Vigorous Advocacy of
Free Market Principles
The New England Legal Foundation (NELF) is the only non-profit public interest law firm in the region dedicated to addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise. NELF’s ongoing mission is to champion individual economic liberties, traditional property rights, properly limited government, and inclusive economic growth.
NELF challenges actions by governments and private litigants which would unreasonably intrude on the economic freedoms of individuals and business enterprises in New England and the nation. We believe that free enterprise is a linchpin of a democratic society and offers the most sustainable path to advance the American ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, including freedom from material want.
We believe strongly in due process and the contract provisions of the United States Constitution. The ability to innovate, earn a living, create jobs and grow businesses usually provides the greatest opportunity for the greatest number when left free from unwarranted intrusion. We oppose laws and regulations which are a usurpation of governmental authority, which unconstitutionally interfere with economic liberty, or which constitute a taking without just compensation. We also oppose laws and regulations which have no rational likelihood of achieving their stated purpose.
We believe that sunlight is the best disinfectant for policy disputes. Whether through the filing of litigation, amicus briefs, regulatory comment, educational conferences, op-ed pieces or other public advocacy, we believe that a free society will reach the best decision if an issue is discussed thoroughly and for sufficient duration.
NELF selects cases for their likelihood of creating precedent that will have policy or constitutional impact for the business community and society as a whole. We select cases in which we can make policy, legislative history, textual, or empirical arguments which are not featured, or at least not emphasized, in the parties’ own briefs. NELF does not file “me too” pleadings.
The Foundation has a national reputation of excellence for appellate advocacy. We support large and small corporations, as well as individuals, by filing amicus briefs. We also have a tradition of pursuing cases in which NELF directly represents a party from the ground up, beginning at the trial court or agency level. This often involves an individual or small business that has exhausted its resources in a struggle to resist unfair or inappropriate governmental action.
Contributions to NELF are tax-deductible. We rely on donations from individuals, foundations, law firms, and corporations that support our mission. Other than court-ordered fee awards for successful litigation to be paid by opposing parties, NELF does not charge any fees for our legal services.
Making a Difference
for 50 Years
Since our founding in 1977, NELF has challenged intrusions by governments and special interest groups which would interfere with the economic freedoms of citizens and business enterprises in New England and the nation. Our ongoing mission is to champion individual economic liberties, traditional property rights, properly limited government, and inclusive economic growth throughout our six state region.
“Administrative agencies at all levels of government face an uphill battle… NELF, whose stated mission is to ‘challenge[] actions by governments and private litigants which would unreasonably intrude on the economic freedoms of individuals and business enterprises in New England and the nation,’ plays an outsized role in this battle… arguing for limited government.”
– People’s Parity Project, Demand Progress, American Economic Liberties Project, Freedom BLOC, Kent Street Coalition, National Employment Law Project, Revolving Door Project, Strong Economy for All Coalition, May 17, 2023
Our People
Daniel B. Winslow
President
Dan Winslow joined the New England Legal Foundation in October 2021 after serving as a law partner or counsel in small and large law firms, as Chief Legal Officer of a publicly-traded software support company, and at a senior level in all three branches of state government.
Dan served as Chief Legal Counsel to then-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, overseeing a team of more than 800 in-house and outside counsel. He also was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served on the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the House Ethics Committee, and the House Rules Committee, among other assignments. Previously, he served eight years as a judge in the Massachusetts Trial Court. Dan’s extensive private sector experience include partnerships at Sherin and Lodgen and Duane Morris and, during his term of office in the Massachusetts House, as senior counsel to Proskauer Rose. Most recently, Dan built and managed a global legal team of nearly 70 lawyers and legal professionals for Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI) during the company’s transition from private to public company status. Dan has been cited by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly newspaper as one of the 35 most influential lawyers in Massachusetts in the past 35 years. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Winslow is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, among several other organizations. He received his B.A. from Tufts University magna cum laude with special honors, and graduated from Boston College Law School cum laude. Dan is available to speak with law firms, corporate legal departments, digital and print media, businesses and business associations about NELF’s mission to champion free enterprise, protect individual property rights, challenge government overreach and promote balanced economic growth.
Legal
Ben Robbins
Senior Staff Attorney
Ben Robbins has been an attorney at NELF since September of 2002. He has filed several amicus briefs in cases before the United States Supreme Court, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and in other state and federal appellate courts, addressing a wide range of legal issues that determine the rights of businesses and property owners.
Ben’s diverse caseload has involved such disparate legal arenas as the Federal Arbitration Act, the Massachusetts Wage Act, the First Amendment, the limits of personal jurisdiction under the Due Process Clause, and the common law of corporate separateness.
