Member
E-mail: pcantor@k-plaw.com
Phone: 617.556.0007
Practice Areas: General Municipal, Land Use, Litigation
Attorney Patricia Cantor represents Massachusetts cities and towns in state and federal courts and before state agencies, with emphasis on land use, zoning and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. She counsels clients on zoning and subdivision control and represents municipalities in all phases of the permitting process, from reviewing initial applications through defending decisions in all levels of the state and federal courts. Attorney Cantor also drafts by-laws, ordinances, and regulations and represents municipalities on zoning and other enforcement matters. Additionally, Attorney Cantor counsels cities and towns on general matters of municipal law and advises at board and board and community meetings, as well as town meetings. Recently Attorney Cantor has led the firm’s medical marijuana practice and presented numerous seminars on the subject for clients, as well as for the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative and the Boston Bar Association.
- Zaskey v. Town of Whately, 61 Mass. App. Ct. 609 (2004). Court upheld a 19th century vote to discontinue a public way.
- Durbin v. Board of Selectmen of Kingston, 62 Mass. App. Ct. 1 (2004). Court established standards applicable to appeals in vicious dog case.
- Fragopoulos v. Rent Control Board of Cambridge, 408 Mass. 302 (1990). Court affirmed the authority of a municipal agency to grant conditional permits and upheld the constitutionality of a city ordinance.
Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
Clinical Instructor (1995-1997)
Supervised law students in a clinical setting and taught an accompanying litigation and practice skills course.
City of Cambridge, Cambridge, MA
General Counsel, Rent Control Board (1983-1995)
Advised municipal agency on administrative practice and litigated many cases through the appellate courts.
Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston, MA
Managing Attorney and Staff Attorney (1972-1982)
Directed and participated extensively in community outreach and education, including establishing a city-wide elderly legal assistance program and litigated cases in state and federal courts and administrative agencies.
- “Super Lawyer” in the field of municipal law, Law & Politics, a publication of Key Professional Media, Inc.
- Massachusetts Municipal Law Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association – Former Members, Public Law Section Council
- Massachusetts Bar
- U.S. District Court (Mass.)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
Boston University School of Law
Juris Doctor, 1972
Mount Holyoke College
Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, 1969
- Author, “Evaluating Evidence in Municipal Hearings,” Municipal Advocate, Massachusetts Municipal Association, Winter 1995
- Author, “Where are Courts Going With Regulatory Takings?” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, July 1995
- Author, “Medical Marijuana Law – What We Know Since the November Election,” Massachusetts Lawyers Journal, June 2013
- Author, “Municipal Zoning Regulation and Medical Marijuana in Massachusetts,” New England School of Law e-Journal, March 2015