On April 28, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order called Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy (Order).   The Order established a policy of “energy security and economic vitality” through offshore energy exploration and production.  It also directed the Secretary of Department of the Interior to review existing offshore oil and gas leasing plans. […]Continue reading

Partnerships among federal and state agencies, private parties, and non-governmental organizations play an important role in conserving fish and wildlife habitat. The importance of this collaboration for habitat protection and management is detailed in the State Wildlife Action Plan, which MassWildlife updated in order to receive funding under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s State […]Continue reading

On October 24th, 2016, the Massachusetts Land Court revised its ruling in St. John’s Holdings, LLC. v. Two Electronics, LLC  (2016 WL 1460477 (2016).  The underlying case (the subject of a prior blog article) involved electronic communication and the Statute of Frauds (G.L. c. 259 Section 1). In its updated ruling, the Court analyzed whether […]Continue reading

The rapid expansion in mobile communication has stretched the limits of many longstanding legal frameworks, including the Statute of Frauds (“SOF”) (G.L. c. 259 § 1).  This is certainly the case with respect to real estate transactions.  In fact, 97% of respondents to a recent Pew Research Center survey indicated they use a smartphone for […]Continue reading

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently reviewed adverse possession of wild and wooded areas. In Paine v. Sexton, 88 Mass. App. Ct. 389 (2015), the Plaintiff campground operators asserted rights to property based on record title and adverse possession.  While it did not validate record title, the Court recognized the Plaintiffs’ adverse possession claims.  In doing so, […]Continue reading