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Nutter Expands Real Estate, Environmental, and Administrative/Government Capabilities With Addition of Partner Matthew Connolly
Print PDFMatthew J. Connolly has rejoined the firm as a partner in its Real Estate Department. Connolly will focus his practice on advising the Firm’s clients on environmental/administrative/government law, compliance matters, and regulatory litigation. Connolly has extensive experience in representing companies and individuals in federal and state courts, and before multiple agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
“We have seen an increasing demand for sophisticated real estate and environmental work, and Matt will further strengthen our highly regarded team in these strategic areas,” said Michael Scott, Nutter’s Co-Managing Partner. “We are delighted to welcome Matt back to the Firm.”
Prior to rejoining Nutter in 2022, Connolly served as the General Counsel to the Executive Office of Education in the Administration of Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito. In this role, he was the chief legal officer to the Education Secretariat and an advisor on legal issues and policy development to the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of Education, and the three state education departments: the Department of Early Education and Care, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Department of Higher Education. Connolly’s responsibilities also entailed oversight of litigation involving the Secretariat and its departments and coordination with other state agencies on cross-Secretariat matters. In 2021, Connolly received the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Team Award for Excellence in Public Service, an annual award given by the Governor to 10 employees or groups of employees who exemplify the highest standards of public service.
Before Connolly was appointed General Counsel to the Executive Office of Education, he was a partner in Nutter’s Litigation Department, where he represented clients on complex business disputes and in state and federal court actions and regulatory proceedings. His work included representing clients in enforcement and compliance matters before FERC, including a matter that resulted in one of the largest settlements in FERC’s history. He was also lead appellate counsel on behalf of two Massachusetts municipalities appealing water discharge permits issued by the EPA under the Clean Water Act, resulting in favorable settlements and substantial operational savings to the municipalities and their rate payers. Connolly has also served as the interim chief legal counsel and senior policy advisor at the Office of the State Senate Minority Leader in Boston. He began his legal career as a litigator in the Washington, DC office of an international law firm.
“Matt has significant experience representing government agencies and market-leading companies in complex matters. He focuses on providing sophisticated legal counsel to protect client interests and promote client objectives, and will be an invaluable advisor to our clients as they grow their businesses,” said Marianne Ajemian, chair of Nutter’s Real Estate Department.
Connolly was a member of the 2016-17 class of the Boston Bar Association’s Public Interest Leadership Program, which promotes civic engagement and public service by advancing the leadership role of lawyers in service to their communities. In 2017, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named Connolly an “Up & Coming Lawyer” honoree. He is a member of the Boston Bar Association. Connolly earned his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from Georgetown University.
Nutter’s Real Estate Department provides expertise, both nationally and regionally, on a wide range of legal challenges surrounding all types of real estate, including the most complex transactions and developments. The team has broad experience covering real estate transactional and finance work, as well as related entitlement, land use, and environmental matters. Owners, operators, lenders, developers, and others involved in real estate-related transactions frequently turn to Nutter for legal advice and services.
About Nutter
Nutter is a Boston-based law firm that provides legal counsel to industry-leading companies, entrepreneurs, institutions, foundations, and families, across the country and around the world. The firm’s corporate, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and land use, labor and employment, tax, and trusts and estates practices are national in scope. The firm was co-founded in 1879 by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, before his appointment to the Court. For more information, please visit www.nutter.com and follow the firm on LinkedIn.
