KCS LEGAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Retired ( February 28, 2022 )
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate With the Education and Disability
Alicia M.P. Warren is an associate with the Education and Disability Law group. Her practice currently focuses on representing families who have children with special needs, advising parents on a wide range of special education law issues. Ms. Warren represents clients in all phases of litigation, including matters pending before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, as well as in state and federal court. Ms. Warren also lectures on special education law, presenting to parent groups, advocates, experts, and other organizations. Ms. Warren has been named a Rising Star by New England Super Lawyers Magazine, from 2017 to the present. She has also been named a Top Lawyer in education by Boston Magazine (2022).
Prior to joining Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, Ms. Warren worked as an associate at a regional law firm headquartered in Boston, where she supported the litigation group. She also clerked for the Honorable Francis R. Fecteau in the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Anne Josephson focuses her practice in employment law and litigation, and also represents clients in a wide variety of litigation matters including civil rights, business, real estate, and health law. In the area of employment law and litigation, Ms. Josephson represents employers and employees alike.
Ms. Josephson typically advises individuals and businesses on a broad range of employment-related matters. For employers, this typically includes counseling on employment policies, practices, and decision-making, as well as training for compliance with various employment-related laws. Ms. Josephson has also been retained to conduct internal investigations of discrimination complaints. For individuals, her practice typically involves negotiation of employment contracts and severance agreements; counseling on employment issues arising in the workplace; and pursuing and/or defending employment-related claims in administrative and judicial proceedings. The type of claims she works on broadly includes those arising under federal and state antidiscrimination laws; those arising under employment contracts, including change of control provisions covenants not to compete; and those arising under ERISA. Ms. Josephson regularly represents organizations who file amicus briefs on matters affecting the enforcement of civil rights and workplace antidiscrimination laws. She has completed the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination "Train the Trainer" program, offering best practices in anti-discrimination training and in conducting workplace investigations of discrimination complaints. Ms. Josephson frequently serves as a panelist in continuing legal education programs offered on current topics in employment law.
Ms. Josephson served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward F. Hennessey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Assistant Attorney General in the Government Bureau of the Department of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and Associate and Junior Partner at Nutter, McClennen & Fish. In addition, Ms. Josephson was a Teaching Fellow and former Adjunct Professor in Advanced Written Advocacy at Boston College Law School. She has also served as a facilitator in the City-Wide Dialogues on Racial and Ethnic Diversity.
Dan Heffernan concentrates his practice in the areas of special education, civil rights, personal injury, medical malpractice, and children's torts. He represents children with special needs and their families, people injured in accidents, and those who have had their civil rights violated.
Mr. Heffernan has extensive trial experience and has litigated numerous complex cases throughout the Commonwealth and across the country. He has served on the faculty of Harvard Law School's Trial Advocacy Program, instructing law students in trial preparation and trial techniques. From 1995 to the present he has served on the board of directors of the Federation for Children with Special Needs and was board president from 1995 to 2007. In 2014 he received the 2014 President's Award from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. In 2002, he and his wife, Julie, received the Dr. Allen C. Crocker Award for Excellence from the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. He writes and lectures frequently on special education law and advocacy. Mr. Heffernan has been named a Super Lawyer in special education law every year since 2005 and was named as a Top Rated Lawyer in Education by The Boston Globe in 2012. From 1995 to 2000, he served as the president of the board of directors of Community Legal Services and Counseling Center. He also serves on the MDSC Education Task Force and the Steering Committee for the Boston Bar Service Innovation Project on the cradle/school-to-prison pipeline. He has two daughters, Maggie and Evie, and a twenty-one year old son, Brian, with Down syndrome.
