John S. Leonard is a partner at Menard, Murphy & Walsh LLP who focuses his practice on complex civil litigation. A trial lawyer for over 37 years, Mr. Leonard has successfully represented private individuals, corporations, municipalities, and governmental agencies before state and federal trial courts. He also has extensive appellate experience having frequently argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He has extensive experience in representing and counseling individuals and public agencies in matters pertaining to real property damages, including eminent domain, regulatory takings, inverse condemnation, relocation assistance, and real estate tax abatement matters. Mr. Leonard has written and lectured extensively regarding the preparation and trial of eminent domain cases. In addition, he counsels and represents business entities and individuals in a wide variety of significant commercial cases, including contract, labor and employment, construction, real estate disputes, and complex domestic relations.

Education
Boston College - B.S. Honors Program, cum laude 1965; Boston College Law School - LLB 1968.

Bar Affiliations and Professional Memberships
Supreme Judicial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1969; United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts 1969; United States Court of Appeals for First Circuit 1970; American Bar Association; Massachusetts Bar Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers; Massachusetts Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Leonard was selected as a Massachusetts SuperLawyer in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, which is based on a survey of Massachusetts attorneys and reviewed by an independent blue ribbon panel. Listed attorneys and finalists consist of the top 5% of attorneys in Massachusetts. Mr. Leonard was also selected for inclusion in the 2007 edition of the Best Lawyers in America.

Representative Litigation
Chamberlayne School & others v. Robert Banker, individually and as trustee, & others, 30 Mass. App. Ct. 346; 568 N.E. 2d 642 (1991); Robert G. Dynan & others v. Edward A. Fritz, Jr. & others, 400 Mass. 230; 508 N.E. 2d 1371 (1987); Holyhood Cemetery Association v. City of Boston, 394 Mass. 1011; 476 N.E. 2d 962 (1985); United States of America v. James A. Kelly, Jr., 722 F.2d 873 (1st Cir. 1983); Charles W. Sullivan & another v. Board of Appeals of Harwich & others, 15 Mass. App. Ct. 286; 445 N.E. 2d 174 (1983); United States of America v. James A. Kelly, Jr., 543 F. Supp. 1303 (D. Mass. 1982); In Re United States of America, 666 F.2d 690 (1st Cir. 1981); United States of America v. James A. Kelly, Jr., 519 F. Supp. 1029 (D. Mass. 1981); United States of American v. John Doe, 628 F.2d 694 (1st Cir. 1980); Taunton Greyhound Associates, Inc. v. State Racing Commission & others, 10 Mass. App. Ct. 297; 407 N.E.2d 371 (1980); Lic. Inc. v. Town of Hudson, 10 Mass. App. Ct. 815; 406 N.E. 2d 397 (1980); Samuel Markell, executor v. Sidney B. Pfeifer Foundation, Inc., 9 Mass. App. Ct. 412; 402 N.E. 2d 76 (1980); Eben Hutchinson v. Sarah M. Hutchinson & another, 6 Mass. App. Ct. 705; 383 N.E. 2d 82 (1978); Commonwealth v. Gordon F. Haas, 373 Mass. 545; 369 N.E. 2d 692 (1977); Joyce Johnson v. Wilmington Sales, Inc., 5 Mass. App. Ct. 858; 364 N.E. 2d 1291 (1977); R.H. White Realty Co., Inc. v. Boston Redevelopment Authority, 371 Mass. 452; 358 N.E. 2d 440 (1977); Robert C. Haufler v. Commonwealth, 372 Mass. 527; 362 N.E. 2d 916 (1976); Bertram A. Druker, Trustee v. Roland Wm. Jutras Associates, Inc. & another, 370 Mass. 382; 348 N.E. 2d 763 (1976); Samuel S. Weinrebe, Trustee v. Samuel P. Coffman, Trustee, 358 Mass. 247; 263 N.E. 2d 454 (1970); Louis V. Bibi v. Joseph Courville, 357 Mass. 782; 260 N.E. 2d 156 (1970).

Publications and Other Matters
"Evidence," 16 Annual Survey of Massachusetts Law 449, 1969; "Evidence," 17 Annual Survey of Massachusetts Law 675, 1970. Co-Author with J. Owen Todd, "Inverse Condemnation Under Massachusetts Law," MCLE Seminar, 1995; "Preparation of the Plaintiff's Eminent Domain Case," The Best of MCLE Journal, 1995. Lecturer: "Effective Advocacy in Eminent Domain Cases," Mass. Academy of Trial Lawyers Annual Meeting, 1986; "Open and Closing Statements in Land Value Litigation," Boston Bar Association Annual Meeting, 1988; "Inverse Condemnation Under Massachusetts Law," MCLE Seminar on Eminent Domain and Land Value Litigation, 1989; "Valuation of Real Property," MCLE Seminar on Eminent Domain, 1992; "Cross Examination of Expert Appraisal Witnesses," MCLE Seminar Real Estate Property Valuation, 1993; "Preparation of the Plaintiff's Eminent Domain Case," MCLE Seminar Valuing Land in Taking Cases, 1995; “Eminent Domain In Massachusetts” Seminar, Lorman Education Services, 2005 and 2006; The Appraisal Institute 2007 New England Appraiser’s Expo “Determination of Height and Best Use.”; Member, Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Milton, MA 1997-1998, Chairman 1999-to date.

Publications and Other Matters
Recently, Mr. Leonard successfully represented the owner of a shopping mall in Springfield taken by a city agency to construct a baseball stadium, as an invalid taking not for a legitimate public purpose. He also successfully represented a public transportation agency in the favorable settlement of a thirty-four- million dollar eminent domain claim. He is also representing public and private parties whose valuable real estate has been adversely affected by eminent domain takings for high-speed gas transmission lines.