News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Attorney Member of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force through Massachusetts Bar Association
Vineesha Sow, an attorney at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane since 2019, practices in the areas of special education, general education and labor. Attorney Sow recently accepted an invitation as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee with the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA).The Committee will focus on supporting the MBA in its mission to transform the Commonwealth’s legal community into a diverse, inclusive and equitable profession, and overall to hold the MBA community accountable for taking measures to that end.
Attorney Sow’s involvement with the MBA includes her participation in the Tiered Community Mentoring Program (TCM) for the past few years. The TCM program provides mentorship to high school students in Boston, as well as undergraduates and law school students with a focus on building a diverse mentoring network. This program introduces high school students to college information, provides college students with details about the law school admission process and gives law students an inside look of the practice of law with their attorney mentors. Further, Attorney Sow participated in the MBA Leadership Academy in 2017. The Leadership Academy selects young attorneys that demonstrate leadership potential and attributes, and provides mentorship and education in hopes that attorneys dedicate themselves to leadership roles within the legal profession, including within the MBA.
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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