Eileen Hagerty represents students with disabilities and their parents in disputes with their school districts. She represents and advises parents regarding all aspects of special education disputes, including the TEAM meeting process (evaluations, eligibility determinations, IEP development, program and placement disputes); suspension and expulsion hearings; proceedings before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA), including discovery, negotiation, pre-hearing conferences, and administrative hearings; federal district court and appellate court litigation; and attorneys' fee litigation. She represents students with all types of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders; dyslexia and other learning disabilities; attention deficit disorders; and mental health issues. Ms. Hagerty has been named as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in the field of education law each year from 2004 to the present. She was chosen as one of Boston's Top Rated Lawyers in education law (Boston Globe, 2012) and has been selected as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Massachusetts (Boston Magazine, April 2013 and April, 2014). She was recently named by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a Top Woman of Law for 2014.
Prior to joining KCS, Ms. Hagerty was co-founder and partner at a small civil litigation firm. Before that, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney and a Special Assistant District Attorney, and litigated at a large Boston law firm. She served as law clerk to Judge Frederick B. Lacey of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Ms. Hagerty lectures and writes frequently on topics in special education law for both legal and lay audiences. She participates in various public service activities, including serving as a member of the board of directors of a non-profit advocacy organization, Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC), and is currently serving as MAC's board chair, (as she also did from 2006 to 2012). She also serves as a member of MAC's autism advisory committee. She is herself a parent of children with disabilities.
Jennifer Stevens represents individuals and families seeking assistance in estate, tax, and special needs planning. She also counsels personal representatives and trustees in the administration of estates and trusts, as well as guardians of incapacitated persons. Prior to joining KCS, Ms. Stevens spent six years litigating trust and estate disputes and contested guardianship and conservatorship matters, drafting estate plans, and assisting fiduciaries through the probate process in Northern Virginia. Before entering private practice, she clerked for the Honorable Judge Lorraine Nordlund (ret.), of the Fairfax County Circuit Court. Ms. Stevens currently concentrates her practice in the following areas:
Estate and Tax Planning: Ms. Stevens works with individuals and families to develop individualized plans that meet their personal and financial circumstances and values. She analyzes the impact of tax laws on their situations and goals and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, and other documents for the management of assets during life and transfer of property at death.
Special Needs Planning: Ms. Stevens works with parents to plan for the care of family members with incapacities. She prepares trusts and other arrangements that meet the wishes and goals of the parents and the needs of their incapacitated child with particular attention to tax implications and qualification criteria for public and private benefits. Ms. Stevens also assists with the selection and appointment of trustees and guardians.
Estate and Trust Administration: Ms. Stevens represents personal representatives and trustees in all aspects of administering estates and trusts. She works with families and their advisors to gather necessary information, prepare and file court documents, coordinate with financial institutions, manage and distribute estate assets, and prepare estate and gift tax returns. Additionally, Ms. Stevens advises trustees of revocable and irrevocable trusts, including life insurance trusts and special needs trusts. She also assists with the resolution of disputes and ambiguities in wills and trusts and the determination of the rights of beneficiaries by compromise or litigation.
Joseph B. Green concentrates his practice in special education, personal injury, and criminal defense. He also represents students at private schools and colleges in disciplinary proceedings.
Mr. Green served for ten years as Assistant District Attorney in Essex County, where he had extensive jury trial experience and was the Chief District Court Prosecutor and Director of Policy and Planning. He also has experience in appellate litigation, having argued cases in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He has taught in the Clinical Program at Harvard Law School and in numerous continuing legal education courses. He has authored a book and several articles on evidence, trial practice and procedure, and criminal law.
Mr. Green has served on the Governor's/MBA Commission on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children, the Governor's Child Support Commission, the Commission on Violence Against Children, and he is currently on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (MABIDA)
Joe Koltun focuses his practice in commercial litigation and business related cases. He represents companies and individuals in complex business related disputes, including those involving enforcement and breaches of contract, real estate and commercial property rights, and corporate rights and responsibilities. He also represents clients in a wide variety of litigation matters including landlord tenant disputes, personal injury matters, and home improvement contractor actions. Mr. Koltun brings to Kotin, Crabtree & Strong extensive successful litigation experience before federal and state courts, and administrative tribunals. Mr. Koltun has also arbitrated cases to successful conclusions before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS arbitration services.
