The Massachusetts Superior Court granted summary judgment entirely dismissing a breach of contract suit brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office against a Conn Kavanaugh client, a general contractor. James B. Peloquin and Andrew R. Dennington briefed and argued the summary judgment motion. In a prior personal injury trial, Conn Kavanaugh obtained a defense verdict for this client in 2003. The Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed the decision in 2009, and held that the Commonwealth was solely responsible for the plaintiff's injuries. The Superior Court's recent decision affirmed that Conn Kavanaugh's client has no obligation to indemnify the Commonwealth for the judgment rendered against it.
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James G. Wagner was quoted in a New York Times front-page article entitled "In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That." The article examines the increased practice of grade inflation as schools attempt to make students more competitive in a tough economic climate. Mr. Wagner is currently the firm's Hiring Partner. |
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Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly published an article written by Thomas E. Peisch entitled "Attorney conflicts of interest: recent decisions and lessons”. The article reviews two recent decisions that clarify the strict penalties for misunderstanding or ignoring the conflicts rules. Mr. Peisch suggests all law firms to have a sophisticated conflicts-detection system to be used in every matter and attorneys to remember to use common sense in dealing with any conflict of interest situation. |
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Erin D. Wolf has been elected to serve on the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association's Board of Directors as Out of State Liaison for the 2010-2012 term. |
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James B. Peloquin spoke at the MCLE’s “Construction Law & Litigation: Practical tips and expert guidance” seminar. This program explained the nuances of the specialty practice of construction law - both public and private. Jim focused his discussion on public construction and has been a part of this annual program for several years. He is also the editor of MCLE's "Massachusetts Construction Law and Litigation". |
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Conn Kavanaugh is partnering with the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association to participate in the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations' food donation project aimed at feeding hungry children.
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The Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed a summary judgment win for our client in a breach of contract case, confirming that he is owed over $100,000 for loans and a joint representation fee. Constance M. McGrane and Andrew R. Dennington handled the summary judgment motion and appeal. |
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Michael Sullivan spoke at the Boston Bar Association. The program, “Biting the hand that feeds you: Handling disputes between co-defendants with ongoing business relationships”, discussed the litigation, business, and ethical dilemmas that arise when two litigation co-defendants are involved in a dispute that may affect their business relationship.
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Constance M. McGrane presented at a Women's Bar Association event entitled "What They Didn't Teach You in Law School." |
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Conn Kavanaugh attorneys and staff volunteered to serve dinner on three evenings in March and April at Rosie's Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in the Boston area. |
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Lurleen A. Gannon has been elected as Vice President of Membership and Statewide Outreach for the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association. |
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Thomas E. Peisch was invited to participate as a guest legal commentator on WBZ Radio's "Nightside" program, which is hosted by long-time Boston newsman, Dan Rea. The program related to the disbarment of a Massachusetts political figure. Mr. Peisch is a former member and Vice-Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, which regulates and disciplines lawyers. |
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Conn Kavanaugh attorneys and staff raised almost $6,000 in donations during the firm's annual campaign for United Way. The proceeds go to community service organizations that aid members of the Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley communities. |
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Conn Kavanaugh is deeply saddened to announce that Elizabeth 'Liz' Ounanian has passed away. She joined the firm as Administrator in 1997 and served as President of the Association of Legal Administrators, Boston Chapter, in 2001-02. In 2008, Liz was selected and celebrated as the Best Firm Administrator at the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Unsung Heroes award luncheon. Unsung Heroes are administrative personnel who demonstrate outstanding qualities in the workplace; they go above and beyond the call of duty to build pride among coworkers and in a firm. Her loyalty, devotion and professionalism will not be forgotten. Her ideals will serve as inspiration. Her friendship, compassion, and memory will remain with us forever. We will miss her. |
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DRI published an article written by Thomas E. Peisch concerning prosecution deals with cooperating witnesses entitled "Prosecutorial Decisions And Deals - The Case For A New Rule Of Professional Conduct". The article suggested amendments to lawyers' Rules of Professional Conduct in order to improve the justice system. DRI is the international organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. |
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Carol A. Starkey spoke on a moderated panel at the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) Women's Leadership Conference at Suffolk University Law School. The Conference discussed issues pertinent to women lawyers in 2009, such as building leadership and networking skills to advance a career, and developing business. |
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Thomas E. Peisch was quoted in a New York Times article entitled " 2 Bear Stearns Fund Leaders Are Acquitted. " The article reports that two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers were found not guilty of securities fraud. The managers were accused of lying to their investors about the precarious state of the funds they oversaw. Investors lost $1.6 billion when the funds, heavily invested in mortgage securities, collapsed in the summer of 2007. Mr. Peisch commented, “They tried to make these guys the poster children for the recession. The lesson is that the government has to be pretty careful in the future about the cases it selects to prosecute because they obviously didn’t even come close to selling it here.” |
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The publishers of Law & Politics have selected nine Conn Kavanaugh attorneys as “Massachusetts Super Lawyers” for 2009: Russell F. Conn, George M. Ford, Thomas J. Gallitano, Erin K. Higgins, James F. Kavanaugh, Jr., Thomas E. Peisch, James B. Peloquin, Bob B. Rosenthal and Carol A. Starkey . In addition, Russell F. Conn, Thomas J. Gallitano, and Thomas E. Peisch were selected as within the top 100 Massachusetts Lawyers and top 100 New England Lawyers. Erin K. Higgins was selected as within the top 50 New England Women Lawyers and top 50 Massachusetts Women Lawyers. The following four attorneys were selected as "Massachusetts Rising Stars” for 2009: Michael R. Bernardo, Johanna L. Matloff, Amy C. Stewart, and Erin D. Wolf . |
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Erin K. Higgins recently was selected for membership in the International Association of Defense Counsel ("IADC"). The IADC is composed of prominent lawyers from corporate law departments, firms, and insurance companies, and membership is offered only to those attorneys nominated by existing members and approved by the IADC's membership committee and board of directors. Ms. Higgins joins three other partners of the firm Russell F. Conn, Thomas E. Peisch, and James B. Peloquin as members of the organization. |
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James F. Kavanaugh, Jr. was quoted in a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article entitled “Developers who tried to back out of deal hit with $2.5M verdict.” The article describes a recent Barnstable County Superior Court decision awarding $2.5 million to a Falmouth couple, former clients of a Connecticut-based real estate developer that the court determined engaged in unfair and deceptive acts violating Mass. General Laws Chapter 93A. Treble damages were requested by the couple’s attorney at the Chapter 93A damages hearing, but the judge instead doubled the award. Mr. Kavanaugh commented about the discretionary decision, saying that judges “award double damages where they think there has been the necessary showing of a knowing and willful violation, but that it is just not extreme enough to warrant the ultimate penalty." |
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