Despite Massachusetts’ historic strength in robotics—spanning defense, logistics, medical, and manufacturing sectors—concerns are growing that our state is losing its edge. Fady Saad, who has spent over a decade investing in early-stage robotics ventures as co-founder of MassRobotics and a venture capitalist Cybernetix Ventmes, notes that fewer high-quality robotics startups are emerging locally, forcing his fund to look outside Massachusetts

Estimating a property’s value is critical to the purchase and sale process of commercial and residential properties. A property’s value is equally relevant to the financing terms agreed upon in a real estate development project. Real estate appraisals are used to determine the fair market value of a property and can be achieved through various techniques. Appraisals are heavily dependent

The U.S. housing market has shifted recently—this time in favor of buyers. According to the real estate firm Redfin Corp., a record of 16.31% of homes under contract in December of 2025 were cancelled—the highest rate since they began tracking in 2017. Redfin’s data shows that buyers have significant leverage with sellers outnumbering them by a 47% margin. This allows

A power of attorney is a legal document which appoints an individual to be your lawful attorney which authorizes that individual to act on your behalf. The person appointing and executing a power of attorney is referred to as the “principal.” The individual appointed is referred to as the principal’s “attorney in fact.” A power of attorney may be effective

The Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act is a state law that prohibits discrimination in employment. Codified under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 151B, the law requires certain standards during the hiring process, promotions, job assignments, termination, and other aspects of employment. The statute makes it illegal for employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies to engage in discriminatory practices based on several

A trust is a legal tool where a person, often called the “grantor” or “settlor”, transfers assets from their own personal ownership to ownership by a “trust” where those assets are managed by a trustee on behalf of certain beneficiaries as designated by the grantor of the trust. Trust property can include anything from cash to stocks to real estate.

A retirement financial plan is a strategy for saving and investing money to support yourself comfortably after you stop working. It involves setting goals for how much money you will need, contributing to retirement accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs, and creating a plan to manage your finances during retirement, including how to withdraw your savings to cover expenses like housing,

In Massachusetts, cities and towns have a duty to collect property taxes and are empowered to do so under M.G.L. c. 59 & 60. When property taxes become delinquent for specific period of time, most municipalities place a lien on the property for the tax amount by recording an Instrument of Taking with the Registry of Deeds in the county

When a Massachusetts resident passes away owning assets in their name alone – collectively known as their estate – those assets generally must go through probate. Probate is a court-supervised process that appoints a personal representative, governs payment of the estate’s outstanding debts, and approves distributions of the remaining property to beneficiaries or heirs. The personal representative (formerly known as

When undergoing a real estate transaction, buyer and seller parties must go through many steps – and many documents – before the property can officially transfers ownership. The closing process will involve the review of documents such as the initial offer letter, purchase and sale agreement, settlement statement, and more. However, the one document that officially transfers ownership of the

A Health Care Proxy is a legal document that allows an individual, known as the “principal”, to appoint another person, known as an “agent”, to make medical decisions on their behalf if they become unable to do so. The agent is authorized to speak with medical personnel, receive and review medical information, admit or discharge the principal from medical facilities,

A cross-purchase agreement is a buy-sell arrangement in which the remaining individual owners purchase a departing owner’s shares directly, rather than having the business entity itself make the purchase. In this structure, each owner typically maintains life insurance policies on the other owners, using the death benefits to fund the purchase of a deceased partner’s interest. This approach offers several

Massachusetts has broadened its ability to tax nonresidents on income derived from businesses started and sold in the Commonwealth. In the recent case of Welch v. Commissioner of Revenue, 105 Mass. App. Ct. 391 (2025), the Appeals Court held that stock sale proceeds could be taxed as compensation where the equity was closely tied to the taxpayer’s prior employment in

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, Section 3, commonly known as the Dover Amendment, places limitations on what municipalities may regulate under their local zoning ordinances or by-laws. Initially established to prevent the restriction of educational and religious uses of land, the Dover Amendment has been amended to protect additional land uses. See, Crossing Over, Inc. v. Fitchburg, 161 N.E.3d 432,

Host Community Agreements (“HCA”) are legally binding contracts between a host municipality and a developer that can be utilized to facilitate development by mitigating its impacts on the host community. These agreements are important tools to establish a productive, mutually beneficial working relationship between the host municipality and developer. In a typical HCA, the developer makes certain voluntary commitments to

Recently proposed changes to Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (“MEPA”) regulations will expedite permitting processes for multifamily residential development within Massachusetts. MEPA requires that certain development projects entailing risk of harm to the environment undergo comprehensive state review. This state review may be applicable where a project surpasses particular environmental thresholds, such as generation of traffic, creation of impervious areas, or

Not to be confused with a courtroom clerk, a judicial law clerk works directly for a judge.  Much like a judge’s “associate,” a judicial law clerk assists the judge in considering, understanding, and deciding cases.  It is a unique opportunity to look (and participate) behind the curtain of our judicial system.  Judicial law clerks assist judges in analyzing parties’ written