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Graeber, Davis & Cantwell is engaged in a general practice, providing services to businesses and individuals in commercial and corporate law, real estate matters and commercial, products liability and professional liability litigation. Based on its experience and qualifications, the firm is in an excellent position to offer top quality, responsive and cost-effective services to the business clients as to:
- residential and commercial real estate transactions (purchase & sales, financing and closings)
- leasing issues (drafting and negotiation)
- zoning and land use
- permitting and licensing
- corporate formation and financing
- construction issues
- commercial litigation matters
JEFFREY M. GRAEBER — A graduate of Boston College and the University of California - Hastings College of Law, Mr. Graeber was admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts in 1978. His commercial litigation and insurance defense practice has involved the representation of product manufacturers in complex litigation matters. Mr. Graeber also has extensive practice experience in the defense of professional liability cases involving lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers. In addition, he handles a range of other civil litigation matters and has successfully tried cases and argued appeals at all levels of the Massachusetts state and federal courts, which has enabled him to develop an expertise in civil litigation practice. Mr. Graeber is certified in mediation, and an approved panel member of the Boston Bar Association's Boston Municipal Court Mediation and Pretrial Conference program and the Massachusetts Bar Associations' ADR Referral Service. He has also served as a Master and Receiver in Superior Court matters. Mr. Graeber has significant practice experience in land use and zoning issues, including both the analysis and preparation of legal opinions for property owners and lenders and litigation. He has represented commercial and residential lenders and property owners in closings, lease negotiations and litigation. Mr. Graeber is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section; former Chairman, Law Practice Management Section); the American Inns of Court (Frank J. Murray Chapter, former Board Member). He has lectured on professional liability and litigation practice and law firm management for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Massachusetts Bar Association. JAMES (JAY) H. DAVIS, III — A graduate of Syracuse University and Suffolk University Law School. Attorney Davis’ practice concentrates on real estate law, family law, landlord/tenant disputes and criminal defense. As a real estate practitioner, he has developed a practice that has closed hundreds of residential and commercial loans. He is a member of the Massachusetts Conveyancers Association. Attorney Davis is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a member of the American, Massachusetts and Norfolk County Bar Associations and the Norfolk County Bar Advocates. A former student prosecutor with the Plymouth County District Attorney, Mr. Davis represented clients in both felony and misdemeanor criminal charges. Attorney Davis is a mentor for the Norfolk County Bar Advocates. Attorney Davis serves on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Shore, Inc. (a non-profit organization that addresses the housing rehabilitation needs of low and moderate income homeowners) and is on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Youth Service Alliance. He is an active volunteer and supporter of Quincy Babe Ruth, the Southwest (Quincy) Community Center, Quincy Community Action Programs and the Community Commitment Fund. He is a resident of Quincy, a native of Weymouth and graduate of Weymouth South High School. JAMES M. CANTWELL — A graduate of Boston College and Boston College Law School, Mr. Cantwell’s practice concentrates on municipal and governmental law, environmental law, and juvenile criminal justice issues. Mr. Cantwell is a former law clerk to the Honorable Sarah Holmes Wilson, and a former Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney (1995-1998) who served as a member of a nationally recognized Domestic Violence Prevention Program and who co-directed a Juvenile Justice Prosecution Unit. Mr. Cantwell has a decade of experience with municipal and government service, including serving as Chairman of the Marshfield Board of Selectmen, as a Legislative Aide with the Massachusetts State Senate, and as a Congressional Assistant to Congressman William Delahunt. In private practice, he has extensive experience in municipal, environmental, land use and zoning issues while representing towns, municipal entities and individuals. Mr. Cantwell serves on the Board of Directors of the Daniel Webster Preservation Trust, Inc., a nationally recognized non-profit corporation recently highlighted by Bob Villa’s “Restore America” Series, and is a member of the Massachusetts Easter Seals House of Delegates (1989-present). He has lectured on Environmental Law at Boston College and is a co-founder of the Back River Watershed Association. MARY ANNE MCGONAGLE — A graduate of Suffolk University Law School in 1988, Ms. McGonagle was admitted in the Massachusetts Bar in December of 1988 and