal. Much of it can be addressed through design changes, screening, traffic mitigation, or hours-of-operation conditions negotiated before the hearing. Our approach is to identify likely objections early and resolve what can reasonably be resolved, so that what remains is narrow and the board can act on the record in front of it.

The attorney conducting the closing generally represents the lender, not you. That attorney’s duty is to make sure the bank’s mortgage is properly secured. Having your own counsel means someone is reading the purchase and sale agreement in your interest, checking the title, and raising the zoning, environmental, or tax issue that a closing-only file might not surface.

Before you sign the purchase and sale agreement, and ideally before the offer. The standard forms in circulation are negotiable, and the deadlines they set for inspection, financing, and title are the leverage you have if something turns up. Once signed, your options narrow considerably.

Title insurance protects against defects in the ownership history of the property: an old lien, an error in a recorded deed, an undisclosed heir, a boundary or easement problem. Your lender will require a policy protecting its own interest. An owner’s policy, which protects your equity, is optional and is a one-time premium at closing. For most buyers it is worth the cost, and we will walk you through the specific risks on your parcel so you can decide.

It depends on what you own, how it is titled, and what you want to happen. A will alone still passes through probate, which is public and takes time. A properly funded revocable trust can avoid probate, keep your affairs private, and provide for management of your assets if you become incapacitated. Massachusetts also has its own estate tax with a threshold well below the federal one, which changes the calculus for many families here. We look at the whole picture before recommending either.

The estate passes under the state intestacy statute, which sets a fixed order of inheritance among spouse, children, and other relatives. That order frequently does not match what the person would have chosen, particularly in blended families or where a long-term partner is not a spouse. The estate still goes through probate, and often takes longer because there is no named personal representative.

Every three to five years as a general habit, and promptly after any of these: a marriage or divorce, a birth or death in the family, buying or selling real estate, starting or selling a business, a move to another state, or a significant change in your assets. Tax thresholds also shift, and a plan built around an older threshold can produce results you did not intend.

For most small and mid-sized Massachusetts businesses the practical choice is between a limited liability company and a corporation, and the deciding factors are usually how you want to be taxed, whether you plan to bring in outside investors, and how many owners are involved. The formation filing itself is the easy part. What matters more is the operating or shareholder agreement that sets out what happens when owners disagree, someone wants out, or someone dies.

Yes, and it is a substantial part of our business practice. That typically means we handle contract review and negotiation, leases, vendor and employment agreements, and the regulatory questions that come up in the ordinary course, without you carrying the cost of an in-house legal department.