Current Employment Position(s)

Of Counsel

Lawyer Overview

Hon. Mel L. Greenberg, ret., concentrates his practice in two principal areas: alternative dispute resolution and appellate practice.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Judge Greenberg became counsel at the firm of Seder & Chandler, LLP on May 4, 2007. For the previous 17 years, he served as an Associate Justice of the Appeals Court of Massachusetts. Prior to his appointment to the Appeals Court, he served as a judge of the Massachusetts Superior and District Courts. He also taught, as an adjunct lecturer at Boston University School of Law, Clark University, and the National Judicial College at the campus of the University of Nevada at Reno. During his 15 years as a trial judge, he served on the Superior Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, as well as Chair of the New England Appellate Judges' mediation program. He holds a certificate of completion in mediation from the Harvard Law School. During his judicial appointments, he presided over a variety of areas, including construction, commercial real estate, commercial contracts and environmental law. He is certified by the American Arbitration Association and has arbitrated several commercial and intellectual property cases.

At Seder & Chandler, LLP, Judge Greenberg co-chairs the mediation and arbitration section, which addresses matters arising from environmental issues, complex commercial litigation, employment discrimination and harassment, patent, trademark and copyright claims and divorce and family law issues. He utilizes a combination of traditional mediation techniques, such as summary trials, negotiation, and assisted negotiation. He has also had experience mediating and arbitrating public disputes involving governmental agencies, such as zoning boards, housing authorities, tort and contract claims against public authorities.

Appellate Practice

As a former trial and appellate lawyer, as well as judge, he chairs the appellate practice of Seder & Chandler. This practice includes case evaluation, consultation on prospective appeals, brief writings and argument. He conducts seminars in the major cities of Massachusetts for private law firms in the areas of trial and appellate practice.

A respected author and lecturer, Judge Greenberg has served as a lecturer for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Boston Bar Association and the New England Appellate Judges Conference. He has written extensively on the areas of trial ethics, appellate practice and sanctions.

Hon. Me1 L. Greenberg, ret. (of counsel): born Worcester, Massachusetts; May 4, 1937; admitted to Bar: 1961, Massachusetts; 1963, U.S. District Court of Massachusetts; 1971, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; Education: Clark University (B.S., magna cum laude); Boston University School of Law (LL.B., 1961). Experience: Partner: Teshoian, Greenberg & Drapos (1962-1977); Massachusetts Trial Lawyer's Association (1970-1977); General Counsel to Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union (1975-1977); Justice of the District Court of Massachusetts (1977-1983); Justice of the Appellate Division of the District Court of Massachusetts (1980- 1983); Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts (1983-1990); Justice of the Appeals Court of Massachusetts (1990-2007); Program Chair of the New England Appellate Judge's Conference (2000-2007); Chairman of Education Committee of Appeals Court of Massachusetts; Certificate of Completion of Mediation Course at Harvard Law School (2007); Member of the Massachusetts Bar Association; Neutral Mediator-Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts; Arbitrator authorized by the Superior Court of Massachusetts and the American Arbitration Association; Boston Bar Association Bench-Bar Committee (2000-2003); Editor of Massachusetts Law Review (1983-1990); Practice Areas: Appellate Practice (criminal and civil); Mediation and Arbitration; Intellectual Property Mediation and Arbitration; Trial Strategies and Jury Selection; Author of numerous Law Review articles on Sanctions, Ethics and Procedure.

Areas of Practice

• Arbitration
• Mediation
• Discrimination
• Freedom of Press
• Search & Seizure Protections
• Construction Contracts
• Election & Campaign Law
• Divorce
• Complex Litigation
• State Appellate Practice
• Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Slip and Fall -- Plaintiff
• Asbestos
• Legal Malpractice
• Medical Malpractice

West Practice Categories

Arbitration, Mediation, Discrimination, Freedom of Press, Search & Seizure Protections, Construction Contracts, Election & Campaign Law, Divorce, Complex Litigation, State Appellate Practice, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff, Slip and Fall -- Plaintiff, Asbestos, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1961

