Family Law

• Child Support
  Mr. Green has served on the Governor’s/MBA Commission on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children, the Governor’s Child Support Commission, the Commission on Violence Against Children, and he is currently on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (MABIDA)
• Paternity
• Guardianship
  As an outgrowth of the firm’s extensive work in special education and disability law, our attorneys are experienced in counseling families on the legal, tax and public funding implications of planning for family members with disabilities and in establishing special needs trusts, guardianships and conservatorships for their care.
• Child Abuse
  Three children with significant disabilities were abused by their teacher over the course of several years.  A new classroom aide produced a written diary of this abuse, leading to the firing and ultimate criminal prosecution of the teacher.  Civil suit was brought against various school administrators and entities for failing to properly respond to earlier reports of abuse by the teacher.  After two weeks of trial, the case settled for $1.5 million.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Mr. Green served for ten years as Assistant District Attorney in Essex County, where he had extensive jury trial experience and was the Chief District Court Prosecutor and Director of Policy and Planning. He also has experience in appellate litigation, having argued cases in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He has taught in the Clinical Program at Harvard Law School and in numerous continuing legal education courses. He has authored a book and several articles on evidence, trial practice and procedure, and criminal law.
• Assault
• Kidnapping

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  René Varrin brings broad knowledge and experience in corporate and business law to the increasingly complex needs of Massachusetts small to mid-size companies.  Throughout the stages of the business lifecycle, from startup to financing to sale, Mr. Varrin strives to provide practical and timely advice in an efficient and cost-effective manner.  With a natural curiosity and genuine interest in understanding each client’s business and goals, Mr. Varrin enjoys the two –way communications and client “partnership’ essential to effective representation. His expectation is to provide each client with the on-going specific business knowledge and attention of in-house counsel, which is not normally available to small to mid-size companies, in co-ordination with the resources that an outside firm can provide.
• Business Disputes
  Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP offers the full range of services essential to the success of a small to mid-sized, growth-oriented business, including some not generally available outside of the largest law firms. Our business lawyers are experienced in all stages of business development, from initial formation and entity selection through commercial or venture capital financing, to late-stage realization of value through sale or positioning for the public offering process.
• Business Transactions
  Abbott Reichlin represents individuals and small to medium sized businesses who need assistance with a real estate or business transaction or with an income tax or real estate tax question.  He advises and represents clients on purchases, sales, mortgages and leases of real estate, mortgage foreclosures, organization of business entities, business transactions, purchases and sales of businesses, tax returns, tax exempt issues and tax questions.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Estate and Tax Planning: Ms. Weinstein works with individuals and families to develop a plan that meets their unique personal and financial circumstances and goals, analyzing the impact of tax laws on their situation and preparing wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, health care proxies and other documents for the management of assets during life and the transfer of property at death. She also deals with transfers of real estate through qualified personal residence trusts, family limited partnerships and limited liability companies and advises clients about charitable giving.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
  American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section. Mr. Strong has served as both a Division chair and as a member of the Section’s governing Council.

