Biography
Overview
Matthew Kiefer is a real estate development and land use lawyer whose practice focuses on obtaining parcel dispositions and entitlements from public agencies for complex urban projects. He has a particular focus on projects that involve collaborations between for-profit developers and non-profits or public agencies and that address unique policy, feasibility, and design challenges. These include market-oriented, mixed-income and affordable housing; commercial and mixed-use projects; and facilities and master plans for universities, cultural institutions, and other non-profits. He is a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and has been recognized by Chambers USA as “a pre-eminent force in development and land use work.”
In addition to his law practice, Matthew teaches in the Master in Real Estate program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has written and spoken widely on land use topics. Matthew's long-form thought leadership articles are listed here. Both these and his shorter insights are available here.
Matthew serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board and on the Management Committee of ULI Boston; is a member of the City of Boston’s Article 80 Reform Steering Committee; served two terms as an at-large member of the City of Boston’s Community Preservation Committee, awarding $200 million in funds to affordable housing, historic preservation and open space projects; is the past Chair and a current Executive Committee member of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, which supports best practices in municipal governance; and is an Honorary Member of the Boston Society for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects.
He is a graduate of Boston University and the University of Michigan Law School, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard GSD.
Accolades
- Elected to Honorary Membership, American Institute of Architects, 2020
- Elected to Honorary Membership, Boston Society for Architecture, 2017
- Elected Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), 2012
- Chambers USA, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, Massachusetts, 2019, 2021-2024 (Band 1)
- Martindale Hubbell Peer-Review Rated AV Preeminent™
- Boston Magazine
- Top Lawyers, Real Estate, 2021
- Top Attorneys in Massachusetts, 2016
- Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers® (2016, 2019, 2025): Land Use and Zoning Law
- Best Lawyers in America®, (2008-2017, 2020-2025): Land Use and Zoning Law - Real Estate Law
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2019-2024
Affiliations
- Teaching: Lecturer, Master in Real Estate Program, Harvard Graduate School of Design
- Planning and Policy: Past Chair and current Executive Committee member, Boston Municipal Research Bureau; Co-Chair of Advisory Board and member of Management Committee, ULI Boston; Board Member, Leventhal Map and Education Center
- Regulatory Reform: City of Boston Article 80 Reform Steering Committee; Inclusionary Development Policy Mayor's Working Group; MEPA Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Committee; Chapter 91 Facilities of Public Accommodation Task Force
- Historic Preservation: Council of Advisors and former Board President, Historic Boston Incorporated; Chair, Truro Historical Commission
- Open Space: Co-founder, Emerald Network; Member, Trustees Collaborative for Open Space
Admissions
Education
- University of Michigan Law School
- Boston University
- Harvard University Loeb Fellow