Laredo, Smith & Kane Adds Melissa King as New Litigation Associate

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces the addition of Melissa King as an associate in the firm’s Business Litigation practice. King will support clients across all aspects of litigation including legal research, due diligence, discovery, case strategy, and trial preparation.

King is a business litigator representing small and mid-sized businesses in complex civil matters. With a thoughtful, analytical approach to resolving disputes, she draws upon her advanced research, writing, and problem-solving skills to dig into legal issues with clarity and precision. King is known for clear communication, even in high-stakes situations, that helps clients feel at ease in difficult scenarios.

Before joining the firm, King was a litigation associate with a regional law firm. Her experience also includes two clerkships, working with Justice Kathryn Hand at the Massachusetts Appeals Court and at the Connecticut Superior Court. These experiences provide a strong foundation for King’s work in both trials and appellate advocacy.

“I’m thrilled that Melissa has joined us,” said Matthew A. Kane, Managing Partner at Laredo, Smith & Kane. “Her clerkship and litigation experience are an instant value-add for our clients – exactly what we look for as we continue to grow the firm.”

King received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Connecticut School of Law and received her B.A. with distinction from Juniata College.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Seven Laredo, Smith & Kane Attorneys Recognized in the 2025 Edition of Massachusetts Super Lawyers

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that seven of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 edition of Massachusetts Super Lawyers, with six included on the Super Lawyers list and one on the Rising Stars list. With these rankings, nearly all of the attorneys at the firm were recognized on the 2025 list.

The Laredo, Smith & Kane attorneys on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list and their corresponding category/practice area are:

Senior counsel Darshana Indira was recognized as a Massachusetts Rising Star in Employment & Labor.

In addition, Laredo, Smith & Kane is one of only a few Boston law firms of similar size to have three partners – Kane, Laredo, and Salsburg – named to the Super Lawyers Top 100 list. Salsburg was also included on the Top 50 Women list, recognizing Massachusetts’ top 50 women attorneys.

Super Lawyers is a research-driven, peer-influenced rating service of lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The mission of Super Lawyers is to bring visibility to those attorneys who exhibit excellence in practice.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Tenant’s Termination Rights Upheld Despite Lender Consent Clause

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In a decision clarifying the relationship between lease provisions and lender consent clauses, the Massachusetts Appeals Court recently upheld a trial court’s order in favor of the tenant, allowing the tenant to terminate a long-term lease and service agreement without first obtaining the mortgage lender’s written approval.

Hasseltine House, LLC (the landlord) leased a Newton residential facility to Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Inc. (the tenant) under a sixteen-year lease and a companion service agreement. The agreements between the landlord and the tenant provided “special termination rights,” permitting the tenant to end the tenancy if five of the facility’s fourteen residents gave notice of intent to vacate. Weeks later, the landlord, tenant, and Brookline Bank executed a Subordination, Non-Disturbance, and Attornment Agreement (SNDA) in connection with the landlord’s $2.6 million mortgage. The SNDA subordinated the lease to the bank’s mortgage and prohibited termination without the bank’s prior written consent, though such consent could not be unreasonably withheld.

Between May and August 2017, five residents gave notice to leave to the tenant. After notifying the landlord, the tenant formally invoked its termination rights in January 2018. The landlord sued, alleging that termination without Brookline Bank’s consent breached both the lease and service agreement and violated the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

After motion practice, the trial judge entered judgment in the tenant’s favor. The Appeals Court agreed, holding that the SNDA did not override or limit the tenant’s termination rights clearly established in the lease and service agreement between the landlord and the tenant. The court reasoned that those agreements, executed together, defined the essential terms of the tenancy – including the special termination clause – and that the later SNDA could not “render illusory” the rights the tenant had already secured with the landlord.

The court emphasized that all three documents must be read together to discern the parties’ intent. Because the SNDA expressly preserved the tenant’s rights under the lease, the absence of written lender consent did not amount to a contractual breach between landlord and tenant – even if it might have violated obligations owed to the bank.

