Phone:  617-383-6000
E-mail:  jgilbert@boballenlaw.com

Practice Areas: Land Use and Development, Zoning and Permitting, Affordable Housing, Licensing and General Government/Municipal Law

Experience:
Jennifer Dopazo Gilbert joined the firm as a Partner in 2013. She focuses in the areas of land use and development, zoning and permitting, licensing and regulatory matters as well as representing various independent state agencies such as the Massport Community Advisory Committee and the M.B.T.A. Advisory Board. Prior to joining the firm, Attorney Dopazo Gilbert was Town Counsel for the Town of Brookline where she was responsible for all aspects of the Town’s legal services and managed a staff of six providing extensive legal advice to all Town Departments, Boards and Committees as well as providing daily advice to Department Heads, Managers and Town officials.

Attorney Dopazo Gilbert has argued cases before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court. She has handled numerous cases in various tribunals across the State including, cases in the Massachusetts trial courts, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and Land Court, as well as State administrative agencies such as the Appellate Tax Board, Civil Service Commission, Commission against Discrimination, Architectural Access Board and the Division of Administrative Law Appeals.

Clients and Representative Matters:

• Represent several Massachusetts Cannabis Retailers in licensing and permitting matters
• Provide General Counsel services to the Massport Community Advisory Committee and the M.B.T.A. Advisory Board
• Represent two non-profit senior housing developers with zoning and permitting matters for several G.L.c.40B projects
• Represent Claremont Corp. in the zoning and permitting for the Hilton Garden Inn hotel project
• Represent several real estate developers in complex mixed use projects from committee process through zoning and permitting.
• Represent property owners at all stages of zoning, project planning and permitting
• Assisted in the negotiation a Host Community Agreement for a proposed $1 Billion resort casino development
• Provided expert witness services in an ethics case in Superior Court resulting in settlement prior to trial
• Provided special municipal counsel services to the City of Lawrence on a complex construction dispute resulting in settlement prior to trial

Reported Decisions:

Bellalta v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Brookline, et. al., 481 Mass. 372 (2019). Successfully represented homeowner on challenge to special permit issued pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, s.6.

81 Spooner Road, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Brookline, et. al., 461 Mass. 692 (2012).
After a trial in the Land Court, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the Land Court decision finding the abutters had standing to bring the zoning enforcement action challenging the issuance of a building permit.

81 Spooner Road, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Brookline, et. al., 78 Mass.App.Ct. 233 (2010). Obtained a favorable decision upholding the Land Court’s trial and summary judgment rulings affirming the Zoning Board of Appeals’ revocation of a building permit and decision holding that a residential lot was not buildable.

81 Spooner Road, LLC v. Town of Brookline, 452 Mass. 109 (2008).
Successfully defended a challenge to the Town’s Zoning By-Law regulating the bulk and density of single family residential buildings using a maximum gross floor area calculation.

Education:
Suffolk University Law School – Juris Doctor, cum laude
Boston College – Bachelor of Arts

Professional Memberships:

• Member, Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association
• Member of the Board of Directors, Brookline Municipal Credit Union
• Member, Lambda Alpha International, Land Economics Society, Boston Chapter