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Schofield Donnelly

Schofield Donnelly

Tim Schofield Featured in New England Real Estate Journal

We’re proud to share that our Managing Partner, Tim Schofield was featured in the New England Real Estate Journal (NEREJ) 2026 Mid-Year Review Industry Pulse. In the feature, Tim discusses how our firm’s agility, entrepreneurial mindset, and commitment to exceptional client service continue to create opportunities for both the firm and its clients. Thank you […]

Tim Schofield Interviewed About Important Appellate Case

Our Managing Partner, ๐—ง๐—ถ๐—บ ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฑ, was interviewed and quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly for his analysis of a recent Appeals Court decision addressing several important legal issues. As Tim noted: “๐™๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š’๐™จ ๐™– ๐™ก๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š, ๐™–๐™จ ๐™– ๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™œ๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ง, ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ข๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ฌ๐™ค๐™ง๐™  ๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™. ๐™”๐™ค๐™ช ๐™๐™–๐™ซ๐™š ๐™ง๐™š๐™ฅ๐™ช๐™™๐™ž๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™ž๐™จ๐™จ๐™ช๐™š๐™จ, ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช ๐™๐™–๐™ซ๐™š ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™™๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™š๐™˜๐™š๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™จ๐™จ๐™ช๐™š๐™จ, ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช’๐™ซ๐™š ๐™œ๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™–๐™˜๐™ฉ […]

Massachusetts Housing Court Adopts New Permanent Rules for Remote and In-Person Hearings

Effective June 1, 2026, the Massachusetts Housing Court implements new procedures governing when court events will occur remotely, in person, or in a hybrid format. The new rule, Housing Court Standing Order 1-26: In-Person and Remote Court Hearings, replaces the temporary pandemic-era remote hearing framework and formally establishes a long-term hybrid court model for Housing […]

Massachusetts Nears 100 โ€œHousing Choiceโ€ Communities as State Expands Rural Participation

Massachusetts continues to push aggressively to address its housing shortage, and one of the stateโ€™s primary incentive-based programs is expanding. On April 13, 2026, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (โ€œEOHLCโ€) designated 29 additional municipalities as โ€œHousing Choice Communities,โ€ bringing the statewide total to 92 communities โ€” including 27 designated as โ€œRural and […]

Court Refuses to Dissolve Lis Pendens After Seller Allegedly Shrinks Parcel Before Closing

A recent Essex Superior Court decision offers an important reminder to Massachusetts real estate litigators: courts will not dissolve a lis pendens simply because a defendant disputes the facts. In SRO Development LLC v. 46 Seagrass LLC, the court allowed a buyerโ€™s lis pendens to remain in place after the seller allegedly reduced the size […]

Legal Fees and the Delicate Balance of Summary Process Proceedings

Two federal lawsuits pending in Boston are challenging a practice that has long operated in the background of Massachusetts summary process cases: the assessment of landlord legal fees before a case proceeds to judgment and before a judge reviews those fees. The cases, filed against AvalonBay Communities and Greystar, ask a federal court to determine […]

Condominium Board Discretion is Not Absolute

A recent decision from the Massachusetts Land Court serves as an important reminder that while condominium boards are afforded broad discretion, that discretion is not without limits. In Feldman v. Sanctuary Condominium Association, the Land Court held that a condominium board failed to act in good faith and in the exercise of its honest judgment […]

20 Years and Counting…and Growing!

20 Years!   When Tim Schofieldย started hisย legal career at Goulstonย &ย Storrs, the firm was celebrating its 100th Anniversary.ย  When heย moved toย Sally & Fitch (nowย Fitch Law Partners), the firm was celebrating its 20th Anniversary.ย  Both milestones seemed impossibly distant when Timย launched Schofield & Associates in 2004.ย  And yet, here we are 20 years later celebrating what has […]

What’s In a Name?

What’s in a Name? When your business is built on trust, your name is everything. Over the last 19 years, Tim Schofield has built a law firm with a reputation for providing candid counsel and sensible and sophisticated solutions. Since 2014, Chris Donnelly has helped define our firm through his intelligence, hard work, and commitment to our clients. His knowledge, experience, and […]

Remote Condo Meetings During COVID and Beyond

During the pandemic, we have received numerous inquiries from condominium associations and property managers as to whether it is proper or permissible for meetings to be held remotely.  The short answer is probably not.  Most condominium documents require that trustee and owner meetings be held in-person and that owners vote in person or by proxy […]