Practice Areas
Gareth Orsmond focuses his practice on commercial real estate, land use, environmental, and energy matters in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
His practice encompasses transactional work, permitting, and litigation. Gareth started his career as an environmental and land use lawyer before building his commercial transactional practice. This background enables him to negotiate and implement complex real estate deals while resolving challenging environmental and land use issues.
Gareth played a leading role in impactful developments in metro Boston, including University Station in Westwood, the St. Regis Residences in Boston, and the Skating Club of Boston’s state-of-the-art Olympic training center in Norwood.
Gareth’s extensive experience in environmental, land use, and governmental matters includes his work with the Cape Cod Commission, the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund, and nonprofit organizations and municipalities, including Westwood, Somerville, Salem, and Medway, Mass., and Somersworth, New Hampshire. He has particular expertise in the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act, known as Chapter 91.
In the energy sector, Gareth is lead transactional and environmental counsel and handles aspects of the complex permitting efforts for a leading U.S. operator and developer of utility-scale battery energy storage systems in connection with a proposed 700±-MW battery energy storage system that will occupy a critical, urban location. He also represents one of four electric utility providers in New Hampshire, which operates Massachusetts facilities as well, and represents landowners and developers in renewable energy projects, including solar arrays and battery energy storage systems.
As an educator, Gareth taught the land use seminar and clinic at New England Law|Boston for 10 years. He also teaches continuing legal education seminars and authors publications.
Career
Gareth earned a master's in jazz studies, with honors, from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed in many venues, including Boston’s historic Jordan Hall, the Village Vanguard in New York, and Ronnie Scott's in London.