Paul R. DeRensis, Esq.

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Practice Areas

One of the Commonwealth’s leading attorneys in matters involving local government, Paul DeRensis serves as the “go-to” counselor and project manager for the Firm’s many municipal clients. His personal leadership roles on town boards and in state government give him unique additional insights into the often complex needs of public sector clients. Paul enjoys rare down time working on the land at his Sherborn homestead.

Work With Clients

Mr. DeRensis has represented public entities and has served as Town Counsel or Special Town Counsel, County Counsel, counsel to a Land Bank, an Airport, and a Water Company. As a consequence he has extensive experience with City Councils, Town Managers, Boards of Selectmen, Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions, Town Meetings, Warrants, Boards of Appeals, Executive Secretaries or Town Administrators, Housing Partnerships, Study Committees, Historic District Commissions, Parks & Recreation Commissions, Boards of Health, Boards of Assessors, Treasurers, Town Clerks, Town Accountants, Building Inspectors, Police and Fire Departments, Schools and Continuing Education Programs, Alcohol Licenses and other licenses and permits, Boards of Sewer Commissioners, Special Permit Granting Authorities, Department of Revenue and the State Ethics Commission. Mr. DeRensis is experienced in municipal matters involving public procurement, land use, environmental, contracting, ethics, municipal finance/Department of Revenue issues, special education, and retirement issues. In addition, he practices in the area of corporate governance representing both non-profit and for-profit corporations.

Professional Activities

Mr. DeRensis is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and New York; United States District Courts of the Districts of Massachusetts and New York (Southern and eastern Districts); United States Courts of Appeal for the First and Second Circuits; and United States Supreme Court.

Personal and Community Activities

Mr. DeRensis is a member of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Mr. DeRensis is an eleven-term elected official serving as a town selectman. He was also chairman of a Board of Selectmen for seven years, a former town planning board member, and former town Finance Committee Member.
Mr. DeRensis has been President and First Vice President of the Massachusetts Selectman’s Association and served as a board member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association.
Mr. DeRensis has served nine terms on the Governor’s Massachusetts Local Government Advisory Committee.
Mr. DeRensis was appointed by the Governor as “Public Member” of the Board of Registration in Medicine (the Board which regulates and supervises the medical profession in Massachusetts) for the term 2013-2016.

Publications / Presentations

“The Civil Liabilities of Data Base Operators”, The Practical Lawyer, July 1978 (Reprinted), DATA EXCHANGE, March-April 1979).
“Impact of Computers on Professional Malpractice”, The Practical Lawyer, June 1979 (Reprinted), Case & Comment, May-June 1980).
“Discovery and Pretrial Defense in a Proprietary Rights Case”, Contesting Computer Disputes, Harcourt, Brace & Janovitch, 1981.
Handbook for Massachusetts Selectmen, Fourth Edition, 2014, Member of Editorial Advisory Board, Mass. Municipal Association.

Education

Mr. DeRensis received his Bachelor Degree from Harvard College and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.

Awards

Mr. DeRensis has been listed as a “Top Rated Lawyer in Massachusetts” for 2024, 2025, and 2026 in TheLawyersOfDistinction.com.
Mr. DeRensis received an America’s Most Honored Lawyers Award from The American Registry in 2021 and 2022.
Mr. DeRensis received the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s Judicial Edition, the highest possible rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and Judiciary.
Mr. DeRensis received an AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 Peer Review Ratings. This is given to attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers. Attorney DeRensis has received this rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review for 30+ years.
Mr. DeRensis has been named 12 times as a New England Super Lawyers. The list of Super Lawyers is assembled by Thomson Reuters in conjunction with Boston Magazine based on peer nominations by attorneys, independent research conducted by the Thomson Reuters research staff, and peer evaluations by practice area across the six New England states aimed at selecting as Super Lawyers the top 5 percent of New England attorneys in more than 60 practice areas and reflects both peer recognition and professional achievement verified through careful selection process to determine New England’s best.
Mr. DeRensis was recognized in Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers, Municipal and Zoning Law (Volume 1 page 1258A and 1258B).
Mr. DeRensis was named as one of the Boston Globe’s Top Rated Lawyers of 2015 in both the Government Law category and the Zoning, Planning and Land Use category.
Mr. DeRensis has been named a “Top Lawyer” by Boston Magazine for 2025 in the areas of Land Use and Environmental Law.