News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Attorney Receives 2019 Lawyers of the Year
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane attorney, Felicia Vasudevan was one of fifteen lawyers to receive Lawyers of the Year from Lawyer’s Weekly. Attorney Vasudevan has been accredited for her success in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals case C.D. v Natick Public School District. Felicia convinced the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to reject the Plaintiff’s interpretation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which would have altered the standard for “free appropriate public education” and least restrictive environment for students with disabilities. This decision has made a significant impact on the Educational law landscape coming from an attorney with less than a decade of experience.
Lawyers of the Year are selected by the Lawyers Weekly editorial department. In-House Leaders are general counsel and staff attorneys who are nominated by their colleagues, clients and other legal professionals for being leaders in the community and forward thinkers. Attorney Vasudevan will be recognized alongside fellow 2020 Leaders in the Law at a dinner on March 5, 2020 in Boston.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLP is known throughout New England for its labor and employment practice. In addition the firm has an extensive education law practice representing more than one hundred and fifty public, private and nonprofit educational institutions through the collegiate level.
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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