Richard D. Vetstein, Esq.
Founding Partner of The Vetstein Law Group, P.C., Vice President + Director of Marketing for TitleHub Closing Services, LLC
Tel: 508.620.5352 | Email: [email protected]
Richard D. Vetstein, Esq. is the creator and principal author of the Massachusetts Real Estate Law Blog. Rich is a nationally recognized real estate attorney, having written extensively on real estate legal issues and been featured or quoted by the Boston Globe, Bloomberg News, Financial Times, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, and Banker & Tradesman. Rich was recently selected as one of Inman News’ Top 100 Most Influential in Real Estate.
As a former outside title claims counsel for a national title company and sitting zoning board member, Rich has extensive experience with real estate litigation, title claims, condominiums, construction, lending, and residential transactional work. Rich has worked on several groundbreaking real estate cases in his career.
Rich is also a trailblazer for the successful use of the Internet and social media for his companies’ marketing efforts. Rich thinks so highly of social media that he helped found HubConnected LLC, which provides Social Media Solutions for the real estate industry. The ABA Journal and Lawyers Weekly USA have featured Mr. Vetstein for his successful use of blogs and social media. Mr. Vetstein is also a contributing blogger on Boston.com’s Real Estate Now Blog.
Education
Suffolk University Law School, J.D.
- Top 10% class rank
- Law Review
- Clerk, Federal District Court Judge William G. Young.
Miami (Ohio) University in Oxford, OH, B.S. in Mass Communication/Media Management with a minor in Marketing.
- Account Executive, Laws, Hall & Associates, Molson Breweries in Toronto, Canada.
- Sigma Alpha Mu. Fraternity
- Men’s Volleyball Team
Community
Rich is active in his community, local philanthropies and bar associations, which provides him with the opportunity to give back, volunteer and connect with his colleagues and peers.
- Sudbury Zoning Board of Appeals, 2000-2009
- Sudbury Earth Removal Board, 200-2009
- Chair, Technology Committee, Real Estate Bar Association
- Past Chair/Current Member, Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Young Lawyers Group
- Social Marketing Consultant, CJP-Metrowest
- Leadership Fellow, Leadership Metrowest Academy, 2009
- Metrowest Lunch Chapter, BNI
- Past Board Member for the Corridor 9 Chamber of Commerce’s HYPE 9 (Helping Young Professionals Engage Corridor 9)
- Metrowest Chamber of Commerce.
Publications/Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, Real Estate Grey Areas, Presented to Black Diamond Investor Group (Summer 2013)
- Cases Could Make Foreclosure Challenges Easier, Assignments’ Validity Could Be Questioned, Banker and Tradesman (March 3, 2013)
- Errors Made By Lender Invalidate Foreclosure, Mass. Lawyers Weekly (Jan. 31, 2013)
- SJC Rules Bank Had No Right To Take Home, Boston Globe (Jan. 14, 2013)
- State’s Highest Court Rules for Lender in Foreclosure Affidavit Case, Boston Globe (Oct. 26, 2012)
- Unsigned P&S Enforceable In Wake of Emails, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (July 5, 2012) (subscription only)
- Lenders Must Have Proper Paperwork to Foreclose, SJC Says, Boston Globe, June 22, 2012
- Landlord Liable for Tenant’s Drunken Tumble, American Apartments Owner’s Association (March 15, 2012)
- Seizures Threatened In Massachusetts With Naked Loans Challenge: Mortgages, Bloomberg News (Feb. 21, 2012)
- New Trends Emerging In Short Sale Legal Transactions, Special to Banker & Tradesman (Feb. 6, 2012)
- Homeowner Can Sue Lender Under HAMP, Mass. Lawyers Weekly (Dec. 29, 2011)
- Realtor Held Liable For Incorrect Information In MLS, AG Beat (Nov. 23, 2011)
- Can You Get A House For Free? MSN Real Estate, (Nov. 22, 2011)
- Mass. Bankruptcy Judge Voids Foreclosure of MERS Mortgage, Wall Street Journal Online, Aug. 24, 2011
- Speaker on Legal Blogging, Social E Conference, The Warren Group, Newport, RI, June 24, 2011
- State Court Rules Attorneys Must Participate In Home Closings, Boston Globe, April 26, 2011
- New Rules Make Condos Harder To Sell, Inman News (March 18, 2011)
- Apocalypse Now? Will The Ibanez Decision Reveal Widespread Irregularities In the Securitized Mortgage Industry?, The Big Picture, Jan. 10. 2011
- Court Ruling Could Create Foreclosure Crisis, Metrowest (MA) Daily News, Jan. 8, 2011
- US Foreclosure Decision To Reverberate, Financial Times, Jan. 7, 2011
- Foreclosures May Be Undone By State Ruling On Mortgage Transfer, Bloomberg News, Jan. 6, 2011
- Homestead Act Updated For 2011, Banker & Tradesman, Dec. 27, 2010
- Property Owners Advised To Clear Snow After Storm, Metrowest Daily News, Dec.. 28, 2010
- Featured Speaker, Social Not Working? Tips for Social Marketing In Real Estate, 200+ Realtors, Newton Marriott, Dec. 7, 2010
- Speaker, Technology For The Conveyancing Attorney, Real Estate Bar Conference Annual Meeting, Nov. 8, 2010
- How To Navigate The Foreclosure Freeze, Wall St. Journal Smartermoney.com, Oct. 13, 2010
- Borrowers: Beware The Second Credit Report, Wall St. Journal Smartermoney.com, June 7, 2010
- Local Agents Raise Questions Over New Fannie Rules, Banker & Tradesman, June 6, 2010.