Certification/Specialties

• Appellate Practice
• Mediation & Arbitration, American Arbitration Association, 2007
• Certified Arbitrator and Mediator, REBA Dispute Resolution, Inc., 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Worcester Center for Performing Arts, Worcester, MA, 1999 - Present (Director)
• Foothills Theatre, Worcester, MA, 1970 - Present (Director)
• Quinsigamond Masonic Lodge, A.F. & A.M., Worcester, MA, 1961 - Present
• Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2007
• American Law Institute, 2000 - Present (Member)
• Boston Bar Association, 2000 - 2004 (Chair, Bench Bar Committee)
• New England Appellate Judges Conference, 1999 - Present (Chairman, Program Committee)
• New England Appellate Judges' Conference, 1994 - Present (Faculty Member)
• The National Judicial College, Reno, Nevada, 1994 - 1995 (Faculty Member)
• Civil Rights Platform Committee, State Democratic Committee, 1976 - 1978 (Member)
• Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, 1975 - 1977 (General Counsel and Director)
• Worcester Democratic City Committee, 1972 - 1976 (Elected Member)
• Morris Gould Judicial Institute, 1970 - 1977 (Director)
• Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts at Worcester, 1970 - 1973 (Regional Trial Counsel)

Honors and Awards

• New England Appellate Judges' Conference, Appreciation of Service Award, 2006
• Greater Lowell Bar Association, W. Brian Dunigan Award, 1997
• Massachusetts Lawyer's Weekly Survey, "10 Best Trial Judges in Commonwealth", 1982
• Recipient, National Endowment for Humanities Grant, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, 1978
• Who's Who in Massachusetts, 1974
• Outstanding Young Leader, Worcester JuniorChamber of Commerce, Worcester, MA, 1972
• Civil Libertarian Award, Civil Liberties Union, Worcester, MA, 1971

Classes and Seminars

• Instructor of Trial Advocacy, New England Trial Advocacy, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, 1981 - 1991
• Lecturer, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, New England Law Institute, Inc., 1978 - 1989
• Lecturer, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, New England Law, 1978 - 1989
• Lecturer, Constitutional Law, Clark University, Worcester, MA, 1975 - 1979

Past Employment Positions

• Judge, District Court of Massachusetts, 1977 - 1983
• Superior Court of Massachusetts, Judge, 1983 - 1990
• Appeals Court of Massachusetts, Judge, 1990 - 2007
• Appellate Division of the District Court (Massachusetts), Justice, 1980 - 1983
• Teshoian, Greenberg & Drapos, Worcester, MA, Partner, 1962 - 1977

Education

• Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, 1961
  LL.B.
• Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1958
  B.S.
  Honors: cum laude
  Major: Sociology

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Accepts Credit Cards

Published Works

• Civil Sanctions Revisited: The Unfinished Business, Mass. Law Review, November, 2007
• Appellate Bench Book, Edited and prepared for Appeals Court of Massachusetts, 2000
• Just Deserts in an Unjust Society: Limitations on Law as a Method of Social Control, New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement, Vol. 23, No. 2, 1997
• Beyond Confrontation: A Holistic Approach to the Practice of Law, New England Law School Review, Vol. 30, No. 4, 1996
• Atlas Shrugged: Reflections on the Current State of Courts in Massachusetts, Boston Bar Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1992
• Sanctions: In Search of Standards, Mass. Law Review, Vol. 74, No. 3, 1992
• Double Jeopardy and Trial De Novo, The Dilemma in the State's District Courts, Massachusetts Law Review, Vol. 52, No. 1, 1989
• Jurisdiction, Intake and Socialized Justice, Institute of Social Work and Law, Fox Hollow Conference, Lenox, MA, 1983
• Families in Conflict, A Litigator's Guide Through the Thicket, Edited for Publication by MCLE, Library of Congress #82-80058, 1982
• Bench Book for Proceedings in the District Court, New England Law Institute, Mass. Continuing Legal Education, Inc., 1982
• Manual for District Court Criminal Indigent Defender Program, New England Law Institute, Inc., 1980

Address

Burnside Building
339 Main Street
Suite 300
Worcester, MA 01608-1521

Phones

508-757-7721

Faxes

508-831-0955

Emails

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Websites

http://www.sederlaw.com