The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently issued a significant ruling on the controversial MBTA Communities Act, a 2021 zoning reform law aimed at increasing multifamily housing production across the state. This decision upholds the constitutionality of the law, confirms the authority of the Attorney General (AG) to enforce it, and sets the stage for municipalities to come into compliance with newly crafted emergency regulations. What Did the SJC Decide? The SJC’s 23-page decision clarified

The Affordable Homes Act, recently passed in Massachusetts, is the most ambitious law aimed at addressing the state's severe housing affordability crisis. The Act involves a massive $5.16 billion investment, marking the largest housing bond bill in the state's history. The funding authorizes spending over the next five years along with 49 policy initiatives to counter rising housing costs caused by high demand and limited supply by increasing the production of affordable housing, preserving existing

The Nantucket Land Court recently issued a significant ruling that may have far-reaching implications for short-term rentals. The issue arose when Cathy Ward, a property owner in a residential area of Nantucket, raised concerns about her neighbors, the Grapes, using their house for short-term rentals. Ward argued that these rentals violated town bylaws, which restrict the use of properties to specific purposes outlined in the zoning regulations. Ward testified that since the Grapes began renting

The Appeals Court recently issued a decision in a groundbreaking case where the disinherited son's classification as an "interested person" under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code did not grant him the standing to contest his stepmother's appointment as the personal representative of his late father's estate. Ronald Birkenfeld's will directed all tangible property to his wife, Pamela, while the residue of his estate poured into a revocable trust. Notably, the will explicitly excluded Birkenfeld's three

Did you know that: (1) the Corporate Transparency Act, a federal law that became effective January 1, 2024, requires almost all U.S. companies to file a report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Treasury (“FinCEN”) that discloses information to FinCEN about the company and its owners, (2) reports that are filed late are subject to a $500 a day fine, and (3) willful failure to file or willfully filing false information can