Cheek, Michelle Alyse

Kathleen M. O'Donnell is a real estate attorney specializing in many things, including Smart Growth Zoning, leasing contracts, Title research and creating a purchase and sale agreement that both parties can agree upon. She began her legal career with Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation as a title attorney. In New England, title insurance policies were underwritten by title attorneys employed by the companies, not title agents. Over five years, she looked at titles for everything from ground leases for Copley Place to wood lots in northern Maine. She then moved into private practice providing title expertise to commercial loan transactions and began her representation of buyers and sellers of residential real estate. In 1997, she joined Kopelman and Paige and expanded her knowledge base to include the particular requirements for purchases and sales of municipal real estate, particularly through the use of community preservation act funds. In 2000, Ms. O'Donnell took over the management of the firm's tax title practice and worked with towns on the foreclosure of tax liens and the sale of tax title properties by auction.

A strong believer in continuing education, Ms. O'Donnell is the editor of two MCLE publications, Handling Residential Real Estate in Massachusetts and the Real Estate Sourcebook and Citator. She is a frequent lecturer on real estate issues, particularly municipal affordable housing trusts, tax title foreclosures, and smart growth zoning.

She is a graduate of Boston College (A.B. magna cum laude) and the University of Miami School of Law (specialty - Ocean and Coastal Law). She spent her junior year studying archaeology and history at the University of Durham in the north of England.

Kathleen M. O'Donnell, Esq. is certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE).

When not practicing law as real estate attorney handling everything from a house lease agreement to Smart Growth Zoning to leasing contracts, Ms. O'Donnell sings alto with the Dedham Choral Society and is a back-up singer in an all-lawyer benefit rock band called White Collar Crime. She is Treasurer of the Cohasset Yacht Club where she moors her Bullseye. She is a member of REBA, The Abstract Club, NEWIRE, the Larchmont Yacht Club, and a life member of the Boston Athenaeum

Over thirty years experience in real estate law including conveyancing, title opinions, tax title foreclosures and auctions, affordable housing, open space acquisitions, municipal harbor plans and smart growth zoning. Licensed to practice in Massachusetts. Certified as a WBE by the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office (formerly known as SOMWBA).

                                                            Key Accomplishments

• Member of Governor Romney's Task Force on Chapter 40B addressing the concerns raised by municipalities with respect to the creation of affordable housing, leading to the passage of legislation authorizing the creation of municipal affordable housing trusts (M.G.L. c. 44 Section 55C) to provide cities and towns with a more flexible mechanism to create and preserve affordable housing.
• Served on advisory committee on legislation to create smart growth zoning (M.G.L. c.40R) and served on the committee that provided assistance to the Department of Housing and Community Development in developing the regulations under this Chapter.
• Assisted in the creation of seven Chapter 40R Smart Growth Zoning Overlay Districts.
• Represented non-profit developers in sales of affordable housing units in the City of Boston.
• Managed tax title foreclosures through the Land Court, foreclosures of land of low value, auctions of tax title properties and sales of tax title properties for affordable housing purposes.
• Assisted municipalities in the purchase of properties for open space and the protection of open space through conservation restrictions under the Community Preservation Act and Cape Cod Land Bank.
• Expert witness on title and conveyancing issues including exercise of right of first refusal under c. 61A, beach rights, and adverse possession.