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New England’s oldest African-American owned law firm celebrates 35th year in business

Banner Staff
New England’s oldest African-American owned law firm celebrates 35th year in business
Denzil McKenzie. COURTESY PHOTO

With the recent celebration of the 35th anniversary of McKenzie & Associates P.C., Boston’s black business community reached a new benchmark. Founded in 1984, McKenzie & Associates is now New England’s oldest African-American-owned law firm.

Four years after its founding by Denzil McKenzie, attorney Wilbur P. Edwards Jr. joined the firm, which was then renamed McKenzie & Edwards, P.C.

“Denzil and I were able to provide a full complement of services for our clients by bringing our different skills and experiences to bear on their legal needs,” said Edwards, now a retired associate justice of the Housing Court.

With the addition of Edwards, the firm expanded its real estate practice and added public finance to its practice areas, representing such clients as the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corporation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

In 1995, the firm relocated from Kendall Square in Cambridge to One Bulfinch Place in Government Center, for more convenient access to the Suffolk County Superior Court, Suffolk County Probate & Family Court, and the Suffolk Registry of Deeds, as well as the Massachusetts Land Court, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The firm added zoning and permitting to its practice areas in 1998, when Attorney Joseph D. Feaster, Jr. joined the firm as counsel.

In 2001, Edwards was confirmed as an associate justice of the Housing Court and the firm was renamed McKenzie & Associates P.C. The firm continued to serve its client base that included real estate developers, banks, public agencies and small businesses, as well as some of the largest minority businesses in the U.S. and their owners and families.

Now, from its current location at 183 State Street in Boston’s Financial District, the firm continues to serve the legal needs of individuals, families and their businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit and private corporations throughout Boston and New England. Its practice areas include business litigation; finance, bankruptcy and creditors rights; corporate counseling and transactions; estate planning and probate; real estate and development; zoning and licensing; and faith-based organizations and nonprofits.

“McKenzie & Associates has mentored, trained and provided opportunities for many young lawyers to practice in the city of Boston and to serve communities of color,” said Linda M. Davidson of The Davidson Law Practice, who has co-counseled with the firm over the years.

Attorneys of color who practiced law at McKenzie & Associates have continued on in the practice of law, have run for public office and have served as counsel to corporations and state and federal agencies, and three of the firm’s former attorneys have been appointed as judges. In addition, 19 of the firm’s legal assistants have gone on to earn their law degrees and are now practicing attorneys.

In recognizing the firm’s hands-on role in the development of minority lawyers, McKenzie acknowledges that the firm will one day be led by a younger generation.

“The longevity of institutions like ours depends on a number of factors,” said McKenzie. “But an important one is the continued support from our own community, as we continue our mission to support them.”