News
Peter Mello Elected President of Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association
Congratulations to MHTL lawyer Peter Mello, who on May 15, 2019 was elected President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association. Formed in 1946, MMLA is the Massachusetts municipal law bar association and includes hundreds of members who provide legal services to cities, towns and for profit and non-profit organizations. Attorney Mello’s presidency, which begins on July 1, 2019, recognizes his longstanding commitment to local governmental law and the distinction he enjoys among his peers. At MHTL Attorney Mello advises and represents municipal clients with all facets of their legal affairs, and in litigation in the areas of construction and land use law, wetlands and environmental law, licensing and numerous others. He also utilizes his expertise in this area to serve private and non-profit clients in connection with permitting, litigation and other matters involving local and state governmental issues. MHTL proudly congratulates Attorney Mello on this noteworthy distinction.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Prevails in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Attorney Felicia Vasudevan, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, received a favorable decision on behalf of her client, Marshfield Public Schools. The Plaintiff appealed the district court’s judgement that upheld a decision of the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”). However, as the notice was filed more than 30 days after entry, the First Circuit ultimately dismissed the appeal for being untimely. The Plaintiff also appealed the district court’s order, denying her motion to vacate. Read More
New Features of Public Participation at School Committee Meetings
Following our Alert from March 16, 2023, Civility is Dead – The Supreme Court Rules Municipal Control of Public Speak Limited to Reasonable Time/Place/Manner Restrictions, which discussed the holding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Barron v. Kolenda and the Town of Southborough (SJC-13284), we promised to bring you more detailed guidance on developing a Public Speak policy for your public body or municipality. The Barron case involved a constitutional challenge to the Town of Southborough’s public comment policy, which attempted to impose a code of civility on members of the public who participated in public comment before public bodies. In Barron, the court interpreted the state constitution to mean that public bodies may request, but not require, that public commentators be respectful and courteous. Instead, a public body may set restrictions on reasonable time, place, and manner comments to ensure that the meeting retains an orderly and peaceable manner.
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