Ben approaches each brief for NELF as a new legal adventure, which requires equal measures of intellectual rigor, imagination, and stamina in order to develop novel and persuasive arguments that will hopefully command the attention of the court. Ben attributes his fondness for the demanding legal genre of the amicus brief to his passion for the endurance sports, in which he must draw upon similar skills to complete a demanding trail run or an open water swim. Ben has also written articles for the legal press, such as the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and has been interviewed and quoted many times in that publication, along with other legal publications at both the local and national levels.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Ben was a judicial law clerk for Justice Herbert P. Wilkins of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He then worked for several years as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth, within the Administrative Law Division of the Government Bureau, where he defended state agencies in challenges to agency decisions, regulations and statutes. Ben also worked in private practice at a litigation boutique, in order to gain experience and familiarity with the array of issues that are unique to commercial litigation.
John Pagliaro
Staff Attorney
John Pagliaro is a Staff Attorney at New England Legal Foundation and has twenty-five years of experience in civil litigation. Before joining NELF in 2008, John had been an associate at Nixon Peabody and at several Boston boutique law firms.
As a trial lawyer, he represented corporations and individuals in all phases of civil litigation and dealt with a wide range of legal disputes, including breach of contract, business torts, securities law, trade secrets, noncompetes, close corporation law, construction law, and consumer class actions.
At NELF John has filed amicus briefs in the courts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. His federal practice includes the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, and District of Columbia Circuits. His briefs have dealt with such issues as Fifth Amendment takings of private property, federal preemption of state law, federal and state employment law, and insurance law. He frequently focuses on statutory interpretation, especially the significance of statutory silence and the Chevron deference courts grant to agency interpretations of federal statutes.
John served in US. Army military intelligence and later received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he was a lecturer in the History and Literature Program for three years, and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Dusty Hecker
Legal Fellow
Dusty Hecker is a firm believer in free markets and free expression, both of which provide tremendous benefits for everyone in New England (and elsewhere).
Dusty Hecker is a firm believer in free markets and free expression, both of which provide tremendous benefits for everyone in New England (and elsewhere). He therefore is delighted to be a part of NELF’s mission. Before retiring from the active practice of law in 2023, he was a trial lawyer for 40 years. Dusty remains active as a commercial arbitrator and mediator and member of NELF’s Massachusetts Advisory Council.
Operations
Maria Karatalidis
Director, Finance and Operations
Maria Karatalidis is the Finance and Operations Director at the New England Legal Foundation. She has been a member of the NELF team since 1992. While she wears many “hats” at NELF, she takes pride in making sure the accounts are balanced and the office runs smoothly.
Maria Karatalidis is the Finance and Operations Manager at the New England Legal Foundation. She has been a member of the NELF team since 1992. While she wears many “hats” at NELF, she takes pride in making sure the accounts are balanced and the office runs smoothly. She likes to think ahead and avoid any issues that might arise, but when they do, she is NELF’s chief trouble-shooter. Prior to NELF, she had multiple years of experience working in CPA firms as an auditor and tax accountant.
Camaryn Sapienza
Executive Assistant to the President
Development Associate
Camaryn serves as Executive Assistant to the President and as administrative support to other senior staff in our downtown Boston headquarters.
Camaryn serves as Executive Assistant to the President and as administrative support to other senior staff in our downtown Boston headquarters. Before joining NELF, Camaryn worked as Executive Assistant to the CEO of No Limit Enterprises Inc., a technology start-up based in Chicago, IL. Camaryn holds a B.S in Strategic Communications from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Development
Christina Knowles
COO, Equalizer Institute
Executive Director, Beantown Beanfest
Christina M. Knowles has over fifteen years of experience in high level fundraising, legislative advocacy, electoral work, and public sector executive management, including serving at the helm of several organizations.
Christina M. Knowles has over fifteen years of experience in high level fundraising, legislative advocacy, electoral work, and public sector executive management, including serving at the helm of several organizations. Christina has worked extensively with businesses to fund and support social and economic justice initiatives and has subject matter expertise on a variety of gender equality and workforce development issues. Christina is a past and present board member at a number of nonprofits and is a proud and active alumna of Umass Amherst, where she received her undergraduate education, and UMass Boston, where she received her graduate education.
Elizabeth Miner
Manager, Membership & Events
Elizabeth has a varied career as a paralegal from Supreme Court litigation under Laurence Tribe, to working with boutique law firms for entrepreneurs and ultimately with enterprise organizations including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Apple, Inc.
