Attorney Profiles

J. Michael Conley 
Braintree, Massachusetts
Partner
phone (781) 767-7353
(866) 433-9758 (Toll Free)
fax (781) 843-4216
email Email Me

J. Michael Conley, one of the founders of Kenney & Conley, P.C., has dedicated his professional career to advancing the rights of Massachusetts injury victims and their families. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Michael grew up and attended school in Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts.  He received his Bachelors degree in Political Science from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he played baseball for four years.  Thereafter, Michael graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School, where he served as a writer and Literary Editor of the Law Review.  In 1982 he joined the firm of Murphy, Lamere & Murphy in Braintree, Massachusetts, where he practiced in the areas of municipal labor law, employment law and civil litigation. 

In 1985 Michael helped found Kenney, Conley, Sullivan & Smith, P.C. to pursue his interest in civil litigation and trial work on behalf of individuals rather than corporations and government institutions. 

At Kenney & Conley, P.C., Michael concentrates his practice on representing injured victims of negligence and other misconduct.  He is a frequent writer and lecturer for a number of organizations, including the Massachusetts Bar Association, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys.  He has volunteered his time in educational programs to teach or update other lawyers on topics such as automobile liability insurance, uninsured and underinsured motorists' coverage, police and firefighter injuries, trial practice, and settlement of personal injury cases.  Michael has served as an arbitrator in personal injury cases and insurance coverage cases, and frequently volunteers to judge students in trial practice and moot court competitions.

Michael is a member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He chairs the Academy's Amicus Curiae Committee which prepares and files with the Supreme Judicial Court and the Appeals Court "friend of the court" briefs supporting victims' rights. He also serves as Editor of the MATA Journal. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association for which he chairs MBA's Appellate Bench Bar Committee and is a member of MBA's Civil Litigation Section. Michael is also a member of the American Association for Justice, and is a member of AAJ's Products Liability Section, Insurance Law Section, Motor Vehicle Collision, Highway and Premises Liability Section.

Michael is also active at home in Easton, Massachusetts. He has been a volunteer coach in youth recreational and travel baseball and recreational and travel basketball. He has provided pro bono legal services to various local non-profit organizations. He is a past President of Easton Babe Ruth League and a past Chair of The Foundation for Excellence in Education in Easton (F.E.E.E.), a non-profit organization that raises funds for the benefit of the students in the Easton Public Schools.

Areas of Practice:
Commercial Insurance Law
Motor Vehicle Insurance Law
Litigation & Appeals
Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
Animal Bites -- Plaintiff
Assault & Battery -- Plaintiff
Defamation & Privacy -- Plaintiff
Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
Premises Liability -- Plaintiff
Railroad Accidents - Plaintiff
Slip and Fall - Plaintiff
Wrongful Death - Plaintiff
Products Liability Law
Litigation Percentage:
95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions:
Massachusetts, 1982
U.S. District Court, 1982
Education:
Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, 1982
J.D.
Honors: Cum Laude
Law Review: Suffolk University Law Review, 1980 - 1982


The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
B.A.
Major:  Political Science


Published Works:
'Tis the Season: A snow-and-ice case primer, MATA Journal, December 2007


Editor's Note on Non-delegable Duties in Construction Litigation, MATA Journal, February, 2007


Homeowner's Insurance Coverage for Vehicle-related Injuries, MATA Journal, Spring, 2004


Valuation and Settlement of Bodily Injury Cases (Chapter of "Winning Through Settlement" co-authored with Peter M. McElroy, Esq.), MCLE, 2001


The Demise of Thaler and the Search for Secondary Coverage, MBA, 1999


Homeowner's Insurance and Motor Vehicle Accidents, MBA, 1999


Recent Developments Affecting Auto Liability Insurance Coverage, MCLE, 2007


Recent Developments Affecting Auto Liability Insurance Coverage 2003 - 2004, MCLE


Representing Injured Public Safety Personnel - Massachusetts Police and Firefighter Injury Overview, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys Journal, Fall 2008


Insurance Coverage Litigation Issues from the Claimant's Perspective, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. 2006


Afarian Brief offers comments on Statute of Repose, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys Journal, Autumn 2007


Other uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage issues of note, Prepared for Massuchusetts Bar Institute Continuing Legal Education, 2000


Representative Cases:
Hopkins v. Medeiros, 48 Mass. App. Ct. 600 (Appeals Court 2000)
Roe v. Lawn, 418 Mass. 66 (Supreme Judicial Court 1994)
Howcroft v. City of Peabody, 51 Mass. App. Ct. 57 (Appeals Court 2001)
MacLean v. Hingham Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 51 Mass. App. Ct. 87 (Appeals Court 2001)
Preferred Mut. Ins. Co. v. Gamache, 426 Mass. 93 (Supreme Judicial Court 1997)
UTICA Mut. Ins. Co. v. Fontneau, 70 Mass. App. Ct. 553 (Appeals Court 2007)
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Automobile Insurance Update, MCLE, 1993 - 2008


Insurance Litigation Issues - Claimant's Perspecti, MCLE, 2006


Plaintiff's View - Presentation and Mock Arbitration of Low Impact/Traumatic Brain Injury Case, Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers, 2006


Settling Personal Injury Cases, MATA, 2004


2004 Auto Seminar "Expanding Your Horizons" Recent Developments in Auto Insurance Law, MATA, 2004


Winning Through Settlement - Bodily Injury Claims, MCLE, 2002


Personal Injury Law Update, MATA, 2003


How to Settle Personal Injury Cases, MCLE, 1996 - 1999


Auto Insurance Update, MBA, 1999


Handling Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Cases, MBA, 2000 - 2005


Police and Fire Injury Claims, MBA


Civil Litigation Law - Taking it to the Limit: Contact with Opponent's Current and Former Employees, MBA, 2005


Honors and Awards:
Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, 2005


Selected for publication in Massachusetts Super Lawyers 2007


Professional Associations and Memberships:
American College of Trial Lawyers
Fellow


Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys
Governor, Amicus Curia Chair, Journal Editor


Massachusetts Bar Association
Chair Appellate Bench - Bar Committee


American Association for Justice
Section Memberships: Insurance, Products Liability, Automobile


Super Lawyers
Seriously Outstanding
only 5% selected each year
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Contact Us
Kenney & Conley, P.C.
100 Grandview Road, Suite 218
Braintree, MA 02184
Telephone: 781.767.7353
Toll-Free: 866.433.9758
Fax: 781.843.4216
Email / Directions