MEMBERS OF FIRM
Lawrence Kotin (Member) born Monticello, New York, September 29, 1940; admitted to bar, 1966, New York; 1967, Maryland; 1969, Massachusetts. Education: Columbia University (A.B., 1962; J.D., 1966). As a Principal Investigator for the Massachusetts Study of Educational Opportunities for Handicapped and Disadvantaged Children (1971) and then as a Special Assistant for Education and Children's Services to Governor Francis Sargent, he drafted much of the Massachusetts special education legislation (Chapter 766 of the Acts of 1972) with Robert Crabtree, and was instrumental in its passage. He later drafted the regulations for that statute and consulted to the Massachusetts Department of Education in the first years of the law's implementation. He also consulted to the federal government concerning the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, modeled after Chapter 766. Mr. Kotin has also held various posts in the not-for-profit sector, including Executive Director of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services and Co-Director of the Massachusetts Center for Public Interest Law, Inc. In addition, he served as President of the Boston Education Alliance and as a board member of the Child Care Resource Center, the Harvard Square Defense Fund, the New School of Music, and the Shady Hill School. He taught as an Adjunct Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study of Tufts University for a number of years. He has written and lectured widely, including co-authoring with Mr. Crabtree, Special Education: Past, Present and Future, Boston Bar Journal, March/April 1993 and A Handbook on Legal Rights of Disabled People in Massachusetts, Federation for Children with Special Needs, 1987. He is the author of periodic commentaries on due process decisions in special education cases for the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, Land law Publications. He also co-authored with William F. Aikman, Esquire, Legal Foundations of Compulsory School Attendance, National University Publications, 1980 and with Mr. Aikman and Mr. Crabtree, the Legal Handbook for Day Care Centers, funded and published by the Ford Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In February, 2005, after 25 years of service, he retired from the board of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children (formerly the Massachusetts Advocacy Center) and received special citation for his "effective advocacy on behalf of children" and his "distinguished tenure on the board of directors." In May, 2005, Mr. Kotin was a co-recipient, with Mr. Crabtree, of the Martha Ziegler Founder's Award given by the Federation for Children with Special Needs, recognizing their part in the origins of Chapter 766 and their "decades of dedication to students with disabilities and their families". Languages: French. Practice Areas: Education Law; Not for Profit Organizations.Email: Lawrence Kotin
Robert K. Crabtree (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, October 30, 1945; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Bowdoin College (B.A., cum laude, 1967); Andover Newton Theological School (M.Div., cum laude, 1971); Northeastern University (J.D., 1976). Author: inter-alia, of numerous articles concerning special education law at www.familyeducation.com and at www.wrightslaw.com, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2010. Co-Author: with Eileen M. Hagerty, "Special Education: Advocating on behalf of Students & Parents,"School Law in Massachusetts," MCLE, 2003, 2007, 2010. Author of periodic commentaries on due process decisions in special education, Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, Land law Publications. Law Clerk to Hon. Walter Jay Skinner, U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, 1976-1977. Co-recipient in 2005, with Lawrence Kotin, of the Ziegler Founder's Award presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs, for decades of leadership in special education law. Practice Areas: Education Law; Not-For-Profit Organizations.Email: Robert K. Crabtree
William S. Strong (Member) born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1951; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts; 1979, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1980, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; 1984, U.S. Supreme Court; 1994, New Hampshire and U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire. Education: Harvard University (A.B., magna cum laude, 1973; J.D., 1977). Author: "The Copyright Book: A Practical Guide," The MIT Press, 5th Ed., 1999; "Database Protection After Feist vs. Rural Telephone Co.," Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., Vol. 42, No. 1, Fall 1994. Adjunct Professor of Copyright Law, Franklin Pierce Law Center, Concord, N.H., 1987-1996. Member: Boston, Massachusetts and American (Intellectual Property Law Section; Chair, Information Division, 1990-1992; Council, 1997-2001) Bar Associations; The Copyright Society of the U.S.A. (Trustee, 1992-1995; Chair, New England Chapter, 2003-2005). Practice Areas: Copyrights; Trademarks.Email: William S. Strong
