News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Attorneys Present at the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s 41st Annual Meeting and Trade Show
Katherine Hesse, partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, presented during the Labor Law Update: New Laws, Recent Cases and Agency Decisions at the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s (MMA) 41st Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Boston. Attorney Hesse’s presentation focused on new and important decisions arising from the Joint Labor-Management Committee, Department of Labor Relations, Civil Service Commission, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and Contributory Retirement Appeal Board in 2019. Some of the most significant decisions which Attorney Hesse discussed involved the teachers’ strike in Dedham and the presence of observers in collective bargaining negotiations. Peter Mello, attorney at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane and President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyer’s Association, moderated the MMA’s Municipal Law Update presentation which covered a broad range of important recent developments in municipal law.
The MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show is the largest regular gathering of Massachusetts local government officials. The two-day event features educational workshops, nationally recognized speakers, awards programs, a large trade show, and an opportunity to network with municipal officials from across the state.
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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