Paul R. DeRensis
pderensis@aol.com
Principal

Areas of practice: Mr. DeRensis has been a practicing attorney for over thirty-eight years and has represented municipalities for approximately thirty years. In addition to his legal perspective, he has practical hands-on familiarity with the problems faced by a municipality in that he has served municipal government as an appointed official, as an elected member of a Town Planning Board and as an elected member of a Board of Selectmen.

Work for clients: Mr. DeRensis has represented a number of public entities and has served as Town Counsel or Special Town Counsel, County Counsel, counsel to a Land Bank, an Airport, and a Water Company. As a consequence of these activities, Mr. DeRensis has had experience with City Councils, Town Managers, Boards of Selectmen, Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions, Town Meetings, Warrants, Boards of Appeals, Executive Secretaries or Town Administrators, Housing Partnerships, Study Committees, Historic District Commissions, Parks & Recreation Commissions, Boards of Health, Boards of Assessors, Treasurers, Town Clerks, Town Accountants, Building Inspectors, Police and Fire Departments, Schools and Continuing Education Programs, Alcohol Licenses and other licenses and permits, Boards of Sewer Commissioners, Special Permit Granting Authorities, Department of Revenue, State Ethics Commission, and the like. He also has an understanding of public procurement, land use, environmental, civil rights, contracts of all kinds, ethics issues, municipal finance/Department of Revenue issues, special education issues, retirement issues and the like. Mr. DeRensis also practices in the area of corporate governance and litigation, representing both non-profit and for-profit corporations.

Professional activities: Mr. DeRensis was named a Massachusetts SuperLawyer in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The list of Massachusetts Super Lawyers is assembled by Law & Politics in conjunction with Boston Magazine and is based on surveys of more than 32,000 lawyers across the state aimed at selecting as Super Lawyers the top 5 percent of Massachusetts attorneys in more than 60 practice areas. Mr. DeRensis is one of only nine lawyers statewide recognized as a Super Lawyer in the municipal law area in 2005, and one of only eleven lawyers recognized in this area in 2007. All Massachusetts Super Lawyers are listed in November's issue of Boston Magazine. Mr. DeRensis is admitted to in New York; U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Massachusetts, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court.

Personal/Community activities: Mr. DeRensis is a member of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Mr. DeRensis is a five-term elected official serving as a town selectman. He was also chairman of the Board for six years, a former planning board member, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Selectman's association.

Publications/Presentations: “The Civil Liabilities of Data Base Operators”, The Practical Lawyer, July 1978 (Reprinted), DATA EXCHANGE, March-April 1979); “Impact of Computers on Professional Malpractice”, The Practical Lawyer, June 1979 (Reprinted), Case & Comment, May-June 1980); “Discovery and Pretrial Defense in a Proprietary Rights Case”, Contesting Computer Disputes, Harcourt, Brace & Janovitch, 1981.

Education: Mr. DeRensis received his Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.