The landlord also claimed the tenant failed to “promptly” report residents’ notices to vacate, as required under the service agreement, and acted in bad faith by waiting until enough notices accumulated to justify termination. But the court found no evidence that the landlord suffered harm from any delay or that earlier notice would have changed the outcome. Exercising an expressly negotiated right, the court concluded, cannot constitute bad faith.

This case reinforces that:

  • Contract integration matters – when multiple agreements form a single transaction, courts interpret them together to preserve the original bargain.
  • Lender consent clauses in SNDAs do not automatically supersede negotiated lease rights unless the parties clearly intend that result.

By upholding the tenant’s right to terminate, the Appeals Court underscored the importance of clear contractual language, especially when sophisticated parties structure multi-agreement real estate transactions.

Fall 2025 Newsletter

Laredo, Smith & Kane’s Payal Salsburg Inducted into Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s 2025 Top Women of Law: Circle of Excellence

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that Partner Payal Salsburg will be inducted into the 2025 Top Women of Law: Circle of Excellence by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Salsburg, a 2020 Top Women of Law honoree, is one of only five attorneys named to this year’s Circle of Excellence, which recognizes past awardees whose continuing achievements merit additional tribute. The annual Top Women of Law celebrates the achievements of exceptional women lawyers who are pioneers, educators, trailblazers, and role models. Salsburg and fellow honorees will be recognized at the awards ceremony on November 18 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The full list of honorees can be found here.

Salsburg is a member of the firm’s management team. As a business and litigation attorney, she focuses her practice in the areas of business litigation, corporate advice and counsel, and white-collar criminal defense. She represents corporations, small businesses, and individuals in contract and business disputes, False Claims Act matters, State Ethics Commission inquiries, and government and internal investigations. Salsburg also advises closely held businesses on corporate and employment matters. Prior to joining Laredo, Smith & Kane, Salsburg was a litigator at a large international law firm, in its Florida and Boston offices. She is a sought-after speaker on many topics, including commercial litigation, ethics, and lawyer well-being. Salsburg is recognized for her deep commitment to volunteerism in the community. Her pro bono experience includes several successful CORI-sealing petitions, petitions for asylum, an appeal from an inmate on Florida’s death row, litigation, and appeal to assist a not-for-profit foundation, and invoking Hague Convention protection to return a child wrongfully removed to the United States by a parent. She was also a bar advocate for criminal matters at the Boston Municipal Court.

Founded in 1972, the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly newspaper reports decisions issued by all the state and federal courts in Massachusetts, as well as changes to court rules, verdict and settlement reports, bar-discipline notices, and all other news vital to attorneys in the commonwealth.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Laredo, Smith & Kane’s Darshana Indira Appointed Vice Chair of the MBA’s 2025 Business Law Section Council

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that Senior Counsel Darshana Indira has been appointed Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s (MBA) Business Law Section Council. In this role, Indira and fellow council members will plan educational seminars, practice forums, legislation and committee activities in a variety of areas, such as high technology, small business, bankruptcy, banking and commercial law, to help improve the practice of in-house counsel and outside business counsel. Her term begins September 1.

Indira is an active MBA member and leader. Over the years, she has shown a strong commitment to the MBA and the legal profession as a member of the Business Litigation Council and the Nominating Committee.

As an accomplished employment and business lawyer, Indira advises company owners, organizational leaders, and C-suite executives across a broad spectrum of employment and commercial litigation matters. With a deep understanding of various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare, and retail, her expertise spans both transactional and litigation work. Indira provides strategic counsel to businesses on the complexities of employer-employee relationships. She assists management and senior executives in navigating executive compensation, employment agreements, non-compete clauses, and severance negotiations.