Dolph J. Vanderpol (Member) born New York, N.Y., September 20, 1950; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: Oberlin College (B.A., 1972); Boston College Law School (J.D., 1976). Member: Boston (Real Estate Section), Massachusetts (Property Law Section) and American (Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section) Bar Associations. Languages: French and Dutch. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Business Law.Email: Dolph J. Vanderpol
Abbott L. Reichlin (Member) born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1947; admitted to bar, 1973, Massachusetts. Education: Cornell University (B.S., with distinction, 1968); Harvard University (J.D., cum laude, 1973); Boston University (LL.M., Taxation, 1981). Member: Boston (Tax, Real Estate and Business Law Sections) and Massachusetts (Business Law, Real Estate and Taxation Sections, Member of Taxation Section Council, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009) Bar Associations; Massachusetts Real Estate Bar Association; Boston Tax Council. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Business Law; Tax Law.Email: Abbott L. Reichlin
Anne L. Josephson (Member) born New York, N.Y., November 30, 1951; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 2000, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Education: Smith College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1973); Boston College (J.D., cum laude, 1977). Named to Best Lawyers in America. Member: Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations; Massachusetts Women's Bar Association; Governor's Advisory Board, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Employment.Email: Anne L. Josephson
Joseph B. Green (Member) born New York, N.Y., October 23, 1947; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts; 1978, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1969); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1976). Assistant District Attorney, Essex County, 1979-1989 (Chief District Court Prosecutor and Director of Policy and Planning). Clinical Instructor and Seminar Leader, The Government Lawyer, Harvard Law School, 1984-1989. Commissioner, Governor's/MBA Commission on Unmet Legal Needs of Children, 1987-1988. Member: Governor's Child Support Commission, 1986, Enforcement Subcommittee; Commission on Violence Against Children, Statutory Review Subcommittee. 1987; Subcommittee on Substantiation Review, Fair Hearings and The Central Registry, 1989). Hutchins and Wheeler, 1977-1979 (Associate). Younger Humanist Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1973-1974. Police Officer, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C., 1970-1973. Selected Publications and Presentations: Law Related to Transition in Special Education, Suffolk Law School, May, 2009. Apprehending and Prosecuting the Drunk Driver. Matthew Bender, 1992 (co-author). "An Overview of Criminal Discovery Issues," in Suppression and Discovery: Pre-trial Motions in Criminal Cases (Mass. Bar Association, 1989). "Obtaining Records: A Summary of the Cases and Statutes," in Getting Those Confidential Records (MCLE, 1989). "Hearsay Exceptions When the Declarant is Unavailable" and "Hearsay Within Hearsay: Notes to Federal Rules of Evidence 804 and 805," in Hearsay, Judicial Notice, Presumptions, Relevancy, Privileges, and Work Products (MCLE, Inc., 1984). "The Crime of Parental Kidnapping in Massachusetts: A Discussion of G.L. c. 265, § 26A," Massachusetts Law Review, September, 1985. "Dispositional Advocacy in the District Court: The Prosecution Perspective," in Sentencing: Dispositional Advocacy (MCLE/NELI, Inc., 1981). Board of Directors, Massachusetts Branch of the International Dyslexic Association - MABIDA. Practice Areas: Personal Injury Law; Special Education; Criminal Law; Juvenile Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Joseph B. Green
Marie Frances Mercier (Member) born Quincy, Massachusetts; admitted to bar, 1981, Massachusetts; 1982, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; U.S. Claims Court. Education: Wheaton College (B.A., 1970); Boston University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1981). Member: Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Disability Insurance; Special Education.Email: Marie Frances Mercier
Elizabeth J. Bailey (Member) born Flushing, New York, June 15, 1945; admitted to bar, 1980, Massachusetts. Education: Brown University (B.A., cum laude, 1967); Boston College Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 1980). Member: Boston (Tax and Trusts and Estates Sections) and Massachusetts (Taxation and Probate Law Sections) Bar Associations; Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum. Practice Areas: Estate and Tax Planning; Administration of Estates.Email: Elizabeth J. Bailey
Nicholas M. Kelley (Member) born Detroit, Michigan, April 20, 1947; admitted to bar, 1974, Massachusetts; 1975, U. S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 2005, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Education: Harvard University (B.A., 1971); University of Detroit Mercy (J.D., 1974). Member: American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Education Law.Email: Nicholas M. Kelley
