Jennifer Schultz

Practice Areas

Real Estate

Permitting & Land Use

Life Sciences

Career

Jennifer serves as lead of Nixon Peabody’s Permitting & Land Use team and concentrates her practice on land use and permitting on complex, large-scale developments in and around the Greater Boston Area, with focus areas in life sciences development, renewable energy and ClimaTech real estate assets, and affordable housing. Jenn represents traditional real estate developers as well as family offices, real estate investment trusts, REIMs, universities/colleges, hospitals, hotel owners and managers, and land-centric nonprofits, including two organic farms.

/My focus

Real Estate Development

I help clients permit their real estate development projects from local to state to federal approvals, including community and government relations, tax abatements, and government subsidies and funding. I am a traditional dirt lawyer, which makes my practice part law, part politics, and part grassroots organizing.

Life Sciences Development

For my sub specialty in life sciences development, I have permitted over one dozen significant life science developments in and around the Boston area in the last several years, including a collaboration between a large life sciences developer and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council to create a first-of-its-kind workforce training program providing stackable certificates to create a new pathway into life science careers for high school graduates.

Land-Use and Zoning

As part of my practice, I also advise clients on and negotiate land-use agreements, including complex long-term ground and air rights leases and development, abutter, and reciprocal easement agreements. My land use practice also includes resolving complex easement issues and preparing land use-related agreements. It is important that I stay abreast of all relevant political issues in each neighborhood in which we work that will affect our clients in bigger-pictures ways.

/Looking ahead

I look forward to finding opportunities for developer clients to cost-effectively manage the transition to clean energy.

Professional Memberships

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors

ULI Boston Market Product Council, co-chair 2023–2025

CREW Boston, member

NAIOP Government Affairs Committee, New England, member

Massachusetts Chapter of NAIOP, member

Cohasset Zoning Board of Appeals, former board member

Education