Publishing Lawyers for Massachusetts
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Meet some of our Massachusetts Publishing Lawyers
Patrick N.
Before attending law school, I had a prior career in business performance reporting. This experience differentiates me from other attorneys. I can readily read, interpret, and synthesize financial reporting. I also have a passion for legal research and writing.
Nicholas M.
Nicholas Matlach is a cybersecurity expert (CISSP) and an attorney who is dedicated to helping small businesses succeed. He is a client-focused professional who has a deep understanding of the challenges that small businesses face in the digital age. He also provides legal counsel to small businesses on a variety of issues, including formation, intellectual property, contracts, and employment law.
"Enjoyed his demeanor. Professional yet down to earth. The document created for me was very explicit and easy to read. I would recommend :)"
Paul M.
Transactional attorney and corporate in house counsel for 15 years. Draft all types of contracts and employment agreements.
"Paul is prompt, professional, and knowledgable. I am happy with the prenuptial agreement I got and would be glad to work with him again."
Karl D. S.
Karl D. Shehu, has a multidisciplinary practice encompassing small business law, estate and legacy planning, real estate law, and litigation. Attorney Shehu has assisted families, physicians, professionals, and people of faith provide for their loved ones by crafting individualized estate and legacy plans. Protecting families and safeguarding families is his passion. Attorney Shehu routinely represents lenders, buyers, sellers, and businesses in real estate transactions, researching and resolving title defects, escrowing funds, and drafting lending documents. To date, Attorney Shehu has closed a real estate deal in every town in Connecticut. As a litigator, Attorney Shehu has proven willing to engage in contentious court battles to obtain results for his clients. While practicing at DLA Piper, LLP, in Boston, Attorney Shehu represented the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in multidistrict litigations filed throughout the United States. He has been a passionate advocate for immigrants and the seriously injured, frequently advising against lowball settlement offers. He is willing to try every case to verdict, and he meticulously prepares every case for trial. Attorney Shehu began his legal career as a consumer lawyer, utilizing fee-shifting statutes to force unscrupulous businesses to pay the legal fees of aggrieved consumers. For example, in Access Therapies v. Mendoza, 1:13-cv-01317 (S.D. Ind. 2014), Attorney Shehu utilized unique interpretations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Truth-in-Lending Act, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to obtain a favorable result for his immigrant client. Attorney Shehu is a Waterbury, Connecticut native. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel grammar school, The Loomis Chaffee School, and Chase Collegiate School before earning degrees from Boston College, the University of Oxford’s Said Business School in England, and Pepperdine University School of Law. At Oxford, Karl was voted president of his class. Outside of his law practice, Attorney Shehu has worked to improve the world around him by participating in numerous charitable endeavors. He is a former candidate for the Connecticut Senate and a parishioner of St. Patrick Parish and Oratory in Waterbury. In addition, Attorney Shehu has written extensively on the Twenty-fifth Amendment and law firm retention by multinational firms.
January 23, 2023
Joseph M.
Joe provides premium legal services to both individuals and businesses throughout the Commonwealth. Experience litigating civil and criminal matters, as well as drafting/negotiation transactional issues involving contracts, real estate, business formation, estate planning and more. Prior to entering private law practice, Joe worked for two decades in financial industry including regulatory and compliance for both national and regional banks and investment firms.
Paul P.
With more than twenty years of experience, Attorney Paul Petrillo has written contracts, business agreements, wills, trusts and the like. Licensed in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Attorney Petrillo is regular user of remote and virtual communications and document exchanges, such as DocuSign, Adobe e-sign, as well as virtual meetings using Zoom and Webex, to make drafting contracts and communicating with clients quick and easy.
August 30, 2023
Massa M.
Highly disciplined attorney with over seven years administrative litigation experience. Capable of analyzing complex research, data, and documentation to prepare and represent individuals in sensitive cases. Recognized as a leader with the ability to perform work both autonomously and collaboratively as a member of a diverse legal team. Great problem-solving skills, strong multitasking capabilities and works well under strict deadlines. A professional with a sense of humor, strong work ethic and ability to build trust across all levels.