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
  Ms. Jodoin is a frequent lecturer on employment law for legal professional groups, including the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association, Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association, and the Boston Bar Association.  Ms. Jodoin is the co-author of a book, entitled, Representing a Plaintiff in a Wrongful Termination Case.
• Employment Discrimination
  With respect to employers, her practice includes counseling on employment policies, practices and decision-making, as well as assisting with workplace investigations.  Sarah also represents employers in employment discrimination matters both before state and federal administrative agencies and in state and federal court.
• Employment Contract
  Mr. Varrin actively practices in the areas of entity creation and related issues of founders’ relations, initial staffing and finance; commercial and vendor relationships including manufacturing, distribution and licensing; private equity, venture capital and  angel investments; contract preparation, negotiation and administration;  ownership  conflict and succession;  employment contracts, including noncompetition, non-disclosure and intellectual property agreements; executive compensation including  the structuring and negotiation of equity and performance-based incentives and plans, and the merger and  acquisition of businesses and business lines on either the buyer and seller side.
• Employment Litigation
  For individuals, Sarah’s practice involves counseling on employment issues arising in the workplace, pursuing and/or defending employment-related claims in administrative and judicial proceedings, and negotiating employment-related agreements.  Sarah’s practice not only involves appearing before administrative agencies and courts on behalf of her clients, but she also has significant experience negotiating and mediating claims.
• Severance Agreement
  At the same time, Ms. Litwin provides practical advice for resolving disputes, to keep them from escalating to litigation. She negotiates employment and severance agreements for both individuals and companies, including many “C” level executives in public and private companies. She also provides advice and training to businesses regarding their legal obligations and personnel practices and drafts personnel policies and manuals.
• Sexual Harassment
  Won a seminal appeal, where the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated an award of punitive damages by a Middlesex Superior Court jury for failure to properly investigate and remedy sexual harassment.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Our real estate lawyers have extensive experience in all aspects of real estate practice. We represent buyers, sellers and developers of residential and commercial properties, including subdivisions, supermarkets, and office buildings.
• Premises Liability
  During the remodeling of a condominium building, an elderly resident tripped and fell on a tarp used by painters near the basement parking facility.  The painter and management company settled the matter as trial was scheduled to begin.
• Real Estate Transactions
  In addition, our tax lawyers provide consultation and assistance in connection with the planning and implementation of business and real estate transactions, and in the establishment of tax-exempt organizations.
• Land Use and Zoning
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Marie Mercier represents and counsels parents seeking advice regarding special education.  In addition to special education law, her practice involves consumer protection, landlord tenant issues, personal injury law and disability insurance.  Ms. Mercier has extensive experience in and practices civil litigation.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Unlike many other firms that handle personal injury cases, we do not rely on routine processing of a large volume of cases. Instead, we treat each personal injury matter with the same emphasis on thorough preparation, personal involvement of senior attorneys, and commitment of resources that we try to bring to all cases in our practice. Many of our clients are referred to us by other attorneys, who know that we are the attorneys within the profession who will achieve the best possible results for clients they refer to us.
• Medical Malpractice
  Dan Heffernan concentrates his practice in the areas of special education, civil rights, personal injury, medical malpractice, and children’s torts. He represents children with special needs and their families, people injured in accidents, and those who have had their civil rights violated.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Finally, having begun his professional life as an estate planner, Mr. Strong continues to assist numerous clients on such matters, working in tandem with our Estate Planning department. He also serves as a trustee on many client trusts.
• Wills
  Estate and Trust Administration: Ms. Stevens represents personal representatives and trustees in all aspects of administering estates and trusts.  She works with families and their advisors to gather necessary information, prepare and file court documents, coordinate with financial institutions, manage and distribute estate assets, and prepare estate and gift tax returns.  Additionally, Ms. Stevens advises trustees of revocable and irrevocable trusts, including life insurance trusts and special needs trusts.  She also assists with the resolution of disputes and ambiguities in wills and trusts and the determination of the rights of beneficiaries by compromise or litigation.
• Trusts
  Estate, Tax and Special Needs Planning: Ms. Bailey develops estate plans that fit the individual circumstances and values of her clients. These plans include an assessment of both the personal and financial goals of those she is representing; the impact of tax laws on those goals; the preparation of documents, including revocable and irrevocable trusts; and the coordination of the various elements involved for the particular client to create a thoughtful and integrated estate plan. Ms. Bailey has more than twenty years of experience in counseling families who have children with special needs and knows how to set up and administer trusts for these children in a way that will permit them to qualify for public or private benefits while providing for their supplemental needs.
• Power of Attorney
  We counsel individuals and families in planning estates of varying size and complexity. Our clients range from individuals with sophisticated tax concerns to persons with more basic family matters at issue. We assess both the personal and financial goals of our clients; analyze the impact of tax laws on those goals; coordinate the various strands involved to create a sound estate plan; and prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, and other documents necessary to implement the best plan for our clients.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
  Unlike many firms with a large commercial practice, we also frequently represent individual buyers and sellers of houses and condominiums. We advise and represent clients in zoning and other land use proceedings; landlord-tenant matters, including residential and commercial leasing and summary process actions; foreclosures; tax deferred exchanges; and real estate tax abatements and exemptions.
• Tax Law
  Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP counsels individuals and businesses in income, gift and estate tax planning, return preparation, and representation before the Internal Revenue Service and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.