Biography

With more than 30 years of experience in environmental law, Tom is a distinguished attorney in the field. From Preti Flaherty’s Boston office, he advises national and international companies with operations in New England—as well as insurers, small businesses, individuals, and municipalities—on a variety of business and operational issues arising in the context of land use and environmental law, such as site investigations and remedial actions under the National Contingency Plan and the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. The focus of Tom’s practice is on matters involving hazardous materials and oil in the environment, including the lease, sale, and development of environmentally impacted commercial property (brownfields); regulatory compliance; risk management; insurance coverage; and contract review, drafting, and negotiation, and multi-party negotiations for the resolution of potential liability at Superfund sites across the region.

As an attorney in the Office of Enforcement & Compliance Monitoring at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, Tom provided legal support to EPA regional offices in the development and prosecution of enforcement actions under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and participated in developing and implementing related policies.

He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Northeastern University School of Law. Following law school, he served as a clerk to the Hon. A. Franklin Burgess, Jr., in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and was an Associate at a DC law firm before moving over to the EPA. Prior to joining Preti Flaherty, Tom served for more than two decades as a Partner and Of Counsel at notable law firms in Boston.

Tom lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Professional Activities

  • Boston Bar Association
  • Massachusetts Licensed Site Professional Association, Regulations Committee
  • Environmental Business Council of New England, Site Remediation and Redevelopment Committee

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Middlesex County Beekeepers Association, President 2009-Present

Firm Highlights

News

Matt Warner Named to Cannabis Law Journal Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers 2023

Preti Flaherty attorney and Cannabis Business Group member Matt Warner has been named to the list of Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers for 2023-2024. A joint publication of  Cannabis Law Report and  Cannabis Law...

News

Jeffrey Talbert Named to American College of Environmental Lawyers

Jeffrey Talbert, Chair of Preti Flaherty’s Environmental Law Group, has been invited to become a Fellow in the distinguished American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). Membership in the premiere association of environmental lawyers is by...

Event

2023 Maine Employment Law Summit

For nearly 30 years, Preti Flaherty's Employment Law team has provided Maine employers with practical guidance and best practices at our annual Employment Law Summit. Join us  Thursday, October 5  for the 2023 Employment...

Publication

How to navigate the legal side of nondisclosure agreements

Preti Flaherty attorney Kristy Abraham has authored an article for  MaineBiz  on navigating the legal side of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), outlining six questions for organizations to review before entering into a NDA.

Press Coverage

Maine Media Organizations Oppose Foreign Electioneering Ban

Question 2 on Maine’s November ballot asserts that corporations owned or controlled by foreign governments do not have the same rights to political speech as companies here in the U.S. and that foreign governments should be prohibited...

Press Coverage

Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting Wins Public Records Dispute with York County Jail

Publication

Municipal Update: Maine Legislature Acts to Clarify Sales of Tax-Acquired Properties

Early this week, in response to the  United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in  Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota  (598 U.S. (2023)) , the Maine Legislature passed emergency legislation establishing a new process for...

Publication

Maine Law Amended to Require More Details When Public Employees Disciplined

Governor Mills recently signed a bill amending the public disclosure requirements for public employees who have been disciplined. Although widely reported as applying to police misconduct, the law applies to all government employees. The...

Publication

Schutz and Harriman Author Article for MLRC on Mill's Veto of Constitutionally Fraught Legislation

In an article for the Media Law Resource Center's July 2023 Media Law Letter,  Preti Flaherty attorneys Sig Schutz and Alex Harriman explore Gov. Janet Mills' recent veto of L.D. 1610, “An Act to Prohibit Campaign Spending...

News

Preti Flaherty Litigation Practice Group Adds Four New Attorneys

Preti Flaherty is pleased to announce the addition of four experienced Associates to the firm’s Litigation Practice Group: Stephen Garvey, Michael Hanify, Hanna May, and Tiffany Ottenga. Stephen Garvey is a graduate of Boston...