Practice Areas

Personal Injury Law
Auto and Motorcycle Accidents
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Auto and motorcycle accidents are probably the most common types of accidents to occur. To fully recover from an injury, you must have both proper medical treatment and expert legal assistance. To receive a fair recovery, you need a lawyer who is knowledgeable in all remedies available under Massachusetts auto insurance law. It is important for an injured person to retain an attorney at once. An injured party who provides a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster can unwittingly be tricked into limiting or losing their remedies under the law. We have the experience needed to guide you by securing prompt insurance coverage to pay for necessary medical treatment, coordinating payment of bills during the time that you are treating for accident related injuries, coordinating medical care, and by insuring that after your injuries subside that you receive the highest recovery available.

Personal Injury Law
Slip & Fall Injuries
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This term is used to describe all types of falls a person may sustain on the premises of another. It includes falls caused by foreign objects or slippery substances left on the floor of another property, by falls caused by ice and snow and falls caused by the failure of the property owner to properly maintain their property in a safe condition. It is important to retain an experienced attorney as soon after the fall as possible in order to preserve the evidence by taking photographs or hiring experts to document the condition that caused the fall. We have the resources to aggressively represent accident victims.

Personal Injury Law
Product Liability
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Product liability claims involve those in which a defectively designed product or a product delivered to a consumer with inadequate instructions causes personal injuries. It also involves cases where persons are injured when the manufacturer failed to warn how a person could be injured while using the product. Our firm specializes in this type of law. Because of our extensive experience, our firm knows how to prosecute and investigate these cases and can contact the correct experts to determine whether the manufacturer created a mistake which was the cause of your injuries or the injuries of a loved one.

Personal Injury Law
Wrongful Death
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These cases arise where a person’s death is caused by the negligent acts or omissions of another person or entity. Wrongful deaths can occur in auto accidents, slip and fall injuries, product liability claims, and medical malpractice claims as well.

Personal Injury Law
Medical Malpractice
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Perhaps no greater sense of disappointment or loss exists for a family or an individual than when a medical professional hired to help a loved one overcome an injury, in fact made it worse. Our firm has helped many individuals receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries. This specialized area of the law is one which is not practiced by many attorneys. In selecting an attorney, you should feel confident that he or she has the ability to evaluate and prosecute the case, the resources to find and select the experts needed to prove the validity of your claim and the commitment to bring the case to a conclusion satisfactory to you and your family. Our firm has and will achieve these results.

Personal Injury Law
Dog Bites
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Under Massachusetts law, an owner or keeper of a dog can be held strictly liable for the injuries inflicted either through a dog bite or an attack upon a person. Because being attacked by a dog is one of the most terrifying of experiences, our Courts can award damages well beyond the value of associated medical costs. Additionally, most homeowners’ insurance policies insure dog owners for these claims. Our firm has extensive experience in this area of personal injury law.

Personal Injury Law
Workers Compensation
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If, as a result of a work related injury, you are unable to continue working, you are entitled to make a claim under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 152 to recover lost wages and medical benefits. It is important to retain an experienced workers compensation attorney as soon as you are injured. Our role in representing injured employees is to confidentially advise them while they continue working for an employer and then zealously represent them before the Department of Industrial Accidents if an injured employee can no longer work.

Probate & Family Law
Divorce
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Divorce can be one of the most difficult experiences both financially and emotionally. Our job is to ensure that our clients receive a fair outcome. Issues involved in divorces include property division, disposition of real estate and employment benefits, alimony, health insurance, child support and custody.

Probate & Family Law
Divorce Modification
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Modifications of an earlier divorce judgment are entered when circumstances materially and substantially change the original divorce. Retirement, job changes and health and disabilities are some of the reasons which are used to support the modification of an earlier support obligation. Modifications can also be filed where a change of custody is sought because it is in the best interest of minor children.

Probate & Family Law
Paternity Actions & Support
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These actions are filed to establish the paternity for a child born of non-wed parents and to obtain a fair amount of support for that child.

Probate & Family Law
Guardianship & Adoption
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A Guardian will be appointed where it has been established that a person needs one due to infirmity, mental illness, or advanced age. A Guardian is appointed to manage the affairs of a person who lacks the capacity to do so himself. In an adoption case, an adult seeks to accept full responsibility for a child as if the child were his or her own child. When an adoption proceeding is allowed, the Petitioner, in effect, becomes the parent of the child and the real parent loses all legal rights to the adopted child.

Probate & Family Law
Wills & Estates
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The best way to ensure that the right person receives your property after your death is through the making of a Will. A second important benefit to having a Will is that your heirs will not have to second-guess what you truly wanted done with your estate. A properly drafted and executed estate plan can also save your family significant estate taxes. We also engage in estate planning for family businesses who intend to pass ownership of the family business from one generation to another. In formulating estate plans for our clients, we consider the best manner in which to own property and how best to lessen or avoid estate taxes while accomplishing your testamentary needs. We advise our clients on the benefits and advantages of owning properties in trust or otherwise. We also assist our clients through the drafting of health care proxies, living wills, and durable powers of attorney.

Business Entities
Solo Proprietorship
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Sole proprietorship is the simplest business structure in which a single person operates a business and owns all of its assets. The disadvantage to being a sole proprietor is that the owner has full personal liability for all debts and actions arising from the operation of the business. When starting or continuing a business, you should consult with an attorney to decide the best type of entity under which to operate your business.

Business Law
Business Corporations
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In Massachusetts, business corporations are created and exist under G.L. Chapter 156D. Generally the advantages of the corporate structure include: flexibility in the transfer of ownership interests, centralized management, and a shield against personal liability for the owners of the corporations or stockholders provided that the owners, themselves, respect the separate identity of the corporation. Different types of corporations, such as a so-called “C“ corporation and a “Sub Chapter S“ corporation have different advantages and disadvantages which should be fully explained to you by a knowledgeable attorney as part of the incorporating process.

Business Law
Partnerships
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A partnership is essentially an agreement between two or more persons or entities to carry on a business for a profit. While other differences exist, one large disadvantage to running a business as a partnership, is the unlimited personal liability of the partners.

Massachusetts Law also recognizes the existence of limited partnerships under G.L.c, Section 109. Limited partnerships share many of the advantages and disadvantages of general partnerships. However, the primary additional advantage of the limited partnership structure is the limitation on the liability of limited partners but the general partners are personally liable. Again, an attorney should be consulted in deciding which entity best suits your business plan.

Business Law
Family Limited Partnership
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A family limited partnership is a limited partnership organized under state law where substantially all partnership interests are owned by family members or by entities controlled by family members. There must be at least two (2) partners contributing property to the partnership when it is created and at least one (1) general partner who is liable for the debts of the partnership. The family limited partnership is a valuable tool in estate planning which can, in appropriate circumstances, result in one (1) generation retaining control over the business entity while transferring the value of the entity to the next generation as part of estate tax planning.

Business Law
Distributor/Franchise Agreements
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Our firm has in the past twenty-five (25) years represented numerous individuals and companies who have applied for and operated businesses under franchise agreements with national companies. The types of businesses our clients operate under franchise agreements include businesses in the food industry, in the hotel/motel business, in the athletic field, in office supply companies, and in retail sales. Investing into a franchise and entering a long-term agreement with a national company is a huge commitment for an individual and a knowledgeable attorney should be retained to protect your rights as much as possible.

Business Law
Litigation
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In order to be an effective trial attorney, the attorney must have knowledge of the subject matter in dispute. Our firm represents companies on a day-to-day basis before litigation arises and will defend and/or prosecute the case on behalf of your company with expertise in the areas of business law and in trial practice.