Of Counsel
dianemmurphy@halabylegal.com
Diane represents clients in a variety of claims. With an unwavering commitment to her clients, Diane is relentless in uncovering critical facts that form the basis of legal recovery and has an aptitude for developing case strategy.
Diane represents clients who face unlawful treatment in the workplace, including discrimination based on handicap / disability, gender, pregnancy, and age. She handles cases involving wrongful termination, retaliation and sexual harassment. Diane has appeared on local news and radio broadcasts and was interviewed by CBS Evening News regarding a wrongful termination based on pregnancy litigation. At the time the case was filed, there was no law in Massachusetts prohibiting wrongful termination based on pregnancy. Diane overcame a procedural hurdle in Court that paved the way for a trial to proceed based on the issue of wrongful termination based on pregnancy.
Another example of Diane’s persistence and skill involved a case where she represented a client in a twenty-year-old claim for priest sexual abuse. Diane overcame a statute of limitations defense which allowed the case to proceed. Diane escorted her client through this process with compassion and care.
Diane also has extensive experience in the Land Court. In one particularly complicated case Diane filed an adverse possession action on behalf of an estate and persuaded the Court that her clients were the rightful owners of 30 acres of unclaimed land. In the course of her representation, Diane traced the heirs back to 1909 and probated over 20 estates. The adverse possession judgment that resulted allowed for the sale of the land and distribution of the proceeds to the heirs.
In other matters, Diane has represented lenders and borrowers in sales and refinance transactions. Diane has represented condominium associations as well as landlords. Diane has helped resolve a number of business disputes for both businesses and consumers.
Diane’s experience is unique and that is not surprising based on her curiosity and aptitude to navigate through various sets of facts and legal issues. Underscoring her pursuit of legal claims is an understanding of legal strategy and court rules and procedures. Diane is a skillful attorney and is passionate about her clients and their cases.
Education
Southern New England School of Law, JD
Mount Ida College, BLS
Institute for British and Irish Studies, Oxford, England
Bar Admissions
Commonwealth of Massachusetts