Product Description

Recent updates:

• Update: August 2024

  Dear Subscriber:

  Thank you for updating your reference library with the 2024 edition of Massachusetts Environmental Law. Highlights from the many issues addressed in this revision include

  • the establishment of a cabinet-level climate innovation and resiliency office in Massachusetts;

  • a Supreme Judicial Court ruling that the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to approve municipal harbor plans could not be delegated to the Office of Coastal Zone Management;

  • Massachusetts' adoption of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact;

  • an updated overview of state law on cannabis cultivation;

  • the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of "waters of the United States" in the regulation of wetlands under the Clean Water Act;

  • the passage of An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth (known as the Public Lands Preservation Act), amending the procedures for disposing of or changing the use of land protected under Article 97;

  • numerous developments in the state's regulation of drinking water supplies;

  • guidelines for compliance with the MBTA Communities Act; and

  • a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the retention of excess home equity value in a tax foreclosure sale violates the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

  This edition also introduces a new chapter addressing a topic of increasing importance in Massachusetts environmental practice: environmental justice. The chapter provides an overview of the statutes, policies, protocols, and regulations that establish environmental justice requirements, along with the case law and administrative decisions defining the scope of these requirements.

  We trust you will find the 2024 edition of Massachusetts Environmental Law a valuable resource, as we at MCLE continue our efforts to bring you the latest solutions to the issues you face in your practice.

  Very truly yours,

  John M. Lawlor, Esq., MCLE Publications Attorney

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 expand

Practical Steps in Handling an Estate Planning Matter

Buy Chapter

Jennifer T. Fleming, Esq., Prince Lobel Tye LLP

Exhibit 1A

- Estate Planning Questionnaire Buy Form

Exhibit 1B

- Sample Correspondence Buy Form

Chapter 2 expand

Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes

Buy Chapter

Patricia M. Annino, Esq., Rimon, PC
Eric D. Karlberg, Esq., BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Christopher D. Perry, Esq., The Northern Trust Company
Michelle M. Porter, Esq., Goulston & Storrs, PC
Andrew D. Rothstein, Esq., Goulston & Storrs, PC
Helen H. Stewart, Esq.,

Chapter 3 expand

Fundamental Testamentary Planning

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Thomas E. Bator, Esq., Pratt, Bator & Popov LLP
Tracy A. Craig, Esq., Seder & Chandler
William N. Friedler, Esq., Verrill Dana LLP
Janet Wilson Moore, Esq., Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP
Evelyn V. Moreno, Esq., Nixon Peabody LLP
Lisa M. Neeley, Esq., Rubin and Rudman LLP
Jeffrey W. Roberts, Esq., Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Michael J. Simolo, Esq., Fierst Bloomberg Ohm LLP
Jon E. Steffensen, Esq., McLane Middleton

Exhibit 3A

- Pour-Over Will Provision: Pour-Over Residue to Own Trust Buy Form

Exhibit 3B

- Pour-Over Will Provision: Residue to Other Person’s Trust Buy Form

Exhibit 3C

- Marital Deduction/Generation-Skipping Trust Buy Form

Chapter 4 expand

Marital Deduction Planning and Drafting Techniques

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Jon E. Steffensen, Esq., McLane Middleton

Exhibit 4A

- 26 U.S.C. § 2011 Credit for State Death Taxes Buy Form

Chapter 5 expand

Lifetime Asset Transfers

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Tracy A. Craig, Esq., Seder & Chandler
Allen J. Falke, Esq., Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee LLP
Melissa Langa, Esq., Bove & Langa, PC
Molly R. Soiffer, Esq., Bove & Langa, PC

Exhibit 5A

- Section 2503(c) Trust Buy Form

Exhibit 5B

- Sample Crummey Trust Buy Form

Chapter 6 expand

Charitable Giving Outright and in Trust

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Mark M. Christopher, Esq., Goulston & Storrs, PC

Exhibit 6A

- IRS Revenue Procedures Issuing Sample CRT Forms Buy Form

Chapter 7 expand

Life Insurance and Estate Planning

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Robert L. Arone, Esq., Orsi Arone Rothenberg & Turner LLP
Richard P. Breed, III, Esq., Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, PC
William D. Kirchick, Esq., Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Alan S. Novick, Esq., Novick Law Offices
Ralph J. Rotman, CLU, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

Exhibit 7A

- Unilateral Buyout Agreement Buy Form

Exhibit 7B

- Split-Dollar Insurance Agreement Buy Form

Exhibit 7C

- Crummey Instructions and Notice Buy Form

Chapter 8 expand

Advance Medical Directives: Living Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Health-Care Proxies

Buy Chapter

Sheryl J. Dennis, Esq., Fields and Dennis LLP
Vicki L. Shemin, Esq., Fields and Dennis LLP