René D. Varrin (Member) born Lancashire, England, April 28, 1952; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1978, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Education: Brown University (A.B., with honors, 1973); Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1976). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Massachusetts and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Business Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Executive Employment Law.Email: René D. Varrin
Sharen Litwin (Member) born New York, N.Y., August 17, 1951; admitted to bar, 1978, New York; 1981, Massachusetts; 1990, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; 1992, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. Education: Yeshiva University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1972); Columbia University (M.A., 1973); Boston University (J.D., 1977). Partner, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, 1986-1989. Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1989-1992. Author, "Employees' Right to Privacy in Their Use of E-Mail and Internet in the Workplace," Boston Bar Association, 2010; Co-Author, "Common Law Tort Claims in the Employment Context," Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Employment Law, 2011. Named to Best Lawyers in America. Member: Boston Bar Association (Co-Chair, 2003-2005 and Member, Steering Committee for over 13 years, Labor and Employment Section); Massachusetts Bar Association; Women's Bar Association; Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Employment Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Sharen Litwin
Eileen M. Hagerty (Member) born Detroit, Michigan, 1953; admitted to bar, 1983, Massachusetts; 1983, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1997, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1999, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Education: University of Detroit (A.B., summa cum laude, 1973); Harvard University (A.M., 1974); Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1982). Co-Author: with Robert K. Crabtree, "Special Education: Advocating on Behalf of Students & Parents," School Law in Massachusetts, MCLE, 2003 & supplements . Co-Author and Presenter, "Massachusetts Special Education Law," NBI, 2010. Author: "Pre-Deposition Motions," Massachusetts Deposition Practice Manual, MCLE, 1992 & supplements. Commentator, Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, Land law, 1999—. Co-Chair and Presenter, 11th Annual School Law Conference MCLE, 2011, and 10th Annual School Law Conference, MCLE, 2010. Chair and Presenter, "Key Issues in Special Education Law," MCLE, 2009. Presenter, "Understanding the Tests and Measurements in Special Education Law," NBI, 2011. Presenter, "School Law Basics," MCLE, 2011. Listed in Massachusetts SuperLawyers, 2004—. Law Clerk to Hon. Frederick B. Lacey, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1982-1983. Associate Director, 1980-1981 and Secretary, 1981-1982, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau; Special Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1986-1987; Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1987-1989. Director, 2004—, Co-Chair, 2005-2006, and Chair, 2006—, Board of Directors, Massachusetts Advocates for Children. Practice Areas: Special Education; Civil Litigation and Appeals.Email: Eileen M. Hagerty
Daniel T. S. Heffernan (Member) born New York, New York, September 24, 1959; admitted to bar, 1987, Massachusetts. Education: Boston College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1981); Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1987). Phi Beta Kappa. Director, 1993-2004 and President, 1995-2000, Community Legal Services and Counseling Center. Corporate Member, 1993—, Greater Boston Legal Services. Director, 1994— and President, 1994-2007, Federation for Children with Special Needs, 1995-2008. Hearing Officer, Board of Bar Overseers, 2001-2007. Faculty Team Member, Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop; 2002 recipient of Dr. Allen C. Crocker Award of Excellence by the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Member: Boston, Massachusetts and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Special Education; Personal Injury; Civil Rights.Email: Daniel T. S. Heffernan
Amy Hershoff Weinstein (Partner) born Boston, Massachusetts; admitted to bar, 1980, Massachusetts. Education: Tufts University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1975); Boston College (J.D., cum laude, 1980). Member: Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations; Massachusetts Women's Bar Association. Practice Areas: Estate Planning and Administration.Email: Amy Hershoff Weinstein
ASSOCIATE
Sherry L. Rajaniemi-Gregg (Associate) born Corbin, Kentucky; admitted to bar, 1999, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: Keene State College (B.S., magna cum laude, 1990); Fitchburg State College (M.S., summa cum laude, Mental Health Counseling, 1993); Boston University (J.D., 1999). Member: Massachusetts Bar Association; Women's Bar Association. Practice Areas: Special Education; Employment Litigation; Litigation.