September 14, 2023
Rachel B.
I am a new attorney who is licensed to practice in Connecticut and Massachusetts. I am waiting for bar admission to North Carolina. I have over 20 year of experience working in both the public and private sectors. I am a fierce advocate for my clients and am committed to delivering solutions for clients with excellence.
October 1, 2023
Brittany B.
I am a tax attorney with years of experience as in house counsel at an accounting firm. I have also done tax litigation and audit representation. I work with for profits and non profits.
Drew M.
Drew Melville is a Florida and Massachusetts-licensed attorney with fourteen years' experience in real estate transactions, title insurance and land use. His practice includes all aspects of commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, financing, joint venture formation, leasing and land use approvals. Mr. Melville is a title agent for Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, First American Title Insurance Company, and Stewart Title Guaranty Company. Mr. Melville's practice is national in scope, and he brings a creative and solution-oriented approach to his clients' diverse array of real estate investment and development activities in all real estate asset classes. These often include urban infill, adaptive reuse, affordable and workforce housing, historic preservation, sustainable building, brownfield or gray-field redevelopment and opportunity zones. Prior to starting his own firm, he was an in house counsel for the real estate development subsidiary of a large, diversified land and agribusiness company. To date, Mr. Melville has closed over $1.2 billion in commercial real estate transactions.
October 20, 2023
Corey H.
Veritas Global Law, PLLC ("Veritas") is a law firm specializing in Life Sciences, Private Equity, M&A, technology transactions and general corporate law. Veritas frequently represents clients seeking cost a cost efficient, on-demand, general counsel in a variety of general corporate law matters, and a range of contracts including NDAs, MSAs, Software as a Service (Saas) agreements. Veritas also represents U.S. and non-U.S. private investment fund GPs and LPs across a broad range of activities with a particular emphasis on private equity, venture capital, secondary funds, distressed funds and funds of funds. Mr. Harris received his LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and served as an articles editor of the Berkeley Business Law Journal and was an active member of the Berkeley Center for Law Business and the Economy. Additionally, Mr. Harris also holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School, a M.B.A. from the Boston College Carroll School of Management, a B.A. from Hampton University in Political Science with a minor in Economics and Spanish and a certificate in financial valuation from the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School.
November 7, 2023
Nailah F.
Experienced Commercial & Contracts Counsel.
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Browse Lawyers NowPublishing Legal Questions and Answers
Publishing
Book Publishing Agreement
Connecticut
Can I terminate a book agreement if the publisher fails to fulfill their obligations?
I entered into a book agreement with a publisher to publish my manuscript, but they have repeatedly failed to fulfill their obligations, including missed deadlines, poor editing, and inadequate marketing efforts. As a result, I am concerned about the impact on the success of my book and my reputation as an author. I want to know if I have the right to terminate the agreement and seek a new publisher.
Randy M.
