- 2010 Managing Partner: Gregory H Smith
- Senior Partner: Jack B Middleton
- Number of partners: 42
- Number of other lawyers: 50
FIRM OVERVIEW: With 90 attorneys and more than 25 paralegals, the McLane law firm advises a variety of domestic and international clients with their legal needs and business decisions. The firm has grown to four offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and has dramatically increased its regional and national practice scope. Particularly the firm’s environmental, private school, commercial litigation and business lawyers are retained well outside of New England. McLane attorneys are licensed in all New England states (including 45 attorneys in MA) as well as 11 additional states.
The firm’s TradeCenter 128 office in Woburn has played a critical role in the firm’s growth. Originally opened in 2008, the office has grown to include 15 attorneys with an emphasis on business, tax, employment, real estate and intellectual property law as well as trust and estate matters. Clients have been complimentary of the depth and experience that the firm brings to the metro-Boston area including its New Hampshire fee structure.McLane attorneys are recognized by their peers for knowledge in complicated matters and by clients for exceptional client service.
The firm is a member of Terralex and attorneys are annually recognized by Woodward & White’s Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. Additionally McLane counts among it attorneys - Regents and Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Real Estate Lawyers, Environmental lawyers, Tax Counsel and Trust and Estate Counsel.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
Corporate: The firm’s Corporate Department advises clients on merger and acquisition transactions and securities matters, including public and private offerings of equity securities, as well as entity formation, governance, commercial matters and all aspects of corporate finance. The department has industry focus areas in the energy, healthcare, manufacturing, technology and financial services industries. Representative transactions for publicly and privately held clients range from $10 million to $1 billion.
Environmental: The Environmental Practice covers administrative law and litigation under all the major federal environmental laws and their state program analogues. The firm’s lawyers have extensive experience in Superfund and state hazardous waste cases, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, wetlands, TSCA, EPCRA, NEPA, energy facility siting, and natural resource law, in both permitting and enforcement cases. The firm has handled cases throughout New England,New York,Georgia, South Carolina, and California.
Commercial Litigation: Commercial litigation is a major focus of the firm’s work. It received top New Hampshire honors in this practice area in Chambers USA from the first edition to the present. McLane trial lawyers appear extensively in state and federal courts, and increasingly in jurisdictions beyond New England. The firm’s experience in insurance recovery and contribution actions on behalf of utilities for environmental claims has attracted national interest and recently brought that team of attorneys litigation in New York, South Carolina, and Connecticut. McLane attorneys also handle a wide range of contract disputes, intellectual property claims, unfair competition and antitrust cases, and corporate governance claims.
Energy & Utility Law: The firm represents gas, telephone, and water utilities; competitive energy suppliers; small power producers and other wholesale electric generators; wireless communications companies; utility holding companies; municipalities and industrial and commercial customers of electric utilities. Recent work includes extensive work on restructuring of the electric and gas industries, electric and water municipalization litigation, gas, electric and water rate proceedings and numerous financings.
Employment: Representation includes defending and prosecuting claims, workplace audits, managerial and workforce training programs, development of personnel policies and practices, and consultation and advice on the challenges employers face every day, including internal employee complaints, responding to government investigations, or resolving disability, compensation, benefits, misconduct and termination issues.
Real Estate: The firm’s Real Estate Practice advises clients throughout New England on general commercial and construction financing, land use matters, leasing, and other aspects of real estate and business ownership. The firm recently obtained on behalf of a client all permits for an electric generating station producing competitive-cost power. Representation included the acquisition of all real estate, casements for the transmission lines and all environmental and regulatory work for the new 16-mile, interstate gas transmission pipeline.
Tax: The firm’s Tax Department, the largest in the state ofNew Hampshire, represents individuals, and businesses,buyers and sellers, in a variety of tax-related transactions, planning and issues. McLane’s tax lawyers represent clients in every phase of contact with the IRS and state revenue agencies, including audit, collection, appeals, abatement requests, and dispute resolution. When necessary, litigators experienced in tax matters assist in any matters that require litigation.
Intellectual Property: The firm’s Intellectual Property Practice represents clients on a wide range of US and international intellectual property matters. In litigated matters, the group has helped large software companies, such as Microsoft Corporation, protect their copyright ownership in software against piracy and counterfeiting. The Intellectual Property Group handles all aspects of intellectual property protection, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, licensing and e-commerce law.
Family Law: The firm’s Domestic Law Group handles all aspects of family law, including the preparation and execution of prenuptial agreements, adoptions, legal separations, divorce and annulments. Some members are trained Collaborative Law Practitioners and trained Marital Mediators.
CLIENTS: Algonquin Power Fund; Banknorth, N.A.; BAUER Nike Hockey U.S.A., Inc., BayCorp Holdings; Brady Sullivan Properties, LLC; EI Paso Energy; Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.; National Grid, Bank of America, the Masiello Group; Dartmouth College, Tufts University; Irving Oil, Microsoft Corporation; Sovereign Bank; St.Paul’s School; Synagro Technologies, Inc; and Verizon Communications.