Mr. Koltun has practiced in both large and small firms and operated his own firm for nine years prior to joining KCS.
Lawrence Kotin, who retired on July 15, 2014, both in his capacity as partner and then as of counsel to the firm, practiced in the special education and disability law group.
While a Staff Attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Mr. Kotin served as a Principal Investigator for the Massachusetts Study of Educational Opportunities for Handicapped and Disadvantaged Children in Massachusetts, responsible for the Legal Analysis and Drafting of Model Legislation. The Model Legislation was the original basis for what later was enacted as Chapter 766 of the Acts of 1972, the Massachusetts comprehensive special education law, while Mr. Kotin was Special Assistant for Education and Children's Services to Massachusetts Governor Francis W. Sargent. Subsequently, Mr. Kotin was Executive Director of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services. Following his tenure as Director, Mr. Kotin was a co-founder of the Massachusetts Center for Public Interest Law and in that capacity was responsible for coordinating the drafting of the regulations for Chapter 766 and for advising the Massachusetts Department of Education during the first years of its implementation. In 1981, Mr. Kotin co-founded the law firm of Kotin, Crabtree & Strong.
Mr. Kotin was also a Lecturer at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study of Tufts University for approximately six years.
Mr. Kotin was a regular contributor to the Massachusetts Special Education Reporter, summarizing and commenting on the decisions of the Bureau of Special Education Appeals.
Lori A. Jodoin is an experienced trial attorney and plaintiff-side employment litigator who represents individuals in the litigation of workplace-related claims, with an emphasis on employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Ms. Jodoin also provides strategic advice and counseling on employment issues arising in the workplace, including wage and hour, workplace bullying, contractual, and other disputes. Ms. Jodoin represents employees on appeal, where there are significant employment law issues at stake. Ms. Jodoin also represents individuals in the analysis, negotiation, and enforcement of complex employment, compensation, and separation agreements.
Ms. Jodoin has worked almost exclusively in the field of labor and employment law for more than 20 years. She has been involved with many important cases involving Massachusetts employment law.
Ms. Jodoin has represented employees in matters before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Massachusetts Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Ms. Jodoin brings efficiency, judgment, and empathy to achieve excellent results. She is a passionate advocate who has achieved significant court victories and settlements through her vigorous representation of employees,
Ms. Jodoin was twice elected by her peers as the President of the Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association, an organization of employment attorneys who work to enforce and advance employee rights by increasing awareness, improving advocacy, supporting plaintiff-side employment lawyers in their practices, and monitoring legislation.
Ms. Jodoin is a frequent lecturer on employment law for legal professional groups, including the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Bar Association, Women's Bar Association, Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association, and the Boston Bar Association. Ms. Jodoin is the co-author of a book, entitled, Representing a Plaintiff in a Wrongful Termination Case.
Prior to joining Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP, Ms. Jodoin was a partner with the Boston law firm of Powers, Jodoin, Margolis & Mantell LLP, a plaintiff-side employment boutique firm, formerly known as Rodgers, Powers & Schwartz LLP.
In addition to her work as a litigator, Ms. Jodoin also has legislative experience, having worked as a legislative aide at the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as an aide at the Massachusetts Senate. She served on various citizens advisory committees in Boston, volunteered for the Democratic State Committee, worked on a number of political campaigns, and was an elected member of the Ward 5 Democratic City Committee.
Ms. Jodoin is devoted to uplifting and helping others and believes in taking a holistic approach with her clients. She enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking, and spending time outdoors with her wife and children.
Marie Mercier represents and counsels parents seeking advice regarding special education. In addition to special education law, her practice involves consumer protection, landlord tenant issues, personal injury law and disability insurance. Ms. Mercier has extensive experience in and practices civil litigation.
