Diedre T. Lawrence

Diedre brings extensive experience in energy, regulatory, and municipal law to Duncan & Allen. Before joining the firm, she was Of Counsel with Burke & Foskett and a partner in the Energy and Regulatory departments at Rubin & Rudman in Boston, Massachusetts. In these roles, she provided comprehensive legal counsel to municipal light plants, municipal cooperatives, utility project developers, major educational institutions, and telecommunications, cable television, and internet service providers (ISPs). She regularly appeared before federal, state, and local regulatory agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), and the Energy Facilities Siting Board, as well as in Massachusetts state and federal courts.

Diedre has a wide range of expertise, including environmental and regulatory permitting for utility generation, transmission, and distribution projects. She advises on the formation and operation of public power and telecommunications cooperatives and negotiates key agreements such as engineering, procurement, and construction contracts; power purchase agreements; long-term service agreements; and maintenance contracts. Her experience spans renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and battery storage initiatives. She is also skilled in preparing requests for proposals, invitations to bid for public power construction projects, and telecommunications agreements such as IRUs, master leases, and co-location agreements for dark fiber projects.

Diedre’s litigation experience includes matters related to power purchase agreements, construction disputes, and land use and zoning issues. Additionally, she provides employment law counsel, including drafting employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality clauses, and defending discrimination claims. Her municipal law practice includes advising on special legislation and home rule petitions, bid challenges, real property matters, municipal finance, utility rate design, and compliance with Open Meeting and State Ethics laws.

With her multifaceted expertise, Diedre offers clients practical and innovative solutions tailored to meet the demands of complex regulatory and legal environments.