William Karl Wilburn

Ms. Owen began her career in civil litigation by defending the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in numerous savings and loan lawsuits. She later served as counsel to the Massachusetts Housing Finance Authority, the New England Forestry Foundation, the Northeast Wilderness Trust, and the Lincoln Massachusetts Rural Land Foundation in various matters, including land acquisitions; development, permit, and zoning appeals; foreclosures; boundary disputes; and breach of contract actions. She served as counsel of record to these and other corporations, non-profit organizations, and individuals in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts.

Ms. Owen has also advised corporate management on a broad range of employment law issues, including employment contracts, non-competition/non-solicitation agreements, offer/termination letters and releases, employment handbooks, employee drug testing, sexual harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, wage and hour standards, and COBRA.

Some of the areas in which Ms. Owen recently has helped clients include:

Represented Embassy in purchase and build-out of condominium in Washington, D.C. for use as a combined chancery and residence, requiring contract negotiations, and U.S. State Department and District of Columbia zoning approvals.

Counsel for a major steel fabricator on litigation exposure in several jurisdictions.

Counsel for an overseas manufacturing company with regard to: litigation in Montana; proceedings before the United Nations arising from the UN’s Oil for Food Programme with the Iraqi Government; and lease negotiations for an industrial site in California.

Education & Honors

J.D. Boston College Law School 1991
A.B. Mount Holyoke College 1984

Bar Admissions

District of Columbia
Massachusetts

Significant Cases

Mears v. FDIC, 2 LCR 123 (Mass. Land Ct. 1994), aff’d, 38 Mass. App. Ct. 1111, 646 N.E.2d 1097 (Mass. App. Ct. 1995), rev. denied, 420 Mass. 1102, 648 N.E.2d 1285 (Mass. 1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 942, 116 S. Ct. 378 (U.S. 1995). (Won summary judgment for FDIC where tax taking of real property by town was challenged by devisees under will of prior owner.)

Zoning Bd. of Appeals v. Hous. Appeals Comm., 22 Mass. L. Rep. 334 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2007), rev’d 451 Mass. 35 (Mass. 2008) (Won administrative and lower court appeals of town’s denial of developer's right to construct condominium development bordering electrical substation under controversial Massachusetts affordable housing law.) Reversed on appeal by state’s highest court.

Won dismissal of breach of contract action brought against an overseas-based contractor arising from a large retail construction project.