completed the LL.M. Degree Program in American Banking Studies at the Boston University School of Law in 1990. Ms. McGonagle completed her undergraduate studies at Bridgewater State College (B.A. – 1980) and received a Master of Arts from Middlebury College in 1981. Ms. McGonagle has substantial practical experience at the legal departments of several major corporations, including International Data Group, Inc., Computervision Corporation and the Bank of Boston. Ms. McGonagle supervises the corporate formation and small business practice in the Quincy office where her special experience in corporate, banking and financial matters is of particular value. As a real estate practitioner, she has negotiated and closed hundreds of residential and commercial loans. BRIAN P. WARD – A graduate of St. Anselm College and Suffolk University Law School. While attending Suffolk University Law School, he was on the staff of the Transnational Law Review. Mr. Ward was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2000. Upon graduating law school, Mr. Ward clerked for the Massachusetts Superior Courts. He spent two years at the law firm of Martin, Magnuson, McCarthy & Kenney. Mr. Ward’s practice will focus on civil litigation, domestic issues and real estate. KAREN M. LaFOND – A graduate of the University of New Hampshire and Suffolk University Law School, Ms. LaFond was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2002. Ms. Lafond commenced as a law clerk tackling a variety of criminal and probate matters, and has worked for two years as a real estate paralegal for the firm. After passing the bar Ms. LaFond has assumed a leading role as a real estate associate with extensive experience in all aspects of real estate closings. DOMINIC L. PANG - A graduate from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1999, Mr. Pang also earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2001. Prior to joining Graeber, Davis & Cantwell, Mr. Pang clerked for Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Adolphus Burch, represented low-income clients in housing matters with Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services and garnered extensive insurance fraud investigation experience as staff investigator with American Investigative Services. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2002, and is member of the Boston Chapter of the American Mensa Society. Mr. Pang’s areas of practice include business litigation, zoning/land use, immigration, real estate, and bankruptcy. NANCY A. SQUIRES – A graduate of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Wayne State University and Northeastern University Law School, Ms. Squires was a child support enforcement attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for several years before joining Graeber, Davis and Cantwell. In addition, she practiced for one year with the small business litigation firm of McCabe Brown, and performed legal internships with U.S. District Court Judge Reginald C. Lindsay and the district attorney’s offices in both Norfolk and Suffolk counties. She was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1998. Ms. Squires’ areas of practice with Graeber, Davis & Cantwell include estate planning, elder law, and real estate transactions. Practice Areas:
As to Commercial and Real Estate matters, the firm is actively engaged in offering services in the following areas:
- Real estate loan closing services to financial institutions for residential and commercial matters.
- Real estate services to residential and commercial purchasers/sellers and landlords/tenants, including advice as to zoning matters.
- Permitting and licensing, including representation before municipal boards and agencies.
- General commercial advice, including corporate formations.
- The firm is a title agent for Fidelity Title Co. and Commonwealth Title Insurance, both of Boston, Massachusetts.
As to Civil Litigation matters, the firm has practice experience in, inter alia, the following areas:
- Commercial Litigation (Contract, Warranty and Product Liability Claims)
- Professional Liability (Attorneys, Accountants, Architects and Brokers)
- Environmental Claims (including asbestos litigation)
- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Employer/Employee Claims
- Unfair Competition and Other Business Torts
- Consumer Protection Claims and Debtor/Creditor Disputes
- Zoning and Land Use
- Appellate Practice
Current or Recent Clients Include:
The firm represents lenders, as well as major commercial and residential real estate
developers and landlords in real estate and commercial matters. A representative
listing of lenders represented by the firm include:
- Washington Mutual Savings Bank
- South Shore Savings Bank
- 1st New England Mortgage Corporation
- Mortgage Express
- Plymouth Savings Bank
- First Trade Union Savings Bank
- Asian American Bank
- Century Bank and Trust
- Patriot Funding
In addition, the firm represents or has represented corporations and insurance companies in commercial litigation and insurance defense matters. A representative sample includes:
- CREANOVA, Inc.
- HPG International, Inc.
- Firemans Fund Insurance
- The Hartford and insureds of Firemans Fund Insurance
- Zurich-American Insurance Company
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