Lawrence "Lonnie" P. Murray

Partner | Chair, Franchise

Boston, MA
D: 617.345.3510

"I relish my role as a trusted advisor to my clients because I can use my skill, experience, and practicality to solve their legal challenges and remove obstacles to their success."

Overview
Bar Admissions

Massachusetts

Education

J.D., cum laude, Suffolk University Law School, 1992

B.A., cum laude, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1989

Practices
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As an experienced business litigator and legal counsellor, Lonnie Murray knows how to effectively advise and represent his clients. Having honed his skills for over 20 years as an attorney, Lonnie is an effective advocate, knowing when to deal aggressively and, more importantly at times, when to work collaboratively with the other party. Lonnie recognizes that clients depend upon him to understand how the legal landscape in any given situation affects their specific business needs.

Lonnie has extensive experience in advising and representing employers in all  aspects of employment law including separation agreements; discrimination; wage and hour issues; lay-offs; family and medical leave issues; disability issues; trade secrets; non-competition; and non-solicit agreements.  Lonnie has provided sexual harassment prevention training for employers. In addition, he has negotiated employment and separation agreements on behalf of executives and physicians. 

Lonnie has successfully tried cases at every level of the state and federal courts in Massachusetts. He has also represented clients before the Appeals Court, Supreme Judicial Court, First Circuit Court of Appeals, Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and Massachusetts Appellate Division.  Lonnie has represented clients in arbitrations, including international arbitrations.  He advises and represents companies, organizations and individuals in a wide variety of business sectors including national temporary staffing agencies, food services, multi-state assisted living facilities, dental and medical practices, international multi-media companies, high tech, health care and manufacturing.  Representative matters include contract disputes; minority shareholder disputes; real estate disputes; franchise terminations; creditors in adversarial bankruptcy proceedings; trade secrets; copyright claims; non-compete agreements; discrimination cases; and constitutional issues.

As chairperson of the firm's Franchise Group, Lonnie and his team provide a full range of legal services for franchisors and multi-location franchisees. Representative industries include: food; luxury tent rental; beauty services; automotive dealerships; and business services.

Experience

Experience

  • Negotiated seven figure settlement for small business owner who lost his business after a supplier breached their contract.
  • Obtained seven figure verdict for client and dismissal of seven figure counterclaim in intra-family business dispute.
  • Settled claims on behalf of client for seven figures where competitor had misappropriated its marketing system.
  • Successfully enforced non-competition agreement for food service client which included a statute of limitations provision allowing an employee only 30 days to pursue arbitration rather than the statutory three years.
  • Mediated minority shareholder dispute in manufacturing industry for seven figure settlement.
  • Resolved health care fraud charges for owner of dental practice preventing disbarment from state and federal funding program and obtaining dismissal of criminal charges.
  • Obtained six figure jury verdict for minority shareholder who was wrongfully terminated.
  • Prevailed in a seminal case before the Supreme Judicial Court involving client's due process rights under the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights.
  • Won an injunction for a Massachusetts based high tech company against its former high level executive who moved to California to avoid application of a non-compete agreement in order to work for a direct competitor without any evidence of misappropriation of any confidential information by the executive.
  • Successfully defended on appeal a claim of a violation of corporate client's due process rights of proper notice as a creditor in bankruptcy.
Honors & Awards

Honors & Awards

Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2011-2019)

AV® Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell

Massachusetts Rising Stars (2006-2007)

Memberships

Memberships

University of Massachusetts Club

  • Founding Board Member

Stone Horse Yacht Club

  • Board Member

USA 500

  • Member and Group Facilitator

Boston Bar Association

American Bar Association

Community Involvement

Community Involvement

St. Francis De Sales

  • Lector

Charlestown Youth Hockey and Soccer

Charlestown Working Theater

Charlestown Knights of Columbus

  • Member
Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagements

"Developments in Trial Practice and New Procedural Rules: Changes to Rule 26, and Other Notable Procedural Changes and Developments," Panelist, MCLE 19th Annual Employment Law Conference, December 2016

Articles & Publications

Articles & Publications

Lonnie has been quoted in numerous publications including Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the Massachusetts Bar Association's Section Review and the American Bar Association's Franchise Law Journal on such topics as Department of Labor policies, restrictive employment agreements, and franchise termination issues.

Resources
Lawrence
Practices
  • Employment
  • Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Family-Owned Business
  • Franchise
  • Automotive
  • Government Investigations & White Collar Crime
Education

J.D., cum laude, Suffolk University Law School, 1992

B.A., cum laude, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1989

Admissions

Massachusetts

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