Practice:

• Business Litigation

Bar Admissions:

California
Massachusetts
U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First and Ninth Circuits
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and Southern District of California

Experience:

Jeffrey Martin is a Partner in the Firm’s Business Litigation Group and currently serves as General Counsel for the Firm. Prior to joining Burns & Levinson in 1991, Mr. Martin was an assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts and a partner with a law firm in San Diego, CA. His litigation expertise focuses upon business disputes, including contract and tort claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, employee termination claims and litigation involving financial institutions. He also has experience representing lawyers and law firms in matters involving legal ethics and disputes with clients.

As General Counsel for the Firm, Mr. Martin’s duties include managing claims against the Firm and serving as ethics counsel. He provides advice to lawyers within the Firm on a variety of ethical and other issues pertaining to client engagements. Mr. Martin also helps develop and implement risk management policies and procedures to assist lawyers with understanding and complying with their ethical duties under applicable rules of professional conduct.

Mr. Martin has tried cases in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and California. He represents clients in federal and state courts and has handled numerous arbitrations and mediations for clients. Mr. Martin is an approved commercial arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Significant Cases

• Argued and won motion to dismiss class action lawsuit against mortgage lender accused of mailing written offers of credit in violation of Fair Credit Reporting Act. Dixon v. Shamrock Financial Corp., C.A. No. 06-11828-RGS (D.Mass. 2007), aff’d, 522 F.3d 76 (1st Cir. 2008).

• Successfully argued appeal of trial judgment in favor of finance lessee after finance lessor committed fraud in failing to comply with lease payment terms. Eureka Broadband Corp. v. Wentworth Leasing Corp., 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2572 (D.Mass.), aff’d, 400 F.3d 62 (1st Cir. 2005).

• Obtained summary judgment and won appeal of decision dismissing suit against insurance agent sued for negligently failing to procure $1 million life insurance policy. Opara v. Mass. Mutual Life Ins. Co., 441 Mass. 539 (2004).

• Obtained NYSE arbitration award in excess of $2 million in favor of ex-employee who sought unpaid commissions and other damages after being terminated by broker dealer.

Memberships:

• Boston Bar Association
• American Bar Association (Professional Responsibility Section)

Additional Information:

• While at Boston College Law School, Mr. Martin was a member of the Boston College Law Review.

Education:

• J.D., magna cum laude, Boston College Law School, 1980
• B.A., Colgate University, 1976

Awards:

• Mr. Martin was selected for inclusion in Massachusetts Super Lawyers ® (2004). 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.

Quotes:

Speaking Engagements: