Experience

Leonard Kopelman is a renowned expert in municipal law, with over 40 years of experience representing municipalities in all aspects of municipal law, civil litigation, and administrative agency proceedings. Attorney Kopelman has served as the State Chairman of the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers and Chairman of the Municipal Law Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association. He has been recognized as one of the twelve most “Influential Lawyers in Massachusetts” by the National Law Journal and was recently named a “Super Lawyer” in municipal law by Law & Politics. He specializes in advising town officials and departments on state law issues affecting the operation of local government, including open meeting law, public records law, conflict of interest, municipal finance, Town Meeting, the implementation of local laws and regulations, and land use. Attorney Kopelman has also appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States and is frequently called upon by state agencies to testify before the legislature and various commissions.

Leonard Kopelman has an international reputation as well. He serves as the Consul General to the Republic of Finland for the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island and is Dean of the Consular Corps of Boston. In addition, he is the Director General of the International Consular Corps. He has participated in several Foreign Policy Conferences for senior business executives with the Secretary of State and was the United States Delegate to the Society for International Development 14th World Conference held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is past state chairman of the American Bar Association Committee of Diplomatic and Consular Law.

Dr. Kopelman has been lecturing on management and law at Harvard University for the past 30 years. He has taught at the Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, Harvard College, and Harvard Extension School and is a Pre-Law Advisor. He delivered the 1983 Commencement address to Harvard University Extension and was the 25 year Honorand for the year 2001. He has won two teaching awards at Harvard and lectures abroad extensively.

Leonard Kopelman serves as a master in the Superior Court and was the former chair of the Education Committee of the American Judges Association. He was appointed by the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court to serve as member of the Court’s Special Committee on Legal Education. He is a past president of the Massachusetts State Chamber of Commerce, State Chairman of the American Bar Association Committee on Diplomatic and Consular Law, and was appointed by the President of the United States to head the legal division of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Massachusetts. He is also active in community and civic organizations and serves on the Board of Trustees of several nonprofit organizations.

Prior Experience

Norfolk County
Special Assistant District Attorney (1971)

U.S. Security and Exchange Commission
Law Clerk (1964)

Honors & Awards

• Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in the World
• 2006 “Super Lawyer” in the field of municipal law by Law & Politics, Inc.
• Recognized as one of the twelve most “Influential Lawyers in Massachusetts” by the National Law Journal
• Received a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in Jurisprudence
• Harvard University Shattuck Award for Excellence in Teaching
• Harvard University Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award

Memberships & Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Vice-Chairman (former), Docket Call
• State Chairman, Committee on Diplomatic and Consular Law
• Member, ABA-YLS Judicial Selection Committee for Federal Judiciary
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Chairman (former), Section on Municipal Law
• Member of three-man Committee to act as General Counsel
• National Institute of Municipal Law Officers (former State Chairman)
• American Association of University Professors (former Executive Secretary)
• American Judicature Society
• American and Massachusetts Bar Foundation (limited to 2% of Bar)
• American Judges Association
• Massachusetts Municipal Association, Technical Advisor, Policy Committee on Municipal and Regional Administration
• President, Massachusetts State Chamber of Commerce (1975-1977)
• Director, Massachusetts Department of Community Affairs-Public Service Intern Program (appointed by the Governor)
• Director General, Consular Corps College (1990-1995)
• Vice President, Federation Internationale des Corps et Associations Consulaires (1988-1994)
• Director General, International Consular Corps

Civic Affiliations

• Trustee, Cathedral of the Pines, a National Shrine
• Director, Camp Allan for Blind Girls (Kiwanis)
• Trustee, Faulkner Hospital
• Trustee, Parker Hill Medical Center

Bar & Court Admissions

• Massachusetts Bar
• State and Federal Courts in Massachusetts
• Supreme Court of the United States

Education

Harvard Law School
Juris Doctor, 1965

Harvard College
A.B. cum laude, 1962

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Former Editor of Law Notes (second largest legal publication) and the Quarterly Journal of Economics
• Author of books entitled Rent Control and the Health Code and Legal Checklists
• Has appeared in Business Week and on CNN
• Various articles on Municipal Law in the Boston Bar Journal and the Municipal Advocate (MMA), including: “Municipalities Can Use Tax Agreements to Promote Affordable Housing” and “The Art and Science of Managing Legal Services”

Testimony

• Testified before the Massachusetts state legislature at the request of various state agencies, including most recently the State Ethics Commission on obtaining rule making powers

< Prev		Next >