- Federal Aid & Tax Extension Available For Massachusetts Flood Victims, Boston.com, April 14, 2010
- The HO-6 Condo Insurance Policy: A Lot More Than You Think, Boston.com, April 7, 2010
- Legal Analysis Of Mezuzah Condo Case, Boston.com, March 31, 2010
- Impending SJC Ibanez Title Ruling May Invalidate Thousands Of Foreclosures, Banker & Tradesman, March 29, 2010
- How A Salamander Raised A Rights Issue, Boston Globe, March 24, 2009
- House Call: To Buy Or Not To Buy, SmarterMoney.com (Wall Street Journal Online) March 22, 2010
- Social Media and Blogging For Realtors 101, Seminar–Hallmark Sotheby’s, Hopkinton, MA; Prudential Page Real Estate, Medway, MA
- New Rules Help Borrowers At Closing, SmarterMoney.com (Wall Street Journal), Jan. 11, 2010
- Facebook: Friend or Client? Lawyers Weekly USA, Dec. 21, 2009
- Condo Rules Could Shut Out Buyers, Hit Builders, Associated Press, Dec. 8, 2009
- Federal Housing Administration’s Condo Financing Rules Already Scuttling Projects, Los Angeles Times/Associated Press, Dec. 7, 2009
- Creating A Memorable Blog For Your Law Practice (Webinar), Presenter, Nov. 20, 2009.
- FHA Eases Condominium Lending Guidelines, Boston.com, Nov. 11, 2009
- When Are Condo Owners Liable?, Boston.com, Oct. 28, 2009
- The Long and Short Of It: A Short Sale Primer, Boston.com, Oct. 21, 2009
- Ibanez Decision: Round 2, Boston.com, Oct. 15, 2009
- New FHA Condominium Guidelines, A Chill In The Air, Boston.com, Oct. 13, 2009
- Landlord-Tenant Hell: Drinking Guests and Faulty Railings, Boston.com, Oct. 7, 2009
- Offer to Purchase Is A Binding Contract, Boston.com, Sept. 30, 2009
- Thousands of Foreclosures Invalid, Ibanez Decision, Boston.com, Sept. 2, 2009
- Marketing With Social Media, What’s Your Plan? Lawyers Weekly USA, Sept. 5, 2009
- How A Solo Gained More Than 600 Facebook Fans, American Bar Association Journal, Sept. 9, 2009
- A Legal Refresher Course For Landlords, Boston.com Real Estate Now, July 29, 2009
- An Attorney Thinks About Construction, Boston.com Real Estate Now, July 23, 2009
- New Fannie Mae Condo Regulations Could Stifle Condo Demand, NuWire Investor, July 27, 2009
- Holland Land Case Back Before A Judge, Sturbridge Villager, (Jan. 23, 2009).
- Twitter, Facebook As Marketing Tools?, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (May 9, 2009)
- Banker Gets $1M Verdict For National Origin Bias, Employment Case Nets $600,000 In Punitives, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (June 5, 2006).
- SJC Ruling Hurts Affordable Housing Foes, Boston Globe, June 20, 2006.
- Trust Wins Battle Over Waterfront, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (April 2, 2001).
- Speaker, Legal Professionals Panel, Suffolk Law School.
Reported Cases
- North American Expositions Co. v. Corcoran, 452 Mass. 852 (2009) and 70 Mass. App. Ct. 411 (2007) (leading case on the anti-SLAPP Act in the business and political lobbying context; upholding dismissal of claims and $80,000 award of attorneys fee in client’s favor).
- Hadfield v. McDonough, 407 F.3d 11 (1st Cir. 2005), cert. denied by U.S. Supreme Court (employment termination and violation of procedural due process for political affiliation of deputy sheriff)
- Portland Natural Gas Transmission System v. 19.2 Acres of Land, 318 F.3d 279 (1st Cir. 2003)(eminent domain taking involving natural gas pipeline)
- Private Lending & Purchasing Inc. v. First American Title Ins. Co., 54 Mass. App. Ct. 532 (2002)(leading Mass. case on title insurance policies).
- South Boston Betterment Trust Corp. v. Boston Redev. Auth., 438 Mass. 57 (2002)(landmark case on the validity of community benefits negotiated by South Boston elected officials for mitigation of Seaport District development
- Iffland v. City of Cambridge, 49 Mass. App. Ct. 1108 (2000) (issues of legal standing to challenge permits for commercial development)
- Ben v. Shultz, 47 Mass. App. Ct. 808 (1999)(civil procedure)
- Fields v. Revolution Trust Corp., 49 Mass. App. Ct. 1116 (1999)(defeating challenge to corporate deed alleged to have been forgery).
