Michael W. Gallagher

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Areas of Practice

Michael Gallagher is a founding partner of Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP. He is an experienced trial attorney with an AV^® Peer Review Rating and has tried numerous cases in federal and state courts. In 2007, he was named a New England Super Lawyer as published in Boston Magazine, after having been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in 2006. He has also presented arguments before federal and state appellate courts. He has a national litigation and counseling practice in the areas of products and professional liability, construction, employment, motor vehicle, premises, environmental, liquor liability, and commercial cases. He has represented insureds through many insurers and, in multiple instances, has been retained by insureds who later became self-insureds. As Central and Regional Counsel for a number of companies, Mr. Gallagher coordinates and consolidates legal support and litigation services to provide more uniform and cost-effective legal services to ensure optimal results.

Personal/Professional Experience

Mr. Gallagher was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. He began practicing law in New York where he tried multiple criminal matters for the District Court and then Felony Bureaus of the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, New York. In 1981, he returned to Massachusetts and practiced with the law firm of Donahue & Donahue Attorneys, P.C. for over eighteen years prior to establishing Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP.

Honors and Awards

• AV® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
• 2007 New England Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation Defense, by Law & Politics and Boston Magazine.
• 2006 Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation Defense, by Law & Politics and Boston Magazine.

Publications/Presentations

Co‑author:  Fast-Track Assessment of Products Claims, DRI, 1984; “Cross-Examination of the Plaintiff,” Personal Injury Cases Involving Tools & Industrial Machinery, 1985; “Taking Expert Depositions,” Massachusetts Deposition Practice Manual, 1992; “How To Try A Personal Injury Case in Massachusetts District Court,” Massachusetts Basic Practice Manual, 1993; “Opposing Expert Testimony at Trial,” Chapter in MCLE books, Massachusetts Expert Witnesses (2002, 2004) and Massachusetts Courtroom Advocacy (2005).

Lecturer/Panel Member/Chair:  Products Liability Seminar, Suffolk University Law School, 1991; Trial Advocacy Institute, MCLE, 1991; Civil Depositions Seminar, MCLE, 1991; Soft Tissue Injuries Seminar, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, 1991; Trial Advocacy Institute, MCLE, 1992; Civil Deposition Practice:  Winning Before Trial, MCLE, 1992; Taking Depositions Workshop, MCLE, 1992; Civil Deposition Practice, MCLE, 1992; Trial Advocacy Institute, MCLE, 1993; Deposition Seminar, Greater Lowell Bar Association, 1993; 29th Annual Practical Skills Program (Trial of a Personal Injury Case speaker), MCLE, 1993; Taking Depositions Workshop, MCLE, February, 1993; Taking Depositions Workshop, MCLE, June, 1993; Liquor Liability Seminar, 1993 (Chair); 30th Annual Practical Skills Program (Trial of a Personal Injury Case speaker), MCLE, l994; The Art of Public Speaking for Lawyers, January, l994 (Chair); MCLE Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop, August, l994; Introducing Evidence at Trial, MCLE, Spring, l994 (Chair) and Fall, l994 (Chair); 31st Annual Practical Skills Program (Trial of a Personal Injury Case speaker), MCLE, l995; Introducing Evidence at Trial, MCLE, Spring, l995 (Chair) and Fall, l995 (Chair); Soft Tissue, Back & Whiplash Injuries, MCLE, l995 (Chair); Annual Auto Accident Seminar, MATA, May, l995; Boston College Law School Mock Trial (Coach), 1996; 32nd Annual Practical Skills Program (Successful Trial of a Personal Injury Case in the District Courts), MCLE, l996; Introducing Evidence at Trial, MCLE, Spring, l996 (Chair) and Fall, l996 (Chair); Emerging Issues in Law & Litigation Symposium, Suffolk University Law School, 1997 (presenter); Emerging Issues in Law & Litigation Symposium, Suffolk University Law School, 1998 (presenter); Introducing Evidence at Trial, MCLE, Spring, 1999 (presenter); Introducing Evidence at Trial, MCLE, 2001 (presenter); Direct and Cross Examination of Lay Witnesses: Winning Strategies, Travelers Trial Advocacy School, 2007 (presenter).

Bar and Court Admissions

Mr. Gallagher was admitted to practice in New York in 1979 and in Massachusetts in 1980.  He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts.  He has been admitted pro hac vice in numerous states, having litigated in the courts of California, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, among others.

Education

J.D., Boston College, Boston, MA, 1978 (cum laude)
B.A., College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, 1975 (cum laude)
Phi Beta Kappa

Activities

Mr. Gallagher is a member of the Greater Lowell and Massachusetts Bar Associations and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He served as an elected Member of the Lowell School Committee. He has also served as a member and officer of numerous cultural, educational, and human service boards and organizations including the Merrimack Repertory Theatre (president), Superintendent of the Lowell Schools Search Committee (Chair), Massachusetts Commission on the Common Core of Learning, Lowell Citywide Parent Council (Chair), Lowell Youth Commission (Founder/Chair), Revolving Museum (Chair), Lowell Community Schools Program, Lowell Healthy Summer Program, United Teen Equality Center, and the Mary Bacigalupo Educational Forum Committee (Charter Member).

Mr. Gallagher also serves as a television and radio commentator. He is the moderator for "In-Focus," a weekly television show produced by Lowell Telecommunications, Inc. where community leaders are interviewed on areas of local interest, and he occasionally serves as guest host of WUML's daily "Sunrise" program.