Practice:

• Business Litigation
• Intellectual Property
• Labor, Employment & Employee Benefits

Bar Admissions:

Massachusetts
Massachusetts state courts
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Pro hac vice or visiting attorney basis in various federal district courts around the country

Experience:

Prior to joining Burns & Levinson LLP in January 2006, Mr. Twohig was an associate with the firm Perkins Smith & Cohen LLP since September 2001. Mr. Twohig represents businesses and individuals in a wide variety of civil litigation in state and federal courts and in arbitration proceedings. He has successfully represented clients in contract disputes, debt collection actions, actions on promissory notes and guaranties, supplier-distributor disputes, construction and design disputes, warranty and defective product claims, as well as employment disputes, such as actions for breach of employment and non-compete agreements, discrimination and Wage and Hour Act claims. He has also successfully represented clients in tort actions, such as personal injury and property damage claims, fraud, misrepresentation and tortious interference with contractual relations, as well as intellectual property disputes, such as licensing disputes, patent, trademark, and copyright infringement actions, and trade secret and unfair competition actions. Mr. Twohig has represented large and small corporations and individuals, including: banks, manufacturers, design professionals and firms, contractors, sureties, property owners, inventors, retailers, and corporate executives and directors.

Representative Cases

• Secured a $1.5 million judgment for damages, attorneys' fees, and costs on behalf of a co-operative bank following a week-long jury trial in Massachusetts Superior Court. The case involved enforcement of a personal guaranty of a promissory note and a dispute over the value and disposition of collateral securing the loan. Obtained dismissal of the defendants' $1.5+ million counterclaim on summary judgment prior to trial.

• Obtained an ex parte trustee process attachment on behalf of an international telephone service carrier, freezing over $650,000 of a contract debtor’s assets at the outset of the lawsuit. Subsequently secured judgment and seizure of the funds for the client.

• Won summary judgment on behalf of a building products manufacturer obtaining dismissal of various claims against the manufacturer in a lawsuit involving claims of property damage due to water intrusion at a hotel. Obtained a favorable settlement of all claims for the client following the summary judgment victory.

• Represented a highly regarded Boston area architect in a dispute with a client over the design and construction of a new high-end home. Obtained a favorable settlement of the dispute in mediation.

• Represented the purchaser of various lighting system installation and maintenance contracts for shopping malls in different parts of the United States in a lawsuit to enforce its rights to several hundred thousand dollars in payments under the contracts. Obtained a favorable settlement for the client on the eve of trial.

Memberships:

• Boston Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association

Additional Information:

• Prior to entering private practice, Michael served as a law clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court where he worked closely with justices in various counties, assisting them in all phases of civil and criminal litigation including drafting decisions, legal memoranda, and jury instructions.
• While in law school he worked as an intern to the Honorable Superior Court Justice Thayer Fremont-Smith and in the office of the Governor's Legal Counsel.
• As a student attorney, Mr. Twohig received special permission to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts before the Massachusetts Appeals Court where he argued successfully in opposition to a drunk driver's appeal of his conviction.
• Before attending law school, Mr. Twohig resided for several years in Mexico City, Mexico, where he taught English to executives, university students, and others. He is fluent in Spanish.

Education:

• J.D., Boston University School of Law, 2000
• B.A., cum laude, History, Harvard University, 1993

Awards:

• Mr. Twohig was selected for inclusion in Massachusetts Super Lawyers® (2011; 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 Rising Star). Super Lawyers and Rising Stars employ an annual jurisdictional selection process. Only five percent of lawyers in the state were selected to the Super Lawyers list and 2.5 percent to the Rising Stars list. The listing appears annually in the November issue of Boston magazine and in New England Super Lawyers.