Michael G. Durham

Partner

Attorney Durham has developed a diverse civil trial practice focused on achieving the best solutions to litigation exposures faced by corporate, insurance and individual clients. He is a member in good standing of the bars in Connecticut; Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well as several federal courts. Mr. Durham received his undergraduate degree, with Distinction in History, from Dartmouth College in 1979 and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1982.

Attorney Durham has extensive experience acting as trial counsel and working with clients to assess and limit risk, develop litigation strategies and negotiate dispute resolutions at the pre-litigation stage. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and has been certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 1997, having tried dozens of jury and courtside cases, and binding arbitrations. He has also argued appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Appellate Court. Outside the courtroom, Attorney Durham has represented clients appearing at Connecticut Legislative hearings and in contested matters involving several government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, the New Hampshire Insurance Department, the Connecticut Department of Insurance, the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General and the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate. His principal areas of practice are healthcare, medical malpractice, products liability, insurance, personal injury and professional liability law. He is frequently retained to provide insurance coverage opinions and to institute declaratory judgment actions, as well as to defend ERISA and other benefit denials, bad faith litigation and professional negligence claims. Attorney Durham's experience includes practice in multi-district litigation and class actions, and over the years, he has also represented individual clients in hundreds of property and casualty matters in state and federal court.

Attorney Durham has been recognized for his professional work in numerous honorary publications, including The Best Lawyers in America, which named him as its Defendants Lawyer of the Year 2012 for personal injury litigation in the New Haven Area in 2012 and in 2016; New England Super Lawyers; (2006-present) and Connecticut Super Lawyers (2006-present), which named him in its Top 50 list in 2009. He has also been recognized by Corporate Counsel Edition Super Lawyers (2008-present); as one of Boston's Best Lawyers (2008-present); and among the New York Area's Best Lawyers (2007-present), including as one of its Lawyers Of The Year 2012. For several years, Attorney Durham has served by appointment as an arbitrator for civil cases in Connecticut Superior Court and as a Special Master in Connecticut District Court. He is a member of the National Arbitration Forum and is active as a mediator and arbitrator in private dispute resolutions. He also has lectured on third-party practice, trial practice, tort reform and discovery. He is a member of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute, American Health Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Health Lawyers Association as well as several state and local Bar Associations.