Based on what you’ve described and how Connecticut law generally works, it sounds like you probably have a solid basis for ending your publishing agreement. The important thing is understanding how contract law in Connecticut applies to your situation, and then following the right steps to protect your rights as you move forward. Let’s start with the big picture. Under Connecticut law, if a publisher commits a material breach, you have the right to terminate the contract. That means they’ve failed in such a significant way that the whole purpose of the agreement is essentially defeated. In publishing, this might look like missed deadlines over and over, poor editing that damages your reputation, or a total failure to do any of the marketing they promised. When you look at all the problems you’ve mentioned together, it’s likely enough to qualify as material breach. Now, it’s not about one minor slip-up. Courts look at everything in context. One late email won’t cut it, but if there’s a pattern of delays, low-quality work, and no real marketing effort, that adds up to something more serious. That’s when a court is more likely to say the breach is material. Next, you’ll want to take a close look at your contract. Most publishing agreements include a section about termination. Look for phrases like “material breach,” “cure period,” or “reversion of rights.” Many of these clauses will require you to give notice—typically 30 to 60 days—before you can walk away. Some agreements even say that if the publisher misses a key milestone, like a publication deadline, and doesn’t fix it within a set window, you can end things automatically. Also, check what the contract says about advance payments. In most cases, if they breach first, you keep the advance and get your rights back. Just be sure to see if there’s a clause about legal fees, because some contracts say you could owe their attorney’s costs if they challenge your termination and win. The type of publisher matters, too. If you signed with a traditional publisher that paid you an advance and took on the financial risk, courts usually hold them to a higher standard. But if it’s a hybrid or vanity publisher and you paid upfront, it’s more like a service contract. That can change how a judge sees each party’s obligations and how they interpret what “performance” really means in your case. Before you do anything official, put together a timeline that shows missed deadlines, poor communication, weak deliverables, and anything else that supports your case. Save all emails, notes, and written promises. If the editing was sloppy, point to specific examples that show real, objective problems, not just stylistic preferences. Same with marketing. What were you promised, and what did you actually get? All of this documentation will help in two ways. First, it strengthens your legal position. Second, it gives you clear, credible language for your notice letter. Speaking of notice, Connecticut law typically expects you to give the other party a chance to fix things before ending the contract. That means sending a formal letter that spells out what they’ve done wrong, points to the relevant sections of your agreement, and gives them a chance to cure the problems, either within the timeframe listed in the contract or, if there isn’t one, within a “reasonable” period. Be specific. Don’t just say “the editing was bad.” Say something like, “Failure to provide professional editing services under Section X, resulting in multiple grammatical errors and inconsistencies that reduce the manuscript’s professional quality.” Clarity here matters, especially if the situation ends up in dispute. If they don’t fix the issues in time, then you’re in a position to send a formal termination notice. If that happens, your rights usually revert back to you, and you’re free to publish elsewhere. You typically won’t owe back the advance either, assuming the breach was on their side. Just keep an eye out for any non-compete clauses or restrictions that could delay your ability to republish the same work right away. Of course, sometimes you can resolve things without pulling the plug completely. If you think there’s still a chance to salvage the relationship—or if the publisher seems willing to talk—it might be worth having a direct conversation. You could end up with a mutual termination or at least avoid legal headaches. That said, you don’t have to keep tolerating poor performance just to avoid conflict. If they’re harming your book or your reputation, it’s absolutely reasonable to consider legal options. Finally, while you can handle much of this yourself, getting a lawyer involved might be a smart move, especially if the contract has any fee-shifting provisions or vague language. An attorney can help you assess how strong your case is, draft the notice properly, and make sure you don’t accidentally create liability while trying to assert your rights. They can also tell you if you might be entitled to any damages beyond simply walking away, such as lost sales or reputational harm.
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Publishing lawyers by top cities
- Austin Publishing Lawyers
- Boston Publishing Lawyers
- Chicago Publishing Lawyers
- Dallas Publishing Lawyers
- Denver Publishing Lawyers
- Houston Publishing Lawyers
- Los Angeles Publishing Lawyers
- New York Publishing Lawyers
- Phoenix Publishing Lawyers
- San Diego Publishing Lawyers
- Tampa Publishing Lawyers
Publishing lawyers by nearby cities
- Boston Publishing Lawyers
- Brockton Publishing Lawyers
- Cambridge Publishing Lawyers
- Lowell Publishing Lawyers
- Lynn Publishing Lawyers
- New Bedford Publishing Lawyers
- Quincy Publishing Lawyers
- Springfield Publishing Lawyers
- Worcester Publishing Lawyers
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I got 5 bids within 24h of posting my project. I choose the person who provided the most detailed and relevant intro letter, highlighting their experience relevant to my project. I am very satisfied with the outcome and quality of the two agreements that were produced, they actually far exceed my expectations.
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