In addition to her employment law expertise, Indira is a trusted advisor in business law. She works with startups and emerging companies in Massachusetts and other states, helping them form their entities, draft foundational documents, and establish employment agreements. As these businesses grow, she remains a key legal resource, assisting with any potential litigation or disputes they may face. Indira was named a 2025 Excellence in the Law: Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Six Laredo, Smith & Kane Attorneys Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® 2026

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that six of its attorneys were selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 edition. Published by Woodward/White, Inc., Best Lawyers is considered by many to be the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession.

The six Laredo, Smith & Kane attorneys listed in Best Lawyers are:

Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America is based on an extensive peer-review process designed to capture the aggregate opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical and legal practice area. Best Lawyers has been published since 1983 and highlights the top 5% of practicing attorneys in each practice area. Its 2026 selections will be featured in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Laredo, Smith & Kane’s Payal Salsburg Appointed to the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that Partner Payal Salsburg has been appointed by Governor Maura Healey to serve on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC). The JNC plays a vital role in advising the Governor on the nomination and appointment of judges and judicial officers. Salsburg was sworn in for her one-year term on July 18, 2025.

In a press release announcing the JNC’s new leadership, Governor Healey said, “The JNC does incredibly important work to identify the very best candidates to become judges who will uphold justice and the rule of law.”

“Payal has been a tireless force for good in our legal community for a long time,” said Matthew A. Kane, Managing Partner at Laredo, Smith & Kane. “She is a natural fit for the JNC, and all of us will benefit from her presence there.”

Salsburg is a member of the firm’s management team. As a business and litigation attorney, she focuses her practice in the areas of business litigation, corporate advice and counsel, and white-collar criminal defense. She represents corporations, small businesses, and individuals in contract and business disputes, False Claims Act matters, State Ethics Commission inquiries, and government and internal investigations. Salsburg also advises closely held businesses on corporate and employment matters. Prior to joining Laredo, Smith & Kane, Salsburg was a litigator at a large international law firm, in its Florida and Boston offices. She is a sought-after speaker on many topics, including commercial litigation, ethics, and lawyer well-being. Salsburg is recognized for her deep commitment to volunteerism in the community. Her pro bono experience includes several successful CORI-sealing petitions, petitions for asylum, an appeal from an inmate on Florida’s death row, litigation, and appeal to assist a not-for-profit foundation, and invoking Hague Convention protection to return a child wrongfully removed to the United States by a parent. She was also a bar advocate for criminal matters at the Boston Municipal Court.

“Thank you to Governor Healey for giving me this opportunity to serve the Commonwealth in this important role. I’m grateful to contribute to the selection of judges and judicial officers who will shape the future of law in our state,” said Salsburg. “I will help ensure that our judicial system reflects the highest standards of fairness, integrity, and justice.”

The JNC is a non-partisan, non-political, and non-compensated Commission composed of 27 distinguished volunteers appointed by the Governor from a cross-section of the state’s diverse population. They screen judicial candidates and make recommendations to the Governor. Since Governor Healey took office, the work of the JNC has resulted in the nomination of 72 highly qualified judges and four Clerk Magistrates.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Brendan Cox Quoted in Law360 Article Analyzing Precedent-Setting Immigration Bail Case

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Partner Brendan Cox provided comments in a Law360 article, “Deportation Before Due Process? Mass. Justices to Decide” regarding a precedent-setting case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, involving state bail decisions and federal immigration enforcement. In Commonwealth v. Alvarez, (a case in which he is not involved), the state’s highest court is considering whether judges can intentionally set higher bail amounts to keep defendants in state custody and prevent deportation during criminal proceedings.

Brendan Cox explained that Massachusetts bail statute language supports judicial discretion in considering deportation status, noting that the standard bail form includes a “further explanation” category that “contemplates the possibility that other factors are able to be considered.” He emphasized that this approach is “consistent with the idea that a judge determining bail is well within their discretion to consider the totality of the circumstances.”

