Family Law

• Divorce
  We approach each case from a position of strength and skill. Skill to negotiate and settle matters and craft intricate divorce agreements; and strength to aggressively take issues to trial when necessary. We provide practical legal guidance and strategic advice while staying focused on each particular client’s goals, circumstances and needs. Individualized attention to each client’s objectives allows us to help clients confidently traverse what is often the most tumultuous and stressful time of their lives.
• Child Custody and Visitation
  Represented grandparents who were awarded guardianship over their daughter’s children due to mental health issues suffered by both parents. Burns & Levinson successfully blocked the mother’s efforts to move jurisdiction of the case out of Massachusetts, where there were significant records relating to the parties’ divorce and child custody issues.
• Adoption
• Paternity
  Our attorneys have experience in negotiating and drafting prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, as well as litigating the enforceability of these and similar agreements concerning rights and interests in real and personal property. In addition to divorce matters, we represent clients in paternity actions, contested custody disputes, guardianship and conservatorship matters, uncontested adoptions, cases involving the removal of children from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and nearly all legal challenges facing families. Our attorneys also work with clients to obtain orders of protection from abuse and harassment, and help families who are faced with the involvement of the Department of Children and Families. In addition to representing one spouse in a family law matter, we have trained mediators who help couples amicably resolves their disputes.
• Premarital Agreement
• Guardianship
  Our attorneys are also recognized as leaders in questions of guardianship, which is a particularly nuanced and multifaceted area of the law. For decades, courts, lawyers, judges, and individual clients have turned to us in cases involving individuals who lack mental competency to make their own financial or personal decisions. We routinely undertake the role of assisting a client seeking appointment as a guardian, are appointed to act as guardian, or represent clients in contesting an inappropriate appointment. We work with multidisciplinary professionals, including psychiatrists, social workers, protective service workers, state and local officials, and agency administrators to resolve guardianship issues and achieve appropriate goal-directed representation.
• Spousal Support
  Considering a divorce may be one of the most challenging situations you will face in life. Where do you start? What if there are complications? You can count on the Divorce Law Monitor blog for information about the divorce process, how to select the right attorney, ways to protect your finances, how to be a good co-parent, custody and visitation issues, international concerns, information on alimony including the Alimony Reform Act and high profile divorce stories.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Our attorneys have wide-ranging expertise handling business disputes, including cases involving contract claims, banking and financial institutions, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment law, non-competition agreements, trade secrets, real estate, intellectual property, class actions, partnership and shareholder disputes, securities, federal and state tax litigation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and white collar criminal defense.
• Fraud
  We have broad experience in cases such as business and financial fraud; international crime; defense procurement fraud; public corruption; healthcare, securities, and tax fraud; and antitrust, environmental, and RICO crimes. We represent clients in grand jury investigations and defend them against indictments at both federal and state levels.
• White Collar Crimes
  Our Government Investigations & White Collar Crime Group helps clients navigate challenging criminal and civil proceedings. We represent companies, firms and individuals in federal and state criminal proceedings, including grand jury and administrative agency investigations, brought to enforce criminal, civil or administrative laws and regulations. We have particular experience in cases involving business or financial fraud, computer fraud and abuse, bank, healthcare, securities and tax fraud, and environmental prosecutions. Our attorneys also conduct internal corporate investigations to evaluate and defend suspected illegal conduct and regulatory compliance issues.
• Restraining Order
  Represented a parent who was removed from the marital home as a result the other parent obtaining a 209A restraining order. The Court awarded our client limited parenting time with the child at the start of the litigation before our involvement, after the other parent falsely accused our client of neglecting the child and abusing substances. After 7 days of trial, Burns & Levinson was successful in returning the child to our client, who was granted sole legal and physical custody.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  Taking a practical, proactive approach to rapidly changing securities disclosure and corporate governance laws, we identify specific situations in which new laws will impact particular clients and work with them to implement changes necessary for compliance with new regulatory schemes and investor expectations. Our Securities Group attorneys are frequently asked to speak at and participate in securities law conferences, where new rules and regulations are discussed and enacted. Small and mid-cap issuers face unique challenges in financing and regulatory matters, and our depth and wealth of expertise navigating the regulatory framework specific to those issuers allows us to represent public companies throughout the country. We frequently connect clients seeking capital with other clients and contacts able to provide or arrange it for small and mid-cap issuers. This value-added approach positions Burns as the ideal choice for these companies.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Burns’ corporate team assists clients in a broad range of legal services including acting as corporate counsel, mergers & acquisitions, securities law, private equity, venture capital and finance.  We focus on being responsive to our client’s needs and providing the highest quality legal services in an efficient and cost-effective way driven by the relationship, not the billable hour.
• Business Formation
  Our team offers unrivaled experience and offers a full scope of services including: cannabis business formation, licensure, legal and regulatory compliance; corporate structuring, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, fund formation, debt and equity financing, real estate acquisitions and leasing, labor and employment issues, intellectual property protection, 280E taxation issues as well as, if necessary, litigation services.
• Business Disputes
  Burns & Levinson hires summer associates and law clerks on a periodic basis, based on the projected needs of our practice groups. Our summer associates and clerks are assigned to a specific practice group, receiving work assignments from attorneys in that group and gaining hands-on experience in that particular area of law. In recent years, we have hosted summer associates and law clerks in our Business Law, Business Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Private Client Groups.
