Richard Cavanaugh was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to law school, Mr. Cavanaugh served as a Congressional press secretary and legislative assistant on agricultural issues.

RICHARD’S BIO

After more than two decades of practicing law in courtrooms and boardrooms, Richard Cavanaugh traded in his wingtips for work boots when he and his wife, Anne, participated in a year-long educational and work program at The Farm School in Orange, Massachusetts. As they considered how to enjoy the next stage in their lives, they wanted to know if their dreams of living closer to the land were to remain just dreams or if they could make them happen. In short, they found that they enjoyed the work and that a whole new world of discovery and challenges awaited them, if they just had the courage to get growing.
With Common Grow, Richard is combining his legal experience with the desire to establish sustainable methods of protecting farms and open space and to encourage food security and biodiversity. With all of the forces at play in our world, Common Grow seeks to provide ways for us to live and work so that our earth and we can enjoy the healthiest possible future.

Personal/Professional Experience

Richard Cavanaugh was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to law school, Mr. Cavanaugh served as a Congressional press secretary and legislative assistant on agricultural issues. He also served on the staffs of a number of Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional campaigns. He began practicing law in 1991, and in 2000, helped form the law firm of Gallagher & Cavanaugh, LLP, located in Lowell, MA, where he continues to be a resource for the firm in an Of Counsel capacity. In his over twenty years of litigation and trial practice in state and federal courts, he has handled a wide range of matters, including products and professional liability, construction, employment, motor vehicle, premises, environmental, liquor liability, and commercial disputes. He has argued appellate issues before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and has counseled non- profit and for-profit corporations in a variety of business matters. Before establishing Common Grow, LLC, Mr. Cavanaugh transitioned out of his full-time law practice to pursue his life- long interest in farming and completed the year-long Practical Farm Training Program at The Farm School in Orange, MA.

Bar and Court Admissions

Mr. Cavanaugh was admitted to practice in Massachusetts in 1990, and he is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.

Education

J.D., Boston College, Boston, MA, 1990
(European Practice Program at Kings College, University of London, England, 1989)
B.A., Boston College, Boston, MA, 1983

Presentations/Publications

Co-Presenter: “Farm Succession Planning: Why, When and How” Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Summer Conference, 2014; Lecturer/Panel Member: “Introducing Evidence at Trial,” MCLE, 2005. Co-Author: “Opposing Expert Testimony at Trial,” Chapters in MCLE books, Massachusetts Courtroom Advocacy (2005) and Massachusetts Expert Witnesses (2002, 2004); “How To Try A Personal Injury Case in Massachusetts District Court, ”Massachusetts Basic Practice Manual,” 1993.

Community Activities

Mr. Cavanaugh currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) in Lowell, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. He was an officer of the Greater Lowell Bar Association (President, 1999-2000; President-Elect, 1998-1999; Treasurer, 1997-1999; Secretary, 1996-1997), and served as a director on a number of boards of cultural and human service organizations including Lowell House, Inc. and the New England Quilt Museum.

AFFILIATES

Richard Cavanaugh remains Of Counsel to the law firm, Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP that he helped establish and run in Lowell, Massachusetts. That well-credentialed firm also stands ready to serve Common Grow clients in a wide array of legal services.
Common Grow LLC can assist clients in enlisting and working with accountants, architects, contractors, engineers, farm management consultants, financial planners, financiers, foresters, homebuyers, land conservationists, and landscape designers, to address the client’s particular needs.