Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Law Firm in Boston, Massachusetts

Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP

101 Summer Street
Fourth Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
USA

(617) 439-0305

(617) 439-0325

www.merricklc.com

Contact David Condon

Law Firm Overview

Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP is an experienced, dedicated law firm located in Boston, Massachusetts. At our firm, we consider ourselves a focused law firm, providing individuals and public entities with solutions to a broad range of legal issues. It is not our goal to serve as many clients as possible. Rather, our attorneys strive to provide each of our clients with the highest possible quality of legal services. While the experience and skill of our attorneys are essential, we believe it is equally important that we provide personalized and responsive service. As a small firm, we provide our clients with direct access to their individual counsel.

In order to provide our clients with the most successful and cost-effective representation, and resolve issues as quickly and inexpensively as possible, our lawyers take an aggressive and proactive approach to every matter. That approach has characterized our services since our firm was founded by attorneys Douglas I. Louison and Nancy Merrick in 1987, former assistants corporation counsel for the City of Boston. Since then, Nancy Merrick has left the firm to serve as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, while Mr. Louison has been joined by Partners Patrick Costello and David E. Condon and Principals Stephen Pfaff, Regina Ryan and Bradford Louison and Associates Jena Munoz and Valerie McCormack in addition to a number of paralegals and professional support staff.

Over the past 21 years, our law firm has developed an extensive practice representing insurance companies, municipalities, labor unions, businesses and individuals. Our trial lawyers have extensive experience in state and federal courts and in administrative hearings in areas including: civil rights defense, insurance defense, employee disciplinary defense, employment law, land use, construction, contract, eminent domain, tax title foreclosure, personal injury litigation and criminal defense. In order to better serve the public employees that our communities rely on, we have established the Baystate Legal Defense Fund, a legal plan designed to provide those individuals with services covering a broad range of professional and personal issues.

Year this Office was Established: 1987

Languages: English.

Practice Areas

Additional Practice Areas: Town Counsel; Special Counsel; Tax Title; Labor Union Representation; Disciplinary Defense; Police Defense; Employee Disciplinary Defense; MBTA Commuter Rail Accidents; Uninsured Motorist Insurance; Underinsured Motorist Insurance; Anesthesia Errors; Dram Shop Liability; Sexual Assault; Child Molestation; Medicare Fraud, Bank Fraud, Mortgage Fraud, Mail Fraud, Check Fraud; Employee Theft; Check Kiting; writing Bad Checks; Conveyance of Title; Abatement; Condemnation Proceedings; Real Estate Litigation, Boundary and Title Disputes.

Practice Areas Description

We consider ourselves a general practice firm, providing a wide range of services to our clients, including the following:

- Municipal Law

• Town Counsel

Attorneys at Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston have unique and extensive experience in representing the interests of municipalities; public employees, including police and teachers; public officials, both municipal and county; public agencies and school boards; and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Attorney Patrick Costello currently serves as town counsel for the towns of Mashpee, Blackstone, Uxbridge and Billerica, and has been designated assistant town attorney for the town of Marblehead.

• Special Counsel

Attorneys at our firm act as special counsel to municipal officers, counties, boards, commissions and committees. In that capacity, we interact with Massachusetts state regulatory agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Revenue, the Division of Capital Asset Management and various branches of the Office of the Attorney General. Each attorney at our firm has extensive knowledge in select areas of our practice, allowing us to provide valuable focused representation that complements the services of a municipality's town council and city solicitor.

• Tax Title/Foreclosure

Since 1987, attorneys at Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP of Boston have served as special counsel to cities, towns, counties, the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, municipal boards and municipal treasurers and collectors, assisting our clients in exercising priority liens through the collection of unpaid real estate taxes and delinquent sewer and water charges in tax title foreclosure proceedings. Our firm currently represents approximately 70 cities and towns in this niche practice, and we have customized our computer software to improve the efficiency of our tax collection practice.

• Construction & Contracts

Our firm currently provides several municipalities with legal counsel in respect to all aspects of major school and other capital construction projects. Members of our construction law practice are familiar with relevant provisions of Massachusetts general law related to public construction and Massachusetts School Building Authority (SBA) reimbursement. Our lawyers regularly appear before the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, local planning boards, zoning boards of appeal and conservation commissions.

• Municipal Insurance Defense

Attorneys at Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston are designated defense counsel for national insurers providing municipal and public official coverage in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our services complement those of municipal counsel as our lawyers defend public employees and officials, including police officers, boards, town and city councils, county commissions, school boards and other municipal agencies in state and federal courts throughout Massachusetts.

- Employment Law

• Labor Union Representation

At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, we represent public employee unions in all phases of collective bargaining and civil litigation. Our attorneys protect unions and union members, defending rights guaranteed in labor contracts, litigating disputes involving breaches of labor contracts and violations of state labor law by employers, and protecting the right of union members and stewards under the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech.

• Disciplinary Defense

At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, our lawyers provide aggressive defense representation to police and other public employees threatened with disciplinary actions in response to claims of the use of excessive force or other misconduct. If you face suspension, termination or another employment sanction arising from actions you took in the execution of your professional duties, federal law and the laws of Massachusetts guarantee you the right to due process.

• Civil Rights Defense

At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, we provide public employees and public officials, including police officers and other public safety officers with defense representation against charges of discrimination and violations of civil rights. Our attorneys have extensive experience in Massachusetts' federal trial and appellate courts and have successfully defended claims against their clients on numerous occasions, in cases including those involving charges of discrimination, false arrest and use of excessive force.

• Insurance Defense

At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, we are designated defense counsel for a number of national insurers. Our attorneys provide aggressive, responsive and cost-effective defense to insured public and private agencies and individuals on behalf of their insurance providers in claim disputes involving complex special casualty, negligence, civil rights and discrimination claims, and claims based on damage to real property and deprivation of property rights.

