ATTORNEYS & STAFF

PROFILE

Brian’s practice focuses on Vermont land use, zoning and regulatory matters and resulting appellate litigation, and immigration law. Brian has appeared before numerous municipal zoning and planning boards in Vermont and has practiced before each of the District Environmental Commissions that are responsible for administering Act 250 (Vermont’s statewide land use law). Through the appellate process, Brian has also represented clients before the Vermont Environmental Court, the former Vermont Environmental Board, the Vermont Supreme Court, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

 

Within the area of land use and zoning law, Brian has developed a further area of concentration representing telecommunications companies in their network development operations, including acquiring real property for the purpose of siting telecommunications facilities, obtaining state and municipal land use permits to enable the development of those facilities, and handling post-approval compliance matters. In his telecommunications work, Brian has represented both wireless communications service providers and developers of associated infrastructure.  Through this representation, Brian has acquired significant experience practicing before the Vermont Public Utility Commission (formerly Public Service Board).

 

Brian also represents businesses and individuals in the process of obtaining non-immigrant and immigrant visas, both in employment-based and family-based cases.  He represents individuals in the process of naturalization.  Brian has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Labor, USCIS Service Centers, as well as the USCIS St. Albans, Vermont Field Office, several U.S. Consulates and Ports of Entry. Brian heads MSK’s immigration practice and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and the Vermont Human Resource Association.

 

Brian began his legal career with Sidley & Austin in Chicago. He relocated to Burlington, Vermont in 1989 and joined Burak Anderson & Melloni, where he became a partner and remained until becoming a founding member of MSK in February 2004.

 

Brian’s interests include fitness, amateur radio (call sign KC1MER), aviation and travel. Brian has a near fluency in Spanish, French and Brazilian-Portuguese and a strong working knowledge of Italian.

REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS

• Represented the nation’s largest wireless telecommunications carrier in its Vermont permitting, environmental compliance and litigation matters over the last 20 years.
• Represented a Vermont developer in connection with development of an office building with national tenants.
• Represented clients in litigation matters before the U.S. District Court for Vermont, the Second Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Vermont Supreme Court.

RECOGNITION

• Named among the foremost zoning and land use lawyers in Vermont by Chambers USA in its Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers every year since 2004.
• Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Land Use and Zoning Law.
• Rated “AV Preeminent” by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell in the fields of Zoning, Planning and Land Use, Communications and Media, and Energy.
• Brian Sullivan was named Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for Land Use and Zoning Law in Burlington, Vermont for the years 2015, 2018 and 2020, and for Litigation – Land Use and Zoning in 2021 and 2024.