General Liability
Serving Clients Throughout New England Since 1983
Liability lawsuits involving claims for damages arise in many and varied circumstances. Melick & Porter, LLP’s years of experience as defense-oriented trial lawyers have sharpened our ability to quickly and precisely analyze issues, risks, and potential exposure in general liability cases. Since 1983, we have successfully defended thousands of lawsuits on behalf of insurance companies, private businesses, and individuals.
Our general liability lawyers are here to serve the New England area.
How We Help
We have defended homeowners, motor vehicle operators, restaurants, taverns, stores, service companies, and other businesses. Our clients rely on our ability to anticipate and vigorously defend claims on their behalf. Our opponents know we are always ready to go to trial, and, as a result, settlement negotiations produce better outcomes.
Our trial attorneys are at home in the courtroom and they bring their talents and determination with your goals in mind. Our trial preparation is always efficient and targeted, which helps our clients successfully resolve cases within their budgets. Whether a lawsuit involves common allegations, or complicated and unusual tort theories, Melick & Porter, LLP has the skills and insights necessary to resolve it for you.
Notable Cases
- Fletcher v. Littleton, 68 Mass.App.Ct. 22 (2007) (wrongful death)
- Nevor v. Moneypenny Holdings, LLC, 842 F.3d 113 (2016) (admiralty)
Melick & Porter, LLP has an award-winning team of general liability lawyers.

Nationally-Recognized & Award-Winning Trial Attorneys
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Steven M. Banks
Partner
Steve is a Partner practicing from Melick & Porter’s office in Southbury, Connecticut. Steve began his career and honed his legal skills at a successful boutique firm in Danbury. Steve currently handles all aspects of civil litigation, from pre-litigation counseling, analysis and strategy to pleadings and discovery, to dispositive motion practice, trial advocacy and pre-trial/post-trial proceedings. He focuses his practice on premises liability, general liability, property disputes/land use, workers’ compensation, and product liability. He has extensive litigation and courtroom experience defending claims in Connecticut and New York.
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Stephanie E. Bendeck
Associate
Stephanie Bendeck is a skilled and experienced trial attorney. She has tried over fifty cases, both jury and non-jury, and argued complicated motions involving complex legal issues to the court. She is experienced in preparing, defending, and cross-examining both lay and expert witnesses.
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Mark S. Bodner
Partner
Mark is an experienced trial attorney with a focus on employment law and professional liability. Mark also has extensive experience handling product liability, construction, premises liability, unfair business practices, and general litigation matters. He represents clients in both federal and state courts.
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Sophia P. Breene
Associate
Sophia is an Associate in Melick & Porter’s Boston office. Her practice focuses on the defense of complex liability matters in the areas of construction, premises, and automobile. She also handles employment law matters. Prior to joining the firm, Sophia was a public defender for several years in New Hampshire, where she represented juveniles and adults facing misdemeanor and serious felony criminal offenses. -
Alexandra D. Burroughs
Associate
Alexandra is an Associate in the firm's Boston office. Alexandra's practice focuses on the defense of employment practices, general liability cases and insurance coverage.
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William D. Chapman
Member
Bill joined Melick & Porter in 1988 and has been a Member of the firm since 1998. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell and has been repeatedly named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer (2004 – present). He concentrates his practice in the areas of general liability, professional liability, and the representation of insurers with regard to coverage issues, insurance fraud, and property claims.
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Christopher A. Costain
Associate
Chris is an Associate in Melick & Porter's Connecticut office. His practice focuses on defending individual and corporate clients in a wide range of civil litigation matters involving employment practices liability, premises liability, general liability, and insurance coverage issues.
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Brian C. Davis
Partner
Brian is a partner in Melick & Porter's Boston office. He focuses his practice on defending individual and corporate clients in complex civil litigation matters including general liability, hospitality and restaurant litigation, entertainment and sports litigation, construction litigation, and transportation litigation. He is admitted to the state and federal court of Massachusetts.
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Shannon M. Doherty
Partner
Prior to joining Melick & Porter, Shannon spent two years working as a Law Clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Shannon’s experience includes counseling and defending clients in all facets of recreational, products, construction, and general liability litigation in both federal and state courts.
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Thomas C. Donovan
Associate
Tom is an Associate in Melick & Porter’s Boston office. He joined the Firm in 2016 as a litigation paralegal, gaining experience in a wide range of complex liability matters while pursuing his JD from New England Law | Boston. Tom will be focusing his practice on defending individual and corporate clients in general liability, professional liability, and sexual abuse litigation.
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Lauren S. Fackler
Partner
Lauren is a Junior Partner in the firm’s Boston office. Her practices focus on defending employment practices liability matters involving a variety of issues, including harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. She also handles professional liability, general liability, and insurance coverage matters. Lauren represents clients in both state and federal courts as well as before state and federal agencies.
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Douglas L. Fox
Of Counsel
Doug provides counseling and trial advocacy for the sports and entertainment industry and counts among his clients some of the premier sports and entertainment franchises in Massachusetts. He has extensive experience defending claims arising out of activities at NFL and MLB events, concerts, triathlons, marathons, hockey rinks, dance clubs, and commercial trucking. -
Christopher D. George
Partner
Chris joined the firm in 2010 and concentrates his practice on the defense of complex liability matters in the areas of construction, dram shop, premises, automobile, and catastrophic tort. Prior to joining Melick & Porter, Chris worked at a civil litigation defense firm outside of Boston where he specialized in construction and automobile matters.