• Employee Disciplinary Defense

Our attorneys regularly appear in federal courts throughout Massachusetts, and are prepared to represent clients in employee complaints at the federal level. We are also prepared to provide criminal defense representation to police officers or correctional officers for charges related to activities in the discharge of the officers' duties. Issues our lawyers have handled include charges of use of excessive force, sexual harassment and police misconduct. We also assist teachers in license suspension hearings related to disciplinary actions.

- Personal Injury

The aftermath of a serious injury is a difficult, confusing time. When the injured person should be focused on healing and therapy, the entire family has to deal with financial uncertainty, emotional issues and insurance paperwork. Decisions made during this stressful time will have a permanent effect on the victim's financial standing and ability to get medical treatment. Our lawyers have extensive experience in Massachusetts' state and federal courts and are prepared to handle a full range of personal injury claims, including those involving the following circumstances:

• MBTA Commuter Rail Accidents, Train Accidents / Car & Truck Accidents

If you have been in a train, MBTA commuter rail or auto wreck, you know how time slows down during the crash. Events taking place in a few seconds are burned indelibly into the consciousness of those involved. If you were seriously injured, the hours, days, weeks and months following the car accident may blend into a blur of pain and confusion. Our personal injury lawyers have extensive experience in handling car and truck accident injury claims. If you suffered a serious injury, we will arrange to have medical and economic experts help in an accurate calculation of your losses. Our attorneys will work to identify all possible sources of compensation for your loss.

• Premises Liability

Under Massachusetts premises liability law, the owner and manager of a property is responsible for maintaining it in a reasonably safe condition. When negligent maintenance results in an injury to a visitor, the victim is entitled to damages for medical treatment and pain and suffering. A premises liability claim might involve a slip and fall accident and back injury, or a fatal assault resulting from security negligence. These can be difficult cases since it is necessary to prove that the owner of the property knew or should have known of the hazardous condition. At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, our personal injury lawyers have the experience and resources necessary to recover fair compensation for our clients.

• Medical Malpractice

If you suspect the negligence of a doctor or hospital resulted in serious injury or death to someone you care about, you deserve to know the truth. Our personal injury lawyers turn to nationally and internationally recognized experts to help us identify medical malpractice. Our attorneys are prepared to handle a wide range of medical malpractice lawsuits, including: Birth injury: cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, shoulder dystocia, fetal and maternal death, ruptured uterus; Failure to perform a cesarean section (C-section) despite evidence of fetal distress of a baby too large for the birth canal; Surgical errors, anesthesia errors; Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose cancer; Emergency room errors; Doctor's negligence in failing to refer a patient to a specialist; Nurse malpractice; Medication errors and drug overdoses; Failure to monitor a patient's condition.

• Dram Shop Liability

If you were injured in a drunk driving accident or in an assault and battery where your assailant was intoxicated, you may have a dram shop liability claim. We take an aggressive stance to liquor liability claims. If the business or homeowner's liability insurance company does not offer fair compensation for your losses, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, our attorneys will not hesitate to go to trial.

• Dog Bites

Massachusetts law assigns strict liability to owners and handlers of dogs. The cost of treatment for the physical and psychological injuries sustained in an animal attack and related damages for pain and suffering are typically covered under the dog owner's homeowner liability or business liability insurance policy. (For that reason, a dog bite claim may be considered a premises liability case.) Our personal injury attorney will handle all insurance claims on your behalf, whether a neighbor's German shepherd bit your child or a member of your family suffered a pit bull mauling in a public park. You will not have to deal directly with the dog's owner. If we take your case, our personal injury lawyers and professional staff will aggressively pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.

- Criminal Defense

If you are facing criminal charges, conviction may mean the loss of your freedom, your financial security and your employment. You need an aggressive advocate with the experience to protect your rights. At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, our criminal defense lawyers have been protecting clients in Massachusetts and federal courts for over 20 years.

• DUI/OUI

Each situation is unique. At Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff, LLP in Boston, our OUI lawyer will consider all circumstances surrounding your traffic stop and DUI/OUI charges before recommending a defense strategy. It is our goal to see that your driver's license is reinstated or you get a Cinderella license as soon as possible after suspension or revocation, and that your case results in the best possible outcome, possibly under a 24D program alternative disposition for a second offense.

• White Collar Crime

It could have been a simple accounting error. Perhaps you made a poor decision while under stress. Whatever the reason, if you suspect you are being investigated for fraud, embezzlement or another white collar crime, it is extremely important to speak to a criminal defense attorney at the first opportunity, certainly before making any statement to or providing any documentation to investigators.

- Real Estate

Our clients include homeowners, private investors, construction companies, public agencies such as school boards, zoning boards and town councils, closely held companies and corporations. Our attorneys handle all aspects of residential real estate and commercial real estate lease, purchase and sale transactions, including drafting and negotiation of sale contracts and lease agreements; Zoning and land use; Tax title foreclosures and evictions; Construction contracts; Landlord-tenant issues; Conveyance of title; Abatement; Condemnation and eminent domain proceedings; Mortgage financing; and Real estate litigation, boundary and title disputes.

Attorneys

	Mr. David E. Condon Attorney Construction Law, Employment, Personal Injury		Mr. Patrick J. Costello Attorney Government, Litigation, Real Estate
	Mr. Bradford N. Louison Attorney Administrative Law, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Construction Law		Mr. Douglas I. Louison Attorney Criminal Law, Employment, Insurance
	Mr. Stephen C. Pfaff Attorney Criminal Law, Labor, Personal Injury