BowenBowen PC

03/09/2023

Do you have a legal problem but think you can’t afford a lawyer? There is a lot you can do yourself with a little guidance! At just $250 an hour, our advice is affordable and competitive. If it only takes us a half hour, that’s just $125! We can help with most civil matters. Call or email today! 978-582-0050 or [email protected].

01/29/2023

Lunenburg Property Tax Abatement! Hard deadline to file is February first! If you need help, contact us!

978-582-0050!

12/24/2020

06/26/2020

Evictions During Covid.
Massachusetts courts will slowly start to reopen in July. What does that mean for evictions? The gradual physical reopening of the courts, including the housing court, which will happen in July does not mean that all evictions can resume. Non-emergency evictions cannot proceed. Not only will cases not be accepted for filing, but notices to quit cannot even be served.
The definition of emergency is narrow, limited to criminal activity or for cause evictions in which the health or safety of other tenants is at risk.
This will also have implications for rent increases, because if they are not voluntarily agreed to, the old tenancy cannot be terminated at this time.
If you are a landlord or tenant trying to navigate this crisis, please contact us today!

04/28/2020

VIRTUAL NOTARY IS HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS!

It’s official. The virtual notary bill is law. You can now execute the documents you need for real estate transactions and estate planning remotely with video conferencing. Massachusetts joins 23 states that allow this permanently, and at least 11 others that have enacted temporary laws during the pandemic.

For real estate transaction, the law requires two video conferences, the first to execute the documents, and a second when they are notarized, to confirm the documents in the possession of the notary are the same documents that were executed. For wills and trust and other estate planning documents, only the signing video conference is needed.

Here at BowenBowen PC, we are happy to meet all your legal needs remotely during this time. Now is the time to make sure you and your loved ones have the estate plan in place that you need. We can help you with this quickly and safely. Call us today, or share this with a friend who might need it.

04/24/2020

Virtual Notary Law!
It is here. Governor Baker is expected to sign into law the bill allowing virtual notarization of contracts in Massachusetts! This means that real estate transactions, and more importantly wills and other estate planning documents, can all be done remotely in these days of social distancing. If you have been putting off important legal matters for fear of having to transact business in person, call us today!

04/20/2020

Self-employed can now apply for benefits! Contact us for more information!

https://www.facebook.com/BowenBowen-PC-165773056788583/

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits.

03/23/2017

Real Estate and the Supreme Court. The Court heard arguments this week in a important property rights case. The doctrine of "merger" means that when once separately owned lots come under the same ownership, they lose their "grandfathered" status under zoning. That could mean a once viable building lot is worthless. The Murr family is fighting the constitutionality of one such county ordinance in Wisconsin. This has national implications, as many states, including Massachusetts, recognize the merger doctrine. Stay tuned.

And if you have zoning problems or questions, contact BowenBowen PC.

02/05/2017

So, believe it or not, there are legal parallels between the ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries and the deflategate ruling. Deflategate was upheld not because of the underlying merits, but because the Commissioner was found to have wide discretion under the CBA to act. IF, as Judge Gorton in MA found, the ban is Constitutional, it will because the Court finds the President has the absolute power to do whatever he wants. Vastly different contexts (and texts), but the fundamental question is the same. If you feel your rights to Due Process are being or have been denied, contact us!

03/09/2016

Deflategate in a nutshell. You may have heard rumblings that Brady might lose his appeal. He might. The collective bargaining agreement is a private contract. Private parties have wide lattitude to agree to just about anything. The parties agreed that Goodell could act as the final arbiter of these disputes. It may be dumb...it may be unfair...but that's what they agreed to.

The lack of evidence, the largely disproved "science" underlying the decision, the shocking dismissal of the measurements from the guage that was "probably" the one used...even punishing Brady for not turning over his phone which he had been told would not be required...these things might matter to due process if the case was decided in court with a trial in the first place. They are though less relevant in an appeal from an arbiter's decision.

In a sense, the parties agreed to the decision-maker, warts and all. The real question is does the decision so offend the notions of due process -- was it so bad-- that even though the parties got what they bargained for, the court must set it aside. This case presents an interesting question...how bad is too bad for a Court to enforce the decision? Judge Berman thought it was too bad and would not uphold it. The appeals court might hold their nose and enforce it.

So interestingly enough, this may become an important labor law decision: what, if any, are the minimum due process standards for the court to uphold a decision, even if it is not the decision they would have made.