Elizabeth has a varied career as a paralegal from Supreme Court litigation under Laurence Tribe, to working with boutique law firms for entrepreneurs and ultimately with enterprise organizations including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Apple, Inc. Leaving the corporate arena to work directly with startups, she has become a strong community facilitator for entrepreneurs across the globe.
She joins NELF bringing her community building skills and legal background to focus on the members who serve the greater legal community advocating for inclusive economic growth and economic liberties.
Officers
Kevin Martin is the Chair of the New England Legal Foundation Board of Directors, and previously served as Vice-Chair. He is a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston, MA, where he is co-chair of the Appellate Litigation group and has practiced for the past 20 years. Prior to joining Goodwin, Kevin served as a law clerk at the United States Supreme Court, for Justice Antonin Scalia.
Chair, Executive & Audit Committee
Partner
Goodwin Procter LLP
Massachusetts
Daniel B. Winslow
President
New England Legal Foundation
Massachusetts
Paul T. Dacier
Executive Committee
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Indigo Ag, Inc.
Massachusetts
Mark W. Freel
Executive & Legal Review Committee
Partner
Locke Lord LLP
Rhode Island
Dan Lipton
Treasurer
Tax Partner/Principal
EY
Massachusetts
Directors
Nelson G. Apjohn is a member of the New England Legal Foundation Board of Directors and the Foundation’s Legal Review Committee. He is a partner at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP in Boston, MA, where he is a member of the Litigation Department. His practice focuses on business litigation and product liability claims.
Executive Committee
Partner
Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP
Massachusetts
Nicole H. Barrett
Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial & International Counsel
Biogen, Inc.
Massachusetts
Mark T. Beaudouin
Retired -Sr Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
Waters Corporation
Massachusetts
John P. Bueker
Partner
Ropes & Gray LLP
Massachusetts
James R. Carroll
Partner
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Massachusetts
John J. Butts
Partner
WilmerHale
Massachusetts
Eileen Casal
Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer
RxAnte, Inc.
Massachusetts
Robert J. Cordy
Partner
McDermott Will & Emery
Massachusetts
Paul G. Cushing
Executive Committee
Office of the General Counsel
Section Head, Litigation, Compliance and Contracts
Mass General Brigham
Massachusetts
Paul T. Dacier
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Indigo Ag, Inc.
Massachusetts
Michael A. Delaney
Director, Litigation Department
McLane Middleton P.A.
New Hampshire
Chris DiPentima
President and Chief Executive Officer
Connecticut Business & Industry Association
Connecticut
Edmund DiSanto
Executive VP, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary
American Tower Corporation
Massachusetts
Lana Graf
Founder
NextEra Robotics, International Finance Corporation, subsidiary of World Bank
Massachusetts
Jonathan Handler
Partner
Day Pitney
Massachusetts
R. Scott Henderson
Deputy General Counsel
Bank of America
Massachusetts
Sandra L. Jesse
Retired-Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Haemonetics Corporation
Massachusetts
Daryl Joseffer
Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel
U.S. Chamber Litigation Center
Elisabeth Ditomassi
Former Chief Compliance Officer for the Americas
AXA XL
Massachusetts
Scott Ford
Chair-Litigation Practice
Mintz
Massachusetts
John M. Griffin
General Counsel
Hologic, Inc.
Massachusetts
Herbert Holtz
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Steward Healthcare System
Massachusetts
Chad Higgins
Litigation Partner
Bernstein Shur
Maine
Brian G. Leary
Partner
Holland & Knight LLP
Massachusetts
Grace Lee
Regional President, Eastern Massachusetts
M&T Bank
Massachusetts
Natalie Logan
Chief Legal Officer
Risk Strategies
Massachusetts
Michael T. Marcucci
Partner
Jones Day
Massachusetts
Sean McSweeney
Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counselor
Liberty Mutual Group
Massachusetts
Tim Parilla
Chief Legal Officer
Linksquares
Massachusetts
Sienna Leis
Venture Development Manager
Mass Ventures
Massachusetts
Brooks R. Magratten
Partner
Pierce Atwood LLP
Rhode Island
James L. Messenger
Partner
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Massachusetts
Eileen McAnneny
Senior Fellow
Pioneer Institute
Massachusetts
Christopher D. Moore
General Counsel
Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P.
New York
Carol Palmer-Winig, CPA
Partner, Assurance Services
Ernst & Young LLP
Massachusetts
Don Savery
Senior VP & General Counsel
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc.
