General Information

Year founded: 1979
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
Logo for Davis, Malm & D'Agostine P.C.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

Founded in 1979, Davis Malm is a premier, full-service, Boston-based law firm. The firm provides sophisticated legal services and represents local, national, and international public and private businesses, institutions, and individuals in a wide spectrum of industries. The firm delivers successful results to clients through direct partner involvement, responsive client service and practical and creative problem solving. These qualities—combined with a cross-discipline approach to the law and an efficient approach to staffing—are not just our watchwords, but our working reality. We take pride in our long-standing relationships with our clients and, most important, in our clients' many successes.

Banking and Credit: Our banking and credit attorneys routinely represent institutional, private, governmental, and commercial lenders, along with corporate borrowers, finance-lessees, and other users of capital, in a broad spectrum of domestic and foreign commercial transactions. We are particularly well known for our expertise in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lending, floor plan financing, and tax-exempt bond financing.

Business: Our business attorneys represent public and private businesses in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, pharmaceutical, biotech, software, environmental management, Internet commerce, service, distribution, and medical. We handle all areas of business practice from initial formation, issues of governance, and private and public financing to SEC compliance and mergers and acquisitions. We also serve clients in new and emerging businesses in the changing economy.

Divorce and Family Law: Our divorce and family law attorneys are highly skilled with decades of experience representing clients, including high-net-worth and high-profile individuals, in all aspects of divorce and family law matters. When substantial and complex assets are at stake, our attorneys analyze the multifaceted layers in order to fiercely protect their wealth. The divorce and family law team collaborates with other firm colleagues to provide comprehensive service and advise on a number of other issues that arise in a divorce, including those that impact: family and closely held business concerns; partnership interests; tax matters; real estate; and retirement, pension and employment-related equity and compensation plans.

Employment: Our employment attorneys regularly represent employers, executives, and employees in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination law, breach of contract matters, noncompetition agreements, and trade secret and confidential information matters. Attorneys regularly advise employers regarding employee hand books, employment audits, and workplace policies and practices. They also conduct workplace investigations and trainings on diversity harassment and other topics. Attorneys are experienced trial lawyers with a strong success record, who are prepared, when necessary, to negotiate, mediate, arbitrate, and litigate employment issues in all administrative and judicial forums.

Intellectual Property: Our intellectual property attorneys represent inventors, start-ups, emerging companies, and private and public companies in a wide range of industries and technology verticals. We offer a full range of intellectual property services, including patent prosecution, obtaining and managing trademarks and copyrights, safeguarding trade secrets, negotiating and drafting licensing and joint venture agreements, preparing opinions, reviewing and drafting employment and consulting agreements, and enforcing and defending intellectual property rights and assets through litigation.

Litigation: Our litigators have extensive experience handling commercial litigation matters of all sizes and complexity in state and federal courts, both trial and appellate, and in administrative agencies. The firm resolves large and complex litigation for marjor, publicly traded companies and handles "bet the company" litigation for smaller, privately held enterprises and individuals. We have a strong track record of obtaining positive results for our clients. Our litigators bring to every dispute years of experience and dedication to success extending across a broad array of disciplines. We are always vigilant in pursuing favorable settlement opportunities and have a demonstrated record of success both in negotiating settlements and in alternative dispute-resolution forums. We work closely with all our clients to reduce their litigation risks and to resolve disputes outside the courtroom arena whenever possible. This commitment to dispute resolution demonstrates the importance we place on preserving our clients' management, human, and financial resources.

Real Estate and Environmental Law: Our real estate and environmental attorneys represent developers in the acquisition, financing, construction, and sale of residential and commercial projects. Our expertise in condominium law—in both development and management—is well-known. We have a long history of successful representation of clients in environmental compliance and contamination matters.

Regulatory and Administrative Law: The firm represents clients in regulated industries and works closely with them to protect their interests, ensure compliance, and avoid or minimize sanctions in cases of alleged noncompliance. Represented industry sectors include: cable television, telecommunications, data security and information privacy, energy, renewable energy, environmental, permitting, zoning, and liquor licensing. The firm regularly represents clients in securing regulatory approvals and advocating in state and federal agency proceedings.

Firm News

Rankings

Davis, Malm & D'Agostine P.C. is nationally ranked in 3 practice areas and metro ranked in 5 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

National Rankings

Tier 2
Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 3
Tier 3 for Litigation - Environmental
Tier 3 for Real Estate Law

Metro Rankings

Boston
Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 2 for Real Estate Law
Tier 2 for Tax Law
Tier 3 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 3 for Litigation - Environmental

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
Corporate Law
Davis, Malm & D'Agostine has provided high-quality legal advice and service at a reasonable price. They partner with my company and understand the measure of their success is the success of their client.
David Musselman, Senior Vice President & General Counsel – Clean Harbors
Corporate Law
As a former practicing attorney, I have a good sense of what constitutes effective advice. Davis, Malm & D'Agostine partners have always been responsive, creative and effective in representing my firm in a variety of commercial transactions, M&A work and tax counseling.
Corporate Governance Law
Davis Malm consistently provides expert guidance and a steady hand at a reasonable price.
Real Estate Law
I recommend Paul Feldman at Davis, Malm & D'Agostine. He is practical, efficient, and results oriented.

Rankings

National Rankings

Tier 2
Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 3
Tier 3 for Litigation - Environmental
Tier 3 for Real Estate Law

Regional Rankings

Boston
Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 2 for Real Estate Law
Tier 2 for Tax Law
Tier 3 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 3 for Litigation - Environmental

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law
  • Appellate Practice
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
  • Commercial Finance Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
  • Construction Law
  • Copyright Law
  • Corporate Governance Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Energy Regulatory Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Equipment Finance Law
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Litigation - Environmental
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Litigation - Patent
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Litigation - Securities
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Patent Law
  • Privacy and Data Security Law
  • Public Finance Law
  • Qui Tam Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Trade Secrets Law
  • Trademark Law
  • Venture Capital Law

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Davis, Malm & D'Agostine P.C. has 7 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Davis, Malm & D'Agostine P.C. eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
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Demographics

Partners
Male: 19
Female: 4
Of Counsel (but not partners)
Male: 1
Female: 2
Associates
Male: 2
Female: 3
Other Lawyers
Male: 1
Attorney Management / Department Heads
Male: 3
Female: 1
Paralegals
Male: 1
Female: 2
Non-binary: 1
Non-Legal Employees
Male: 3
Female: 16

Awards

Awards are self-reported by firms and are not verified by the Best Law Firms rankings.
  • President's Award, Massachusetts Bar Foundation
  • Leading Firm: Labor and Employment, Chambers USA
  • Leading Firm: Labor and Employment, Chambers USA
  • Leading Firm: Labor and Employment, Chambers USA

Main Location

Management and Personnel

Shareholder/President
Amy L. Fracassini
Shareholder/Executive Committee
Lawrence J. Casey
Shareholder/Executive Committee
James E. Gallagher
Shareholder/Executive Committee
Christopher J. Marino

Contacts

Director of Marketing & Business Development
Joanne Thorud (617) 589-3894
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