Job Titles:
- Retired ( January 24, 2019 )
René Varrin brings broad knowledge and experience in corporate and business law to the increasingly complex needs of Massachusetts small to mid-size companies. Throughout the stages of the business lifecycle, from startup to financing to sale, Mr. Varrin strives to provide practical and timely advice in an efficient and cost-effective manner. With a natural curiosity and genuine interest in understanding each client's business and goals, Mr. Varrin enjoys the two -way communications and client "partnership' essential to effective representation. His expectation is to provide each client with the on-going specific business knowledge and attention of in-house counsel, which is not normally available to small to mid-size companies, in co-ordination with the resources that an outside firm can provide.
Robert Crabtree has devoted his working life to supporting and advancing the rights of persons with special needs and their families.
In 1972, serving as Research Director for the Massachusetts Legislature's Committee on Education, he was a principal draftsman of Chapter 766, a comprehensive revision of the Commonwealth's special education laws. In 1976-77 he served as law clerk to the Honorable Walter J. Skinner of the U. S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He and Attorney Lawrence Kotin created our law firm, now known as Kotin, Crabtree and Strong, LLP, in 1981. He now serves in an "of counsel" capacity with KCS.
Mr. Crabtree is a frequent presenter on topics related to special education law and regularly speaks to parent advocacy groups, evaluators, educators and clinicians about the scope and processes of special education law. He is also the author of numerous articles concerning special education law and advocacy, including a comprehensive chapter on advocating for students with special education needs in MCLE's volume concerning School Law in Massachusetts, co-written with Eileen Hagerty of KCS, and a Foreword to Judith and Carson Graves' book, Parents Have the Power To Make Special Education Work (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2014) reviewing the history of special education advocacy in Massachusetts and current issues that need to be addressed in state and federal interpretation and enforcement of the law.
In May 2005, Mr. Crabtree was a co-recipient, with Mr. Kotin, of the Martha Ziegler Founder's Award given by the Federation for Children with Special Needs, recognizing their part in the origins of Chapter 766 and their "decades of dedication to students with disabilities and their families."
In February 2017, he received the Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Advocacy, awarded by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a national organization supporting and training advocates in the field of special education.
Copyright Society of the U.S.A. Mr. Strong has served in the past as a Trustee of the Society and is again serving a term as Trustee. He has also served as chair and treasurer of the New England Chapter of the Society.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Counsel With the Employment Law
Sarah-Elizabeth H. Cloutier is of counsel with the Employment Law and Litigation groups. She represents both employers and employees in a wide variety of matters.
Sharen Litwin concentrates her practice in employment law and litigation. She advises and represents employees and employers on a broad range of employment issues ranging from wrongful termination, employment discrimination, reasonable accommodations for a disability, retaliation, sexual harassment, wage violations and workplace privacy issues, to the interpretation and enforcement of employment contracts, rights to benefits arising under ERISA, noncompetion and nonsolicition agreements, nondisclosure obligations, retention agreements and change of control agreements.
Ms. Litwin brings to this practice area extensive experience in litigation, representing both employers and employees before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, in state and federal courts and in arbitrations.
At the same time, Ms. Litwin provides practical advice for resolving disputes, to keep them from escalating to litigation. She negotiates employment and severance agreements for both individuals and companies, including many "C" level executives in public and private companies. She also provides advice and training to businesses regarding their legal obligations and personnel practices and drafts personnel policies and manuals.
Ms. Litwin formerly was a member of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. She has also served as an Assistant District Attorney and an Assistant United States Attorney.
Ms. Litwin has participated in many continuing education programs on employment law topics for the Boston Bar Association ("BBA"), Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education ("MCLE") and other organizations, and she has published articles on employment law.
Ms. Litwin has completed a certification course sponsored by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to conduct internal investigations and trainings on harassment and discrimination.
Ms. Litwin has been selected to be a speaker at the 15 th Annual MCLE Employment Law Conference on December 14, 2012. She presented an update on Contract Law.