Massachusetts
Sarayu Srinivasan
Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur and Executive
Massachusetts
John A. Sten
Partner
Armstrong Teasdale
Massachusetts
John A. Shope
Partner
Foley Hoag LLP
Massachusetts
Jay B. Stephens
Executive Committee
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Raytheon (Ret) Of Counsel
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Florida
Yufan Stephanie Wang
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Progress Software
Connecticut Advisory Council
Richard W. Brown
Saxe Doernberger & Vita
John W. Cerreta
Day Pitney LLP
Donald E. Frechette
Locke Lord LLP
Eric Gjede
Connecticut Business & Industry Association
Janet M. Helmke
Eversource Energy
Brian T. Henebry
Carmody & Torrance LLP
Erick M. Sandler
Day Pitney LLP
Douglas R. Steinmetz
Halloran Sage
Kirk Tavtigian
Law Offices of Kirk D. Tavtigian LLC
Massachusetts Advisory Council
Matthew C. Baltay
Foley Hoag LLP
Robert Berluti, Co-Founder
Berluti, McLaughlin & Kutchin LLP
Matthew C. Bernsten
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Beth I.Z. Boland
Foley & Lardner, LLP
Gerard Caron
Cabot Corporation
James R. Carroll
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Felicia H. Ellsworth, Partner
WilmerHale
Elissa Flynn-Poppey
Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC
Jonathan I. Handler
Day Pitney LLP
Dustin F. Hecker
Arent Fox
Steven W. Kasten
Looney Cohen & Aisenberg LLP
James F. Kavanaugh, Jr.
Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP
Christopher A. Kenney, Co-Founder
Kenney & Sams
Scott Lashway
Holland & Knight LLP
Michael McCormack, SVP Legal
American Tower
Terence P. McCourt
Greenberg Traurig
Denzil McKenzie, Founder
McKenzie & Associates
Kevin O’Connor, Vice President and General Counsel
ChemGenes Corp
Eugene O’Flaherty
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
James O’Shaughnessy
CIRCOR International, Inc.
Steve Pacini
Latham & Watkins LLP
Jack Pirozzolo
Sidley Austin LLP
Diane M. Saunders, Shareholder
Ogletree Deakins
Sara Jane Shanahan
Sherin and Lodgen LLP
Lisa Sinclair, Deputy General Counsel
Northeastern University
Peter Stahl, General Counsel & CAO
Great Gray Trust Company
Henry A. Sullivan
Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC
Nick Unkovic, General Counsel
EG America
Marcia S. Wagner, Founder
Wagner Law Group
Craig J. Ziady
Cummings Properties, LLC
Maine Advisory Council
Anne B. Cunningham
Delhaize America Shared Services Group,
LLC
Daniel Gayer, CPA, JD
Baker Newman Noyes
Aimee B. Parsons, Of Counsel
Ogletree Deakins
Hilary A. Rapkin
Wex, Inc
Sara Trickett, VP Global Corporate Legal Services, Head of Litigation
Wex, Inc
John Van Lonkhuyzen
Verrill Dana LLP
Eric J. Wycoff
Pierce Atwood LLP
New Hampshire Advisory Council
Sally Baraka
Agile Group Corp.
Robert A. Bresak
Eversource Energy
Michael A. Delaney
McLane Middleton P.A.
Alexander Henlin
Sulloway & Hollis
Todd D. Mayo
Perspecta Trust LLC
Daniel J. Norris
McLane Graf Raulerson & Middleton
Adam B. Pignatelli
Rath, Young and Pignatelli, P.C.
Mike Skelton
Business and Industry Association of New
Hampshire
Rhode Island Advisory Council
Nicole J. Benjamin
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.
Joseph E. Boyland
Fidelity Investments
Mitchell R. Edwards
Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP
Mark W. Freel
Locke Lord LLP
Glenn R. Friedemann
Lifespan Corporation
Paul Kessimian
Partridge, Snow & Hahn
George W. Watson III
Robinson & Cole LLP
Jules D’Alessandro
Jules J. D’Alessandro Law
Meghan Lapp
Seafreeze Ltd.
Lawrence J. LaSala
Textron, Inc.
Stephen J. MacGillivray
Pierce Atwood LLP
Winfield W. Major
Sperian Protection USA, Inc.
Mark A. Perry, Partner
Weil Gotshal
Vermont Advisory Council
Scott Barrett
Critical Process Systems Group
Matthew B. Byrne
Gravel & Shea
William J. Cahill, CPCU
Vermont Mutual Insurance Company
Jaimesen Heins
EBlock, Inc.
John H. Hollar
Montpelier
Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC
Keith Jones
National Life Group
Walter E. Judge
Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC
Colin Owyang
Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO)
Donald J. Rendall, Jr.
Vermont Gas Systems Inc.