The case involves a Haitian immigrant facing sexual assault charges who paradoxically prefers deportation over remaining in state custody on significantly increased bail. Cox predicts that the justices will likely find the lower court judge acted within proper discretion, explaining that while the statute enumerates specific bail factors, these appear to be “intended to be exemplars” rather than exclusive limitations, with the “overall concept” being whether “the person going to show up.”

 

Laredo, Smith & Kane’s Darshana Indira Announces “Pioneering Women of Color” as Co-Chair of Women’s Bar Association Women of Color Committee

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Darshana Indira, Senior Counsel at Laredo, Smith & Kane,  serves as co-chair of the Women’s Bar Association (WBA) Women of Color Committee. In this role, Indira helped plan and organize the Committee’s annual event,“Pioneering Women of Color,” June 4.

“I’m proud to serve the members of the WBA and co-chair the Women of Color Committee as we work together to foster a supportive community for all women to build their networks and thrive in their legal careers,” said Indira. “The Pioneering Women of Color event is a highlight of my year as co-chair of the Committee. This will be an exciting evening dedicated to honoring the brilliance and impact of women of color who are paving the way in the legal profession and beyond.”

The WBA is where women lawyers in Massachusetts come together to build important personal and professional relationships. Their vision is to build a strong community of women lawyers who make a difference in the profession and in society at large. In tandem, the WBA’s Women of Color Committee promotes women of color in the legal profession for their multitude of successes and to honor them for their personal and professional accomplishments.

As an accomplished employment and business lawyer, Indira advises company owners, organizational leaders, and C-suite executives across a broad spectrum of employment and commercial litigation matters. With a deep understanding of various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare, and retail, her expertise spans both transactional and litigation work. Indira provides strategic counsel to businesses on the complexities of employer-employee relationships. She assists management and senior executives in navigating executive compensation, employment agreements, non-compete clauses, and severance negotiations.

In addition to her employment law expertise, Indira is a trusted advisor in business law. She works with startups and emerging companies in Massachusetts and other states, helping them form their entities, draft foundational documents, and establish employment agreements. As these businesses grow, she remains a key legal resource, assisting with any potential litigation or disputes they may face. Indira was named a 2025 Excellence in the Law: Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide. The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.

Laredo, Smith & Kane’s Darshana Indira Presents on BBA Webinar, “MA Pay Transparency Law – Policies & Practice”

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Laredo, Smith & Kane announces that Senior Counsel Darshana Indira served as a panelist on the Boston Bar Association’s (BBA) webinar, MA Pay Transparency Law – Policies & Practice, on May 21. Indira and fellow panelists provided an overview of the Massachusetts Pay Transparency Statute’s salary-range disclosure rules, new wage-data reporting duties, and the enforcement and claim risks for employers. Additionally, they discussed practical tips to stay ahead of the curve.

As an accomplished employment and business lawyer, Indira advises company owners, organizational leaders, and C-suite executives across a broad spectrum of employment and commercial litigation matters. With a deep understanding of various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare, and retail, her expertise spans both transactional and litigation work. Indira provides strategic counsel to businesses on the complexities of employer-employee relationships. She assists management and senior executives in navigating executive compensation, employment agreements, non-compete clauses, and severance negotiations.

In addition to her employment law expertise, Indira is a trusted advisor in business law. She works with startups and emerging companies in Massachusetts and other states, helping them form their entities, draft foundational documents, and establish employment agreements. As these businesses grow, she remains a key legal resource, assisting with any potential litigation or disputes they may face. Indira was named a 2025 Excellence in the Law: Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. An active BBA member and leader, Indira currently serves on the 2025 Employment Law Conference Steering Committee.

About Laredo, Smith & Kane, LLP

For nearly 30 years, Laredo, Smith & Kane has helped clients grow their businesses and resolve legal matters–offering clients big-firm expertise with the client-centered strategy that only a small firm can provide.  The firm’s attorneys successfully combine a strategic approach to running a business with thoughtful, thorough, and protective legal representation. The firm represents clients in matters related to business law and litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, employment law, and school disciplinary and Title IX matters.