A high-profile Boston liquor license lawyer has been fired from her firm after one of her clients came forward in mid-May and said she obtained a false license for their new Allston/Brighton location.
Lesley Delaney Hawkins, former general counsel of nearly five years for both the Boston Licensing Board and Boston Cannabis Board, joined Prince Lobel Tye LLP in 2021 to lead clientele with her expertise through license regulatory processes.
Among several media appearances, Hawkins spoke on a WBUR show on May 23 to discuss liquor licensing in the city and its barriers.
Her termination in the past few weeks from the firm followed an internal investigation, said Thomas Elcock, a partner and in-house counsel.
“A client contacted us with an issue about a liquor license that Lesley obtained for them,” said Elcock. The license was “invalid” and “not properly issued by the Boston Licensing Board,” he said in a phone interview Friday.
The investigation revealed the client had no knowledge of or role in getting the license that had a fake number, Elcock said. He added law enforcement had not contacted Prince Lobel in connection with the case. Hawkins had no history of similar issues, he said.
The client, Craft Food Hall, received a license with a fake serial number from Hawkins earlier in the year and tried to use it to purchase liquor, Boston Magazine reported.
It was supposed to be the food hall’s tenth location, but the doors closed shortly after officials said the high-value certificate had a “made-up” number, the outlet reported.
“As soon as the city was made aware of these disturbing allegations, the invalid license was seized,” a spokesperson for Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said. “The city is grateful to those who swiftly raised these concerning actions.”
Hawkins worked for the city of Boston starting in 2017 and left for Prince Lobel after almost five years. She brought “ten years of experience in licensing, permitting and zoning law” to the firm, according to its website, and was respected in the community of liquor license attorneys.
Liquor licenses are a current point of contention between city officials and Massachusetts lawmakers.
Under a House bill approved on May 30, Boston would gain 205 alcoholic beverage licenses and an opportunity to bolster restaurants and revitalize neighborhoods and communities of color, according to the State House News Service.
