Condo Media - June 2015 - 34

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

Perkins & Anctil P.C.

Assisting Associations With Representation, Litigation, and Education
[by Pamela Schweppe]

Anyone involved in the condominium industry can
tell you that it's a niche all its own-and nowhere is
that more true than in the laws that affect every aspect of
multifamily living. As senior partner and founder of Perkins & Anctil, P.C., of Westford, Mass., one of a handful of
law ﬁrms specializing in New England's condominium
industry, Charles A. Perkins Jr., is well aware of that.
He also well understands the importance of sharing
that expertise with others, so he has made education a
priority for his ﬁrm. Take Drummer Boy Homes Association, Inc. v. Britton. Decided in November 2014, it's a case
that set the issue of collecting delinquent fees on its ear.
Basically, Massachusetts' superlien legislation gives
associations priority over ﬁrst mortgages in collecting
delinquent assessments. In the past, this assessment
has rolled over every six months, allowing associations
to protect multiple six-month periods by ﬁling successive actions in court. "Now, you have to wait for one assessment to be complete before you can ﬁle a new one.
That's not what the industry wanted," explains David R.
Chenelle, director of the ﬁrm's lien-enforcement team.
Perkins & Anctil has kept a close eye on the case, so
they immediately understood the ramiﬁcations of the
decision-and made sure their clients did, too. The attorneys quickly formulated an educational campaign around
the new law, including preparing literature explaining the
impact of the decision and collaborating on a webinar.
In fact, Perkins & Anctil regularly hosts complimentary educational events on different themes, such as
a recent roundtable panel on real estate transactions
that featured multiple guest speakers, including Greg P.
Watson, of the Massachusetts Department of Housing
and Community Development.
One client who has beneﬁted from these events is
Fred Mandel, trustee of Windemere at Chelmsford in
North Chelmsford, Mass. "Our board members make it
a point to go," he reports. One seminar focused on roof
repair, a major expense. "He had a roofer come in and
advise how to approach it. And Charlie will get up and
answer any questions anybody has."
Perkins & Anctil is also looking at ways to make the
education process more interactive for its clients. Scott J.
Eriksen, an associate with the ﬁrm, says the ﬁrm recently
made an investment in upgrading its technology and is
using technology to, in his words, "inform, engage, and

educate" clients. Through Constant Contact, clients
quickly receive updates; Chenelle sends out daily tweets;
and the ﬁrm is redoubling its efforts to maintain a blog
that's, as Eriksen puts it, "informative and entertaining."
Eriksen also recently compiled the ﬁrm's ﬁrst-ever
survey of clients, which he plans to transform into a
quarterly newsletter that zeroes in on issues that are
of the most immediate concern. He cites smoking
amendments as an example. "Many associations are
restricting smoking now," he says. Through a newsletter format, the ﬁrm can explain that banning smoking
in common areas doesn't require an amendment to
condominium documents, whereas banning smoking
in private residences may require amending the master
deed and sometimes a trust, as well as the support of
the majority of unit owners.
To the attorneys of Perkins & Anctil, just as important as educating clients to the nuances of condominium law is staying current themselves. "We make sure
all the lawyers here are committed to education," says
Perkins, adding that they're active in the Community
Associations Institute (CAI) and enjoy collaborating
with others who specialize in condominium law. The
ﬁrm is a member of both the New England chapter and
national CAI, and he himself is a member of the Legislative Action Committee and College of Community
Association for Lawyers. Chenelle and Eriksen are
both members of CAI's Attorneys' Committee, and Eriksen is also active in the Emerging Leaders Network.
CAI isn't the only organization in which Perkins
& Anctil is well represented. For example, Robert W.
Anctil, managing partner of the ﬁrm, belongs to Vistage,
a professionally facilitated adviser peer group for business CEOs, executives, and owners. "You sometimes
get tunnel vision in your own world," he explains.
"Vistage is a networking forum for business owners and
operators from all walks of life. It has helped us look at
a greater scale-how we can do better customer service
and how we can interact and educate at a better level."
ONE FIRM, MANY SERVICES
Of course, Perkins & Anctil is ﬁrst and foremost a law
ﬁrm. "That decision radically changed the practice
overnight," says Eriksen of the Drummer Boy case.
"David quickly adapted to that and put new procedures

Condo Media - June 2015

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