Attorneys
Super Lawyer: 2011 – 2024
Recognized as a 2023 Top Lawyer by Boston Magazine
Susan C. Murphy
Susan Murphy has over thirty years of experience in commercial real estate development, acquisition and disposition, leasing, and zoning and land use, both locally and nationally. Additionally, a portion of her practice is devoted to representing cities and towns on matters related to the acquisition and disposition of municipal real property interests, zoning and land use permitting, resiliency projects, and public procurement. She started her career at Nutter, McClennen & Fish and then served as counsel at Wilmer Hale before joining Dain Torpy where her practice includes representation of a diverse array of clients such as publicly-traded REITS, development companies, small business owners, family-owned businesses, cities and towns.
Susan is a frequent speaker on land use issues for professional organizations and an annual guest speaker in the masters program at the MIT Center for Real Estate. She served for over ten years as an elected planning board member and on various local committees. Susan’s private practice and municipal experience provide her with a rare 360° perspective when advising clients with all aspects of real estate transactions, land use and development, bringing a wide breadth of experience to addressing clients’ legal services needs on a personal level.
Representative Experience
Transactional and Development
- Represents publicly-traded REITS and private landowners in the acquisition and sale of retail, office, commercial and industrial properties.
- Represents sellers and buyer/developers in the negotiation of agreements for the development of land for multi-family and mixed-use development.
- Represents an environmental remediation and civil construction company in connection with public/private projects involving multiple municipal and state agencies to clean-up and redevelop private and public properties for economic development and public parks and amenities.
- Represents private clients as the master developers under urban renewal plans in coordination with local officials.
- Significant experience with title review, registered land, easements, and related title issues.
Land Use and Zoning
- Represents applicants before permitting boards for all types of development, including subdivisions, multi-family, and commercial projects.
- Counsel private and municipal clients on recent Massachusetts housing legislation, including MBTA community zoning and pending legislation affecting local zoning bylaws and ordinances and private development rights.
- Draft major zoning amendments including conservation subdivision bylaw, downtown overlay district, special permit and site plan review criteria and procedures, and wireless overlay districts.
- Draft special permit, site plan review and subdivision decisions, including residential and commercial subdivisions, Chapter 40B comprehensive permits, site plan recommendations, for all types of projects including multi-family housing, office, retail and industrial developments.
Municipal Law
- Draft and negotiate private/public development agreements between municipalities and private developers. Projects include a land swap and development agreement with zoning amendments for the creation of multi-family housing with affordable units and playing fields, and a development agreement for the rezoning of land for multi-family housing in exchange for preservation of open space and development restrictions.
- Review title in connection with the acquisition, disposition, or development of municipal property.
- Prepare requests for proposals for the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of municipal property.
- Advise all aspects of municipal real estate, including use of community preservation funds for real property interests, street layout and acceptance and discontinuance procedures.
- Represent and advise municipal officials and permitting boards regarding land use applications, including planning, zoning, and wetlands.
- In connection with a coastal resiliency project, prepares procurement documents for consultants and engineers, works with the town engineer and consulting coastal engineers to research and review the impact of various real estate, land use, title and permitting issues on the proposed design of resiliency options, coordinates with state regulatory agencies and local permitting board and officials, participates in preparation of materials for state grant programs, MEPA filings, and presentations for municipal boards and town meeting votes to authorize and fund aspects of the project.
- Review of acquisition, loan documents, and a ground lease for a $6,000,000 Section 8 affordable housing apartment building.
Publications / Presentations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Center for Real Estate annual guest lecturer in areas of site control, site planning, municipal development agreements and leasing for Masters of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) degree course entitled Real Estate Ventures I & II
- MCLE 2024 Municipal Law Conference: Zoning Law Updated, May 2024
- Massachusetts Municipal Association: MBTA Communities: Municipalities & Compliance, February 2024
- Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Conference: Recent Developments in Land Use Law, January 2023
- Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association: MBTA Community Zoning Webinar, February 2022
- Massachusetts Bar Association: Article 97 Land Disposition, May 2014
- “Communities Can Benefit From a Plan to Manage Municipal Real Estate”, Municipal Advocate, the quarterly publication of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring 2010)
Professional Activities and Honors
- 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®
- Rated 2023 Top Lawyer by Boston Magazine
- Since 2011, Susan was named one of the top lawyers in New England in the Real Estate category by Super Lawyers, a joint publication of Boston Magazine and Law & Politics. The Super Lawyers comprise the top 5% of lawyers in the state.
- Executive Board Members of Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association, 2021 to present
- Member of Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association Legislative Committee, 2023-present
- Chair, Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association Ad Hoc Committee on MBTA Community Zoning. 2021-2023
- Member of CREW Boston, Boston Bar Association, and Massachusetts Real Estate Bar Association
- Member of Massachusetts IOLTA Committee, 2015-2021
- Co-Chair of the Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts Land Use and Zoning Committee, 2014-2015
- Boston Bar Association: Member, Education Committee 2013-2014
- Co-Chair, Real Estate Section Leasing Committee 2011-2013
- Hingham Planning Board, 2000-2011
Bar and Court Admissions
Ms. Murphy is admitted to the bars of Massachusetts and New York.
Education
J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1990
- Fordham Law Review
B.A., College of the Holy Cross, 1987 (cum laude)
- Pi Sigma Alpha (National Political Science Honor Society)
- Political Science Department Award