Significant Matters

• First Marblehead Corp. v. House, 541 F.3d 36 (1^st Cir. 2008).  After successfully trying this case in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Michael authored the appeal before the First Circuit, in which the underlying judgment and jury verdict were affirmed.   The client, a publicly traded company in the student-loan business, was sued by a former employee for allegedly denying him the right to exercise stock options worth more than $8 million.
• Doe v. Harbor Schools, Inc., 446 Mass. 245 (2006).  Michael argued this case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and was successful in getting the Appeals Court’s decision reversed and affirming a grant of summary judgment for the client.  The decision set a precedent in the Commonwealth on the operation of the statute of limitations in breach of fiduciary duty cases.
• Leavitt v. Brockton Hospital, Inc., 454 Mass. 37 (2009). Michael authored an amicus curiae brief for the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association.  In adopting the position advocated by the client, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court limited the potential tort liability of medical providers to nonpatient third parties.
• Kelly v. OE Plus, Ltd., 69 Mass.App.Ct. 1105 (2007), review denied 449 Mass. 1109 (2007). Michael authored the brief in this double wrongful-death case before the Massachusetts Appeals Court.  The court affirmed a grant of summary judgment for the client. 
• United States Fire Ins. v. Peerless Ins., 18 Mass. L. Rptr. 64 (Middlesex Super. Ct. June 15, 2004)(Brassard, J.).  Michael was successful in defeating the defendant’s motion for summary judgment in this case involving equitable contribution rights among insurers.  The court’s decision addressed a number of insurance coverage questions not previously considered by Massachusetts courts.  The case was the subject of a front-page article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
• In 2007, Michael and his partner, John Lawler, successfully obtained a defense verdict for a general contractor in a two-week jury trial in Massachusetts Superior Court.  The plaintiff was an ironworker who fell 25 feet on a construction project and sustained multiple fractures and an alleged brain injury.
• Michael and John Lawler also successfully defended jury trials in products liability and construction accident cases in 2001 and 2002, respectively, which were each recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as among the Top Ten Biggest Defense Wins in those years.

Honors & Distinctions

• AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, highest rating given to attorneys.
• Recognized twice by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly for obtaining “Top Ten Defense Verdicts,” in 2001 and 2002.
• Named a Massachusetts Rising Star, 2006-2009 by the publishers of  Super Lawyers recognizining him as an outstanding young attorney in the Boston legal community.

Professional Affiliations

• Member and Director, Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association.
• Chair, Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, Insurance and Bad Faith Committee.

News

• Michael Riseberg Files Amicus Brief in Case Favorably Decided by Massachusetts High Court

Publications & Seminars

• Speaker, Lorman’s Seminar on Insurance Bad Faith Claims In Massachusetts.
• Speaker, Mealey’s Lead Paint conference on the admissibility of non-party sibling IQ information.
• Speaker, Environmental Claims Managers Association conference on the role of the Internet in toxic tort litigation.