Public Law & Regulatory Compliance

Working with the public sector comes naturally to Hemenway & Barnes. One of our firm's founders, John Davis Long, was Governor of Massachusetts, a member of the United States Congress, and Secretary of the Navy under President McKinley. Since Long's time, our lawyers have been leaders in the civic, business and philanthropic worlds of New England.

With that history as our foundation, we're a Boston law firm that understands the lasting importance of government to our 21st century clients.

We Know Government

Clients seek our help because we know how government works and the people who make it work. We routinely work with government agencies at all levels, including federal, state and local. Our attorneys have deep roots in public service, previously holding legal and policymaking positions in the Massachusetts Senate, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service. We also counsel clients on election law, ballot and campaign finance issues, and the operation of social welfare and other advocacy groups.

When interacting with the government, our approach is to avoid or solve problems wherever possible. But where aggressive advocacy is necessary, we are well-equipped to provide it.

Representative Experience

• Drafting tax opinions for clients concerning a wide variety of state tax matters, including combined reporting, sales tax nexus and state tax conformity to federal non-recognition provisions.
• Navigating the oversight relationship between the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state’s vibrant nonprofit sector.
• Representing numerous large public corporations in resolving contested state tax assessments, including companies in the utility, biotechnology, medical, and technology industries.
• Providing advice to companies, nonprofits, and elected officials navigating lobbying and ethics laws at the state and federal levels.
• Representing the Governor of Massachusetts and other Executive Branch officials in federal and state court, including before the Supreme Judicial Court.
• Authoring legislation and regulations that apply to growing and diverse industries, including transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft.
• Representing companies and individuals before commercial and professional licensing boards with registration, licensing and disciplinary actions.