News

Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorney Presents Open Meeting and Public Records Law Training

 

Karis L. North, an attorney with Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, presented  an introduction training on Open Meeting and Public Records Law to clients last month. The training covered the “who, what, where, when and why” of Massachusetts Open Meeting and Public Records Law. Attorney North took time to explain several key definitions, such as public body, subcommittee and quorum. Additionally, she gave examples of what is and is not a deliberation.

Ms. North has been practicing municipal and public sector law since 2006 and has over twenty years of experience counseling and resolving complex disputes for public clients. She is also an experienced litigator on behalf of municipalities and municipal agencies, private parties, and non-profit organizations. Her practice is focused on counseling and advocacy on behalf of municipal governments and agencies. She is the Town Counsel to the Town of Natick, and Special Counsel to the Towns of Dartmouth and Cohasset. In addition, she represents the Towns of Norwood, Milton, and Danvers, among others. Ms. North has a B.S. from Cornell University and received her J.D. cum laude from Vermont Law School, where she was the Managing Editor of the Vermont Law Review.  She is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Massachusetts, Maryland, and before the Supreme Court of the United States. Active in the community, Ms. North is Vice President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyer’s Association and a member of the Vermont Law School Board of Trustees, where she chairs the Governance Committee.  She was also appointed to the inaugural Plymouth County Commission on the Status of Women and elected to the position of Chairwoman by her sister Commissioners.

Latest News

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

Legal Updates

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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