PRACTICE AREAS
Litigation
The firm’s highly-regarded litigation practice is accomplished and experienced in representing clients in complex civil, commercial and criminal matters at all levels of the state, federal courts and administrative bodies.
The firm’s attorneys have extensive courtroom experience. The firm has developed a corps of skilled trial lawyers including two former Assistant Attorneys General, a former Assistant United States Attorney and two former Assistant District Attorneys as well as a team of highly experienced litigators with strong paralegal support. Through this integrated capability, the firm is well-prepared to advocate in any forum where litigation is in the client’s best interest. The firm takes an aggressive approach to dealing with the legal complexities of our clients by providing highly responsive, personalized service by combining our specialized expertise with a highly interactive style. From initial contact through final decision, clients receive consistent, common sense advice and representation on all litigation matters.
The firm’s litigation services also include a strong appellate practice. With the experience gained through having managed cases from local hearings to the state and federal courts, we offer results-oriented representation for our clients at all stages of appeal.
The following is a selected list of sample types of cases in which the firm has experience:
- Construction
- Fiduciary/Trust
- Class Actions
- Civil Rights
- White Collar Criminal Matter
- Labor and Employment
- Professional Malpractice
- Product Liability Defense
- General Liability
- Director and Officers Liabil
- Environmental/Land Use
- Contracts
- Commercial Litigation
- Constitutional
- Education
- Special Education
- Municipal
- Election Law
- Real Estate
- Zoning and Conveyancing
- Non-Competition and Trademarks
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
Contact us today if you have questions about Litigation
Kier Wachterhauser
Partner
(617) 479-5000 kwachterhauser@mhtl.comMr. Wachterhauser is a partner at MHTL. Mr. Wachterhauser represents private and public sector clients in all areas of labor and employment law and maintains a general litigation practice. Mr. Wachterhauser regularly counsels clients on employment matters, including wage and hour, leave entitlements, and discrimination and harassment matters, as well as the drafting of employment policies and contracts, and represents clients in employment-related litigation before state and federal courts and administrative bodies, such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and Read More
David A. DeLuca
Partner
(617) 479-5000 ddeluca@mhtl.comFormerly an Assistant District Attorney with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Mr. DeLuca handles a full spectrum of tort, contract, land use and workers’ compensation litigation matters. He is experienced in all phases of state and federal trial and appellate court advocacy, having handled administrative law judge, bench and jury trials including personal injury, product liability, domestic litigation, zoning and tax disputes, insurance litigation, workers’ compensation claims and civil rights violations. Mr. DeLuca advises building inspectors and planning directors Read More
John P. Flynn
Partner
(617) 479-5000 jflynn@mhtl.comMr. Flynn has served as Town Counsel for thirty years to the Town of Natick, and has served as Town Counsel to the Town of Milton for twenty-two years. He represents these towns in all phases of municipal law including litigation, environmental matters, zoning, personnel issues, contracts, licensing, eminent domain, and the entire spectrum of town meeting issues. Mr. Flynn also has provided general counsel and special counsel services for over twenty years to many towns and school committees for Read More
Kevin S. Freytag
Attorney
(617) 479-5000 kfreytag@mhtl.comKevin S. Freytag is a member of the firm’s Litigation practice. He assists clients with the resolution of various business disputes in the areas of construction, labor and employment, and real estate and land use matters. He has represented construction companies in contract disputes, bid disputes, bond claims, abandonment claims, Chapter 93A consumer protection claims, mechanic’s liens claims, construction defect claims, indemnity claims, and insurance coverage issues under commercial general liability policies. Mr. Freytag also advises commercial landlords and tenants Read More
Michael J. Maccaro
Partner
(617) 479-5000 mmaccaro@mhtl.comMr. Maccaro’s practice is focused on the areas of labor and employment in the public and private sector, litigation, and employee benefits. Following law school, Mr. Maccaro served as a Law Clerk to the Justices of the Superior Court for two years. Prior to joining Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLP, Mr. Maccaro served as Associate General Counsel for a large public sector labor union. He has litigated numerous matters, negotiated hundreds of contracts and has argued before various state Read More
Arthur P. Murphy
Partner
(617) 479-5000 amurphy@mhtl.comMr. Murphy’s legal career emphasizes management labor, corporate and litigation matters. Selected in the publication of Best Lawyers in America, Mr. Murphy represents many large and small businesses, including Fortune 500 corporations, and serves as counsel to a variety of trade associations as well as major governmental agencies in all areas of labor and employment law. Mr. Murphy has presented and argued hundreds of cases including labor and employment matters in proceedings at the administrative, state and federal levels. He Read More
Karis L. North
Attorney
(617) 479-5000 knorth@mhtl.comKaris L. 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 currently Town Counsel for the Town of Natick, Special Counsel to the Towns of Cohasset and Burlington, and provides legal services to other cities and towns in Massachusetts. Ms. North is also an experienced litigator on behalf of municipalities and municipal agencies, private parties, and non-profit organizations. She has experience Read More
Nan ONeill
Partner
(617) 479-5000 noneill@mhtl.comNan is a partner in the law firm of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP with 30 years of experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of employment and traditional labor law. Nan has extensive experience in the litigation of employment-related disputes, including discrimination, reasonable accommodation, sexual harassment and wrongful termination matters, before state and federal courts and administrative agencies such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, having litigated approximately 30 cases in Massachusetts courts and the MCAD. As Read More
Clifford R. Rhodes
Attorney
crhodes@mhtl.comMr. Rhodes received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa where he was a University Honors Scholar. In 1992, Mr. Rhodes received his. J.D. from the University of Iowa, College of Law graduating with distinction, and serving as a member of the Iowa Law Review. He obtained his MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and received his LLM in Taxation, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Alabama School of Law. He has extensive experience in health care Read More
Peter L. Mello
Partner
(617) 479-5000 pmello@mhtl.comMr. Mello represents clients in a robust range of civil litigation and regulatory matters, including in the areas of construction, land use and zoning, employment, contract matters, and disputes involving state and local governmental entities, among others. He has practiced before state and federal courts and state agencies in Massachusetts, and has successfully represented clients at trial and in appeals. He has advised private clients and governmental entities alike regarding myriad and diverse issues, including with respect to construction, zoning, Read More
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Receives Favorable Decision for Town of Dracut
On April 11, 2023, MHTL Attorneys Peter Mello and Madison Harris-Parks represented the Town of Dracut, and successfully obtained a preliminary injunction order requiring, among other things, that the Defendant homeowners cease renting out their pool to the public. The case, Town of Dracut by and Through Its Building Inspector vs. Nason, Gilbert et al., was initiated by the Town after the Defendants failed to comply with the Town’s associated underlying zoning enforcement order. The Town requested the injunction Read More
EXTENSION OF MUNICIPAL RELIEF MEASURES - INCLUDING OPEN MEETING LAW REMOTE OPTION - SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR
The option for public bodies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid fashion, which came into play at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been extended by the General Court for another two years, until March 31, 2025. The Governor signed the legislation, which will be codified at Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023, on March 29, 2023. Because of the inclusion of an emergency preamble, the law goes into effect immediately.

Braintree, MA
50 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 410,
Braintree, MA 02184
Boston, MA
75-101 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: (617) 479-5000
Tel: (888) 841-4850
Fax: (617) 479-6469
Quincy, MA
Crown Colony Plaza
300 Crown Colony Drive, Suite 410
P.O. Box 9126
Quincy, MA 02169-9126