Press Release

Boston, MA, July 27, 2023 – Burns & Levinson has added six lateral attorneys – Nana Atsem, Sydney B. Brady, Carmen F. Francella III, Michael Moyer, Laura Nicholson, and Marc Polito – to its team.

Nana Atsem is an associate in the Corporate Group, where she works closely with startup and later-stage companies across the corporate life cycle, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, securities offerings, and general representation and counseling. Outside of work, she volunteers with Project Citizenship, which provides free legal services to help permanent residents become U.S. citizens. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her B.S., cum laude, from the University of Charleston.

Sydney B. Brady is an associate in the firm’s Fiduciary Litigation Group, where she assists clients with complex estate and trust matters, guardianship proceedings, and conservatorship proceedings. Outside of work, she sits on the Board of Trustees for the Friends School Mullica Hill, volunteers as Bar Exam Coach for the Boston Bar Association, and has worked as an Attorney Grader for a bar exam preparation program. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. from Smith College.

Carmen F. Francella III is an associate in the firm’s Employment, Executive Compensation & Counseling: Business, Finance & Transactions; Middle-Market M&A and Private Equity; and Government Investigations & White-Collar Crime Groups. His practice focuses on all aspects of labor and employment matters, including in the context of national and international corporate transactions, employment-related agreements, internal investigations, restrictive covenants, and litigation and arbitration. He joined Burns & Levinson from Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He is involved with the Boston Athenaeum, Beacon Hill Civic Association, Community Resources for Justice, and Lawyers Defending American Democracy. He received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, where he volunteers with the National Moot Court Team, and his B.A. from Siena College.

Michael Moyer is an associate in the Business Law Group, where he focuses his practice on tax issues. He has extensive experience on both the buy and sell side of business transactions, tax planning for mergers and corporate reorganizations, international tax planning, state and local tax consulting and compliance, and tax planning for corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, nonprofit organizations, hedge funds, and joint ventures. Before joining Burns & Levinson, he worked as an international tax manager and a senior multistate tax consultant at Deloitte. He volunteers as a football instructor with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He earned his J.D. and LL.M. in taxation from Suffolk University and his B.A. from Assumption University.  

Laura Nicholson is an associate in the firm’s Private Client Group, where she focuses her practice on family law and business litigation matters. She joined Burns & Levinson after 12 years at the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, where she most recently served as an Assistant Attorney General and chief of the Kent County Office. She has extensive jury trial and courtroom expertise and spent many years in the Child Abuse and Special Victims units. Outside of work, she is an active member of the Junior League of Rhode Island. She received her J.D., with a litigation and dispute resolution concentration, from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. from Tulane University.

Marc Polito is an associate in the Cannabis Business & Law Advisory Group, where he concentrates his practice on commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, banking, and lending. He joined Burns & Levinson from Goodwin Procter LLP, where he was an associate in the Technology Group focused on early-stage tech transactions, including venture capital financings, M&A, public securities, and other general corporate work. He received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.