Checklist 8.1

- Health Care Proxy Checklist Buy Form

Exhibit 8A

- Living Will Buy Form

Exhibit 8B

- Durable Power of Attorney Buy Form

Exhibit 8C

- Health Care Proxies Buy Form

Exhibit 8D

- Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) Buy Form

Chapter 9 expand

Estate Planning for Retirement Benefits

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Robert G. Holdway, Esq.,

Exhibit 9A

- Uniform Lifetime Table Buy Form

Exhibit 9B

- Sample Basic Beneficiary Designation Buy Form

Exhibit 9C

- Single Life Table Buy Form

Exhibit 9D

- Distribution Period Buy Form

Chapter 10 expand

Basic Strategies to Preserve and Protect the Family Business

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Luke C. Bean, Esq., Rico, Murphy, Diamond & Bean LLP
Lisa M. Rico, Esq., Rico, Murphy, Diamond & Bean LLP
Judith A. Saxe, Esq., CIBC Private Wealth Management

Chapter 11 expand

Medicaid and Creditor Protection Trusts

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John J. Bowe, Jr., Esq., John J. Bowe, Attorney at Law, P.C.

Chapter 12 expand

Marital Agreements

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Mary H. Schmidt, Esq., Verrill Dana LLP
Christopher H. Suh, Esq., The Wagner Law Group, A Professional Corporation

Checklist 12.1

- Prenuptial Agreement Checklist Buy Form

Checklist 12.2

- Postnuptial Agreement Checklist Buy Form

Checklist 12.3

- Separation Agreement Checklist Buy Form

Chapter 13 expand

Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples

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Donna M. Turley, Esq., Turley LLC

Chapter 14 expand

Planning for Incapacity

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Susan K. McClements, Esq.,

Exhibit 14A

- Language Defining Incapacity Buy Form

Exhibit 14B

- Special Clauses for Durable Power of Attorney Buy Form

Exhibit 14C

- Escrow Agreement Buy Form

Exhibit 14D

- Durable General Power of Attorney Buy Form

Exhibit 14E

- Affidavit Regarding Power of Attorney (REBA Form 1) Buy Form

Exhibit 14F

- Sample Health-Care Proxy Buy Form

Exhibit 14G

- HIPAA Release Form Buy Form

Exhibit 14H

- Additional Resources Buy Form

Chapter 15 expand

Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples: Selected Issues

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Thanda Fields Brassard, Esq., Fiduciary Trust Company

Chapter 16 expand

Same-Sex Marriage, Divorce, and Estate Planning Issues

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Lisa M. Cukier, Esq., Burns & Levinson LLP
Andrea E. Nelson, Esq., Burns & Levinson LLP

Checklist 16.1

- Adoption Checklist: Coparent Adoption (Where One or Both Parties Are Already Legal Parents to Child) Buy Form

Checklist 16.2

- Known Donor Checklist for Married Same-Sex Couples Buy Form

Checklist 16.3

- Adoption Checklist—Private Domestic or International Adoption Buy Form

Checklist 16.4

- Alternate Routes to Parentage Buy Form

Checklist 16.5

- Guardian ad Litem Initial Questions (When Ascertaining Whether to Propose or Agree to GAL) Buy Form

Exhibit 16A

- Joint Representation Consent Buy Form

Exhibit 16B

- Motion to Waive Six-Month Residency Requirement Buy Form

Exhibit 16C

- Motion to Waive Notice [to Be Filed Where Child Conceived Prior to Marriage or Nonmarital] Buy Form

Exhibit 16D

- Affidavit [to Be Filed Where Child Conceived During Marriage] Buy Form

Exhibit 16E

- Motion to Waive Home Study Buy Form

Exhibit 16F

- Affidavit of Parents Buy Form

Exhibit 16G

- Form R-891S: Certificate of Adoption Buy Form

Exhibit 16H

- Complaint to Establish Parentage and Support Memorandum Buy Form

Exhibit 16I

- Client Intake Checklist for Dissolutions/Divorce and Potential Issues Buy Form

Exhibit 16J

- Complaint in Equity for Dissolution of Civil Union Buy Form

Exhibit 16K

- Health-Care Proxy Buy Form

Exhibit 16L

- Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information Buy Form

Exhibit 16M

- Massachusetts Health-Care Proxy Information, Instructions, and Form Buy Form

Exhibit 16N

- DNR Order Verification Buy Form

Exhibit 16O

- Durable Power of Attorney Buy Form

Exhibit 16P

- Statement Concerning Durable Power of Attorney Buy Form

Exhibit 16Q

- Will Buy Form

Exhibit 16R

- Declaration as to Remains Buy Form

Exhibit 16S

- Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage Buy Form

Chapter 17 expand

Postmortem Estate Planning

Buy Chapter

Clifford R. Cohen, Esq., Burns & Levinson LLP
George L. Cushing, Esq., McLane Middleton
Eric P. Hayes, Esq., Goodwin Procter LLP
Colin M. Korzec, Esq., Bank of America, Private Bank
Karen L. Witherell, Esq., Bove & Langa, PC

Checklist 17.1

- Checklist for Disclaimers Buy Form

Exhibit 17A

- Disclaimer of Survivorship Interest in Joint Property and of Powers as Beneficiary and Trustee of Trust Buy Form

Exhibit 17B

- Disclaimer of an Interest in Real Estate Buy Form

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