• Business Transactions
  We work directly with clients and understand the nuances of the most complex commercial transactions, and have a passion for working with entrepreneurs and investors.  We add value by being dealmakers and by providing solutions for our clients’ daily business matters while helping them find opportunities to grow their business. We bring buy-side and sell-side experience to each transaction and relationship throughout the lending industry. This combination of leadership and efficiency make Burns & Levinson the right firm for middle market private equity and mergers & acquisitions.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
  Our team has wide-ranging experience representing investors and venture-backed, strategic-backed, and angel-backed entrepreneurial companies in the technology, life sciences, medical devices, software, artificial intelligence, FinTech, cybersecurity, sports, telecom, energy, cleantech, and healthcare industries among others. We counsel emerging growth companies in all stages of their life cycle from incorporation, business plan preparation, seed and venture capital financing, growth financing, and intellectual property protection to employment matters, strategic relationships, business combinations, and mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings.

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
  Our Employment team advises clients about all aspects of the employment relationship, from pre-hiring considerations through separations, layoffs and terminations. We counsel employers on strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of their human resource function by avoiding litigation, while navigating the maze of state and federal regulations now governing employers’ actions. We assist our clients in developing policies and procedures that assure compliance with governing laws and contracts. In addition, we develop and implement effective training programs for managers and staff. If disputes arise, our employment litigators handle all aspects of the proceedings in order to effectively and efficiently resolve the dispute on behalf of our clients. We also represent individuals in disputes involving employment matters such as discrimination, wrongful termination, workplace harassment and executive compensation.
• Employment Discrimination
  Burns & Levinson’s Employee Rights & Advocacy group is experienced with workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. From age discrimination to sexual harassment claims, we understand the many circumstances that can create issues for employees in the workplace.
• Employment Contract
  Our broad range of services includes: corporate transactions; patent and trademark prosecution and litigation; employment agreements, proprietary information and non-disclosure agreements, and employment policies; IP freedom-to-operate opinions; export regulations; general corporate, tax and securities representation (including SEC reporting, public/private offerings, corporate governance and investor relations); government contracts; HIPAA issues; manufacturing and supply agreements; public and private debt, equity, royalty and other financing transactions; research agreements; start-up and corporate organization; strategic partnering (including joint venture and development agreements); technology and product licensing; and trademarks, copyright, trade secrets and counterfeiting complaints.
• Employment Litigation
  Our corporate attorneys counsel clients, including issuers, investors, and underwriters in all aspects of both public and private equity and debt financing. We are experienced in federal and state securities laws. Burns & Levinson regularly counsels clients on private placements, initial and secondary public offerings under the 1933 Securities Act, exchange listings (including dual listings and American Depository Receipts), 1934 Act proxy and reporting requirements, and investment company and investment advisor matters under the 1940 Acts. We also represent broker/dealers in registering with the National Association of Security Dealers and the states, addressing broker/dealer employment issues, customer arbitrations and other matters.
• Sexual Harassment
  We represent clients in discrimination, wrongful termination, civil rights, and sexual harassment suits, both in federal and state court and before administrative agencies. We fully comprehend any and all legal issues that may arise during the negotiation and litigation process. Because our team is experienced in representing large corporations as well as executives and individuals, we understand the tactics employers use regarding their employees, and we bring a wealth of knowledge to both sides of the table.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Real Estate Our attorneys represent indigent defendants in housing court proceedings and often assist pro bono clients in certain land use, conservation and other real estate matters.
• Construction Litigation
  Burns & Levinson can assist with your company or project in all areas of design & construction law, including drafting and negotiation of construction and professional services contracts, construction claims, mitigation and strategy, claims prosecution and defense, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, risk management and insurance, surety, labor employment and OSHA issues and payment and bankruptcy issues.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Because complex real estate transactions require the support of a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, our real estate attorneys routinely work with their colleagues throughout the firm to address finance, tax, litigation and corporate matters that arise on sophisticated real estate matters. We often advise clients on the structuring of real estate transactions for estate and business succession planning purposes, to maximize tax benefits, and for other business purposes, including the selection of appropriate ownership entities. Our real estate attorneys work closely with their counterparts in the Trusts & Estates Practice to structure and implement the most efficient plans to manage clients’ real estate holdings.
• Land Use and Zoning
  We work with clients and consultants to secure permits from federal, state, and local authorities, including compliance with zoning and subdivision control regulations and environmental reviews before MEPA and the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, among many others. We also pursue or defend zoning and other land use permit appeals in hearings or state court.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  At Burns & Levinson, we provide high-level, client-centric and results-oriented legal services to our regional, national and international clients. We are a full-service law firm with over 125 lawyers in Boston, Providence and London. Our areas of expertise include: business/finance, business litigation, cannabis, divorce/family law, venture capital/emerging companies, employment, estate planning, government investigations, intellectual property, M&A/private equity, probate/trust litigation, and real estate. We partner with our clients to solve their business and personal legal issues in a collaborative, creative and cost-effective way. For more information, visit Burns & Levinson at www.burnslev.com.
• Wills
  We ably steer clients through proceedings, sensitive negotiations, trials and mediations of will contests, complaints involving trusts and deeds, and similar matters involving allegations of interference with inheritances and contested accounts. We are adept at defending, removing and appointing trustees or other fiduciaries and in all related adversarial court proceedings. In many instances our efforts have saved our clients’ estates thousands – sometimes millions – of dollars.
• Trusts
  Nonprofit Law & Governance group for representation in all aspects of nonprofit corporate, tax, regulatory, and charitable trust law.  Our clients include educational, healthcare, human service, environmental, arts, philanthropic, advocacy, trade, and professional organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Tax Law
  The Beyond the Will blog is a source that individuals and fiduciaries can count on for answers to a diverse spectrum of difficult issues, including estate and tax planning, the probate process, deadlines in the court, how to protect a beloved elder from potential financial exploitation or undue influence, disinherited children and more.