Firm Overview

Family Law and Residential Real Estate Lawyer in Eastern Massachusetts (Lexington)

At the law office of Paul Newman, Attorney-at-Law, I am the sole practitioner. I share an office with 5 other lawyers, all independent sole practitioners, and we lend support to one another although we are not a firm. In addition, we have six support staff who assist us. 

I concentrate my practice mostly in Family Law matters, but I also do Residential Real Estate Law and Estates Law. I require a retainer fee for Family Law cases, and bill on an hourly rate basis for Family Law, Residential Real Estate Law and Estates Law matters (preparation of wills and related documents are billed on a per document basis).. I serve clients throughout Eastern Massachusetts, including Lexington, MA and the Greater Boston Area.

When you hire me, I am the professional who will personally meet with you and handle your case at every stage; your case will not get passed off to an associate or paralegal.  I truly give every client the individual attention they each deserve.

I have 24 years of legal experience in the public sector, providing legal services to the poor, and 15 years of experience in the private sector, having opened my solo practice in 1990. My office is conveniently located only one minute off Route 128 (95) in Lexington, MA.

I earned my A.B. from Harvard University (Magna Cum Laude, 1963), and my LL.B. from Columbia University (1966). I am licensed to practice law in the state of Massachusetts (admitted 1966), as well as in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (admitted 1968). I worked in the public sector for the first 24 years of my legal career, providing legal services to low-income people.

From 1967-1970 I worked at a neighborhood legal services clinic where I trained and supervised Harvard Law School students in the legal representation of low-income people, and I provided such representation myself.  From 1970-1984 I was the New England Regional Director of the Legal Services Corporation, overseeing the provision of legal services to low-income people throughout New England. From 1984-1990 I was the Executive Director of the Center For Law and Education in Cambridge. During these years I received several awards for providing distinguished legal services to the poor.

From 1972-1973 I was an appointed member of the Cambridge Rent Control Board.  I was the appointed Chairman of the Lexington By-Laws Committee from 1981-1982. I was elected to the Lexington School Committee in 1983, and served until 1989, as Chairman for 2 years. I was a Lexington Town Meeting member from 1983-1995. Currently I serve as a Hearing Officer on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Hearing Committee (a disciplinary committee addressing allegations of attorney misconduct) (2003-Present). In addition I  currently serve on, and do pro bono legal work for, the Advisory Board of the Special Needs Arts Fund, which brings music and the arts to developmentally delayed people with special needs of all ages.
 
Legal organizations to which I belong include the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Central Middlesex Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council.

I have a healthy combination of court presence and negotiating skill; I am a skilled litigator, but a committed negotiator. I am always prepared to go to court if necessary to get the best result, but I feel it works to my client’s advantage to attempt to resolve each case by negotiation. When a case is settled prior to trial, my client is assured of reasonable success on his or her highest priorities, while avoiding the high legal fees associated with a trial. However, when the only settlement on which the parties can agree is unfair, the case should be tried before a judge.

In addition to litigation, I practice Collaborative Law, where the parties and attorneys agree from the outset to settle the case without the involvement of a judge. While this method is not appropriate for all cases, it offers a very positive method of resolving problems for those clients who are committed to exchange relevant information and negotiate in good faith. In the Collaborative Law process, both clients must be willing to participate in this less combative approach, and both attorneys should be trained in its use.

I offer evening and weekend office hours.  Contact me today to schedule an initial consultation.

Paul Newman, Attorney-at-Law
7 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA  02421
Phone:  (781) 861-7785
Fax:  (781) 863-2201
E-Mail:  pnewman@masslaw.us