Dale Rocheleau
Rocheleau Legal Services PLC
New England GC Roundtable
The New England Legal Foundation was founded as a public interest law firm in 1977 by a group of General Counsels as a spin-off from the longstanding and prestigious New England Council. While the New England Council focuses on Executive and Legislative branch concerns, the founding General Counsels recognized the need for companies doing business in New England to shape the decisions of the Judicial branch by amicus brief filings and impact litigation. NELF provides strategic over-the-horizon standing for corporations to shape judicial decisions affecting their business. For new technologies, NELF can help create a body of law favorable to new sectors and needs. We are reconstituting our GC focus by sponsoring the New England GC Roundtable to create a platform for GCs to understand and suggest strategic positions for judicial advocacy, to meet and network with other GCs in their state or sector, and to share knowledge and opportunities with other GCs.
Membership in the New England GC Roundtable is exclusively limited to current GCs and CLOs of companies located in or doing business in New England. Membership is by nomination and invitation only.
The benefits of membership in the New England GC Roundtable include:
- Free use of Visiting Attorney Offices and conference room at NELF’s Downtown Crossing, Boston offices
- Complimentary dinner meeting of other GCs in your state at least once per year
- Complimentary dinner meeting of other GCs in your sector at least once per year
- Guest admission at no cost to NELF’s Annual Cabot Gala dinner honoring a GC ($600 value)
- Participation in NELF decisions on impact litigation or amicus briefing affecting your sector
- Other individual benefits of NELF membership per NELF’s website, www.newenglandlegal.org, including free CLE credits for mandatory CLE courses
For more information, or to submit a nomination, please contact NELF President Dan Winslow directly at dwinslow@newenglandlegal.org.
Richard W. Blackburn
Retired – Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer
Duke Energy Corporation
New Hampshire
John G. L. Cabot
Massachusetts
Stephen B. Middlebrook
Retired- Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Aetna Life and Casualty
Virginia
Martin J. Newhouse
New England Legal Foundation
Massachusetts
Gerald E. Rudman
Rudman & Winchell LLC
Maine
Edward A. Schwartz
Massachusetts
Gary A. Spiess
Retired – Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Fleet Boston Financial Corporation
Massachusetts
Joseph Blute
Retired – Chair,
Edward I. Masterman
Retired – Of Counsel
Masterman, Culbert & Tully LLP
Florida
Frances H. Miller
Professor of Law
Boston University School of Law
Massachusetts
Lynda Harbold Schwartz, CPA CFF CGMA
Founder
Upland Advisory LLC
Massachusetts
Thomas C. Siekman
North Carolina
Richard S. Scipione
Retired – General Counsel
John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.
Massachusetts
Morrison DeS. Webb
Maine
NELF is profoundly grateful to its supporters.
These contributors provided the income NELF needs to accomplish its mission.
2021-2022 Corporate Contributors & Foundations
Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Inc.
Frank Consolati Insurance Agency, Inc.
Retailers Association of Massachusetts
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
2022-2023 Corporate Contributors & Foundations
Berluti McLaughlin & Kutchin LLP
Doherty Dugan Cannon Raymond & Weil, P.C.
Frank Consolati Insurance W.D.
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Injury Law Center of Nashua New Hampshire
2021-2022 Individual Contributors
Anthony Alexis
Nelson Apjohn
Elizabeth Ayer
Mark Beaudouin
Dudley Blanchard
Joseph G. Blute
Andrew Botti
Cliff Boyle
John G. L. Cabot
William Carnes
James R. Carroll
Elizabeth Clifford
Paul Cushing
Paul T. Dacier
Yolanda DeDominicis
Stephen Faberman
Elissa Flynn-Poppey
Mark Freel
Brian Gilmore
Joseph Gratta
the Hon John Gray II
Dustin Hecker
C. Bruce Johnstone
Cinda Jones
Robert Kester
Brian Leary
Stephanie S. Lovell
Kevin Martin
Francis J. McNamara, III
Jack W. Pirozzolo
Emily Poulin
Joseph Reardon
Lawrence J. Reilly
Sidney Rose
Lynda Schwartz
Jay B. Stephens
Campbell Steward
Stanley A. Twardy, Jr.
Joanne Vannah
Lawrence Weiss
Daniel Winslow
2022-2023 Individual Contributors
Anonymous
Rick Bendetson
Jesse Bless
Andrew Botti
Nidia Cardoso
Mark Cianci
Brian Fairbank
Sally Ferbert
Scott Ford
David Hutchins
Jennifer Lauro
Brian Leary
Andrew Levine
Natalie Logan
Sandra Jesse
Michael McCormack
Martin Newhouse
Scott Noyce
James Ruder
Melissa A. Simpson
Jay B. Stephens
Campbell Steward
John Ventola
Craig Ziady