New Housing Court rules will take effect in June 2023, changing how this trial court operates. Since the pandemic, Housing Court has significantly changed its court procedures and operations. Many of these changes, in my opinion, have been long overdue. more »
Several weeks ago, the Supreme Judicial Court issued an important decision concerning eviction settlement agreements. The full decision, Darcey v. Burgess, is included below. The facts of the case are fairly straightforward. A tenant filed a lawsuit in Housing Court more »
Last week, I settled a case concerning the City of Boston Yard Sale Program. The lawsuit I brought concerned some interesting topics in Massachusetts real estate law, which will inevitably arise again for other properties purchased through this program. What more »
Settling real estate disputes is my goal for every case I take on. In nearly every circumstance, both parties in a legal dispute can better resolve the matter without prolonged litigation or trial. In this blog post, I’ll share some more »
The question of how to respond to a petition for partition usually arises when a property owner receives a lawsuit from Land Court or Probate and Family Court, notifying them that a co-property owner wants out of jointly owned property. more »
Housing Court Specialist Status Conferences are one of the many changes to the court system during and after the pandemic. In this post, I’ll discuss the roles of these conferences in the Massachusetts eviction process. Eviction Overview In Massachusetts (like more »
Any party involved in an appeal of a Massachusetts zoning decision should know the possibility of zoning appeal bonds for cases involving a special permit, variance, or site plan decision. Appealing a Zoning Decision Zoning decisions in Massachusetts are made more »
The Appeals Court issued an interesting decision last week about the important landlord-tenant topic of how to return a security deposit. The decision, Slater v. Traynor Management, is included below. Massachusetts law covers nearly every aspect of a landlord’s acceptance, more »
The Boston Globe interviewed me last week on negotiating a lease and whether this can (and should) be done. In my opinion, lease negotiations are possible. Here, I’ll discuss some tips for both landlords and tenants. Please note that I more »
