Business Litigation
Our Business Litigation practice group offers the experience of seasoned lawyers who recognize the value of solving problems to promote your business success.
Complex Tort Defense
Since its founding in 1988, a staple of Conn Kavanaugh’s practice has been the defense of business entities in serious and complex personal injury or property damage actions.Construction
Whether you are the owner, design professional, general contractor, project administrator, subcontractor, or supplier on a construction project, our Construction practice will assist you in achieving a successful project outcome.Corporate / Transactional
Our Corporate/Transactional practice has a broad range of skills. This versatility allows them to remain a principal point of contact with our business clients and to move freely across multiple disciplines to ensure continuity of representation.
Criminal / White Collar / Regulatory
We have extensive experience advising businesses and individuals who are the subject of criminal or regulatory investigations or proceedings.
Employment Litigation / Counseling
Employers and employees alike look to Conn Kavanaugh’s employment lawyers for advice in navigating the increasingly complex web of state and federal statutes,Estate Planning / Administration
Our Estate Planning attorneys help individuals and their families plan for the future and protect their assets. We handle all aspects of estate planning.
Family Law / Probate Litigation
Our experienced Family Law/Probate Litigation attorneys work zealously to ensure rightful asset distributions in these emotionally charged proceedings. Our group handles a wide range of areas including prenuptial agreements, custody disputes, and post-divorce support or estate modifications.
Insurance Litigation
Land Use / Real Estate Litigation
Our Land Use/Real Estate Litigation practice has extensive experience in handling real estate disputes of all kinds and at all levels. We can develop a strategy for your dispute.Mediation / Arbitration
Having litigated hundreds of cases, the Mediation/Arbitration practice is well-equipped to effectively value cases to resolve disputes according to your needs and goals.
Product Liability
Conn Kavanaugh’s lawyers regularly represent manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in defending against product liability claims.Professional Liability
Our trial attorneys are accomplished in defending claims against attorneys, health care professionals, insurance agents and brokers, and other professionals.Real Estate
Our Real Estate practice provides skilled representation in a variety of transactions, including the financing, leasing, acquisition and disposition of commercial properties.
- Business Litigation
- Complex Tort Defense
- Construction
- Corporate / Transactional
- Criminal / White Collar / Regulatory
- Employment Litigation / Counseling
- Estate Planning / Administration
- Family Law / Probate Litigation
- Insurance Litigation
- Land Use / Real Estate Litigation
- Mediation / Arbitration
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability
- Real Estate
Architects/Engineers
Conn Kavanaugh has a wealth of experience advising and representing architects and engineers in many aspects of their businesses.
Cannabis
Closely Held/Family Businesses
Conn Kavanaugh’s business attorneys have a broad range of skills and are very experienced in providing legal services to family-owned and other closely-held businesses.
Construction
Conn Kavanaugh has provided an array of services to private and public clients in the construction industry, including the manufacturers of building materials and systems.Financial Services
Conn Kavanaugh draws upon a wide range of disciplines to meet the needs of individual and institutional clients in the financial services industry.
Food and Beverage
Our decades of work in the food and beverage industry, including alcohol regulatory and distribution, have permitted us to gain expertise and insight into the typically fast paced and challenging world of our clients engaged in the food and beverage industry.Government
Conn Kavanaugh provides an array of services to clients in the public sector, including state agencies, municipalities, and public officials.Healthcare
The Conn Kavanaugh team has the skills and experience necessary to successfully maneuver our clients through the increasingly complex and highly regulated environment of the health care industry.Insurance
Our lawyers work with our insurance industry clients in a variety of ways. We represent their insureds in virtually every type of lawsuit for which insurance coverage is available. We represent insurance companies directly in bad faith actions, and in high-exposure losses or losses that present unusual or challenging coverage issues.Law Firms
Since the firm was founded in 1988, our attorneys have been known as “lawyers’ lawyers.”Manufacturing
Conn Kavanaugh has broad experience in representing the interests and needs of various manufacturers.
Real Estate
Conn Kavanaugh has a wealth of experience in the real estate field.Staffing and Recruiting
Staffing companies and Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) are playing an increasingly important role in many aspects of human resource management, as employers are relying more and more on staffing companies and PEOs for payroll and employee benefit administration, risk management, and other increasingly complex administrative burdens.
Michael J. Rossi
Partner
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Print Full BioMichael J. Rossi is a partner in the firm's litigation department. His practice is focused on the resolution of employment, professional liability, and business disputes. In particular, Mike regularly represents employers in discrimination and retaliation claims, unfair competition disputes, and wage/hour matters. He also has considerable experience defending attorneys in malpractice actions and disciplinary proceedings. Mike's commercial litigation experience includes complex contract disputes, unfair business and trade practice claims, and insurance coverage matters. Mike has successfully tried cases before judges, juries, and administrative agencies, and has argued before the Supreme Judicial Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Mike was selected as a "Rising Star" in the field of civil litigation by New England Super Lawyers Magazine from 2011 - 2019, an honor given to the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state.
Mike is an active member of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), and was selected as a Fellow in the MBA's inaugural Leadership Academy. He also currently serves on the City of Newton Zoning Board of Appeals.
Practice Areas
- Employment Litigation / Counseling
- Business Litigation
- Complex Tort Defense
- Professional Liability
- Product Liability
Industries
Education
- Suffolk University Law School, J.D., cum laude (2006)
- Johns Hopkins University, B.A. (2001)
Court Admissions
- Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
- State of New Hampshire
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Recognition
- Selected as a Fellow in the Massachusetts Bar Association's inaugural Leadership Academy. (2016)
- Selected as Massachusetts Rising Star by Law & Politics and the publishers of Boston Magazine (2011 - 2018)
Representative Matters
- Complex Tort Defense
- Lead counsel in successful mediation of serious bodily injury claim on behalf of general contractor.
- Negotiated favorable settlements of mold-related claims on behalf of disaster restoration companies
- Business Litigation
- Obtained judgment on behalf of London-based business owner in U.S. District Court breach of contract action.
- Defeated claim for injunctive relief against trustee of family trust, leading to dismissal of lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duties.
- Employment Litigation/ Counseling
- Successfully defended private schools in wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation actions before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
- Land Use/ Real Estate Litigation
- Obtained jury verdict in favor of property owner in state court trial involving alleged property defects and breach of the warranty of habitability.
- Secured favorable arbitration award on behalf of condominium unit owners regarding contested use and ownership of parking spaces.
- Obtained Superior Court order overturning local licensing commission’s denial of lodging house license to property developer.
Professional Affiliation and Activities
- Massachusetts Bar Association, Member
- Boston Bar Association, Member
- New Hampshire Bar Association, Member
- Boston Inn of Court, Member
- Suffolk University Law Review, Member and Note Editor (2004-2006)