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Michael C. Grenier
Associate
Mike is an associate in the firm's Boston office. Mike's practice focuses primarily on the defense of complex general liability, product liability, premises liability, personal injury, construction, and recreational liability cases.
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Robert W. Healy
Partner
Bob rejoined the firm in 2021 after several years at firms similarly specializing in complex civil litigation. He has extensive experience handling general liability, construction, liquor liability, premises liability, products liability, transportation, and toxic torts.
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Richard E. Heifetz
Partner
Rick Heifetz is entering his fortieth year of practicing law. He is a 1972 graduate of the University of New Hampshire (B.A., cum laude) and a 1978 graduate of the New England School of Law (J.D., cum laude). He began his legal career as an associate in the firm of Darling & McLaughlin in Burlington and was a founding partner in the Boston firm of Roche, Heifetz, Murphy & Wholley.
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Christian H. Hinrichsen
Partner
Christian has extensive experience in complex litigation matters, including bench and jury trials, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, and mediations. His corporate counseling includes risk assessment and contract review. He is admitted to the state and federal courts of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Christian's practice has earned him selections as a “Massachusetts Super Lawyer.”
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William L. Keville Jr.
Member
Bill is a seasoned trial attorney with extensive trial experience and successful verdicts defending clients in construction, complex product liability, premises liability, dram shop, transportation and sports and recreation matters. He represents product manufacturers, contractors, shopping malls, restaurants, major real estate developers, property owners, condominium associations, resorts and ski areas.
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Nicholas M. Luise
Associate
Nick is an Associate in Melick & Porter's Boston office. His practice focuses on employment law, general liability, professional liability, and premises liability.
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Michael J. Mazurczak
Member
Maz has been at Melick & Porter his entire legal career. He began as a Law Clerk in the summer of 1988 and joined the firm as an Associate in the fall of 1989. Maz has extensive experience in complex civil litigation matters, representing clients in both federal and state courts for over 30 years. A significant portion of his practice involves employment law and includes providing major national corporations with oversight and defense of their employment litigation.
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Carolyn M. Miller
Partner
Carolyn is a partner at Melick & Porter's Boston office. Carolyn joined the firm in 2014, after having worked at another Boston insurance defense firm for over five years. Carolyn has extensive experience in defending individual and corporate clients in a wide variety of complex multi-party construction-related matters, including personal injury, wrongful death and breach of contract claims in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts. -
Casey C. Miller
Associate
Casey is an Associate in Melick & Porter's Connecticut office. Her practice focuses on defending individual and corporate clients in a wide range of civil litigation matters involving employment practices liability, premises liability, general liability, and insurance coverage issues. She has experience defending against premises liability and personal injury cases on behalf of her clients.
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Malik Eice Muhammad
Associate
Malik is an Associate in our Boston office. He is a graduate of the University of London and received his law degrees from Georgetown and Berkeley Law. His practice focuses on general liability and product liability.
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Robert P. Powers
Member
Bob joined the firm in 1984 after graduating from law school and has made it his professional home. In the years since, he has tried numerous jury cases in both federal and state courts involving a variety of civil matters, including professional malpractice, insurance coverage, and general liability claims. Bob oversees our firm's appellate practice and has successfully argued cases before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Kurt A. Rocha
Associate
Kurt Rocha’s practice encompasses premises liability, personal injury defense, and insurance law. He is admitted in three jurisdictions: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, as well as the United States District Courts for the District of Rhode Island and Connecticut.
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Lauren C. Roche
Associate
Lauren is an associate in the firm’s Boston office. Lauren’s practice focuses primarily on the defense of complex general liability, premises liability, liquor liability, sexual abuse litigation, personal injury, construction, and employment law matters.
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Holly G. Rogers
Partner
Holly Rogers has earned a reputation as a zealous and effective advocate. She practices from our Connecticut Office, which she also manages. Holly has extensive experience in complex litigation matters. She devotes the majority of her practice to representation of clients in employment and professional liability matters. Holly represents clients in both federal and state courts in Connecticut and New York, as well as before federal and state agencies. Holly has arbitrated and mediated numerous claims before the American Arbitration Association and other dispute resolution entities. She has authored articles on a variety of legal topics and has spoken on topics of interest before client groups and legal peers.
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Alexandra J.L. Romano
Associate
Alexandra is an Associate Attorney in Melick & Porter’s Boston office. Alexandra is developing a practice focused upon premises, motor vehicle and general liability claims, as well as commercial disputes
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John F. Rooney III
Member
John F. Rooney, III, who joined the firm in 1986, has successfully tried over 300 cases in both state and federal court. His practice focuses on toxic torts, complex products liability, environmental damage, utility companies, fire and explosion cases, aviation law, contract actions, insurance fraud, sexual abuse matters, premises liability, and criminal law.
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William P. Rose
Partner
Bill Rose is a graduate of University of Massachusetts and a cum laude graduate of Suffolk University School of Law. He also obtained his C.P.C.U. designation. Bill previously practiced at Morrison, Mahoney & Miller; Gillespie & Associates; the Law Offices of Peter Eleey; and Tucker, Heifetz & Saltzman, LLP. He handles cases in all areas of the firm’s practice.
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Syd A. Saloman
Partner
Syd is a cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and a cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School. During law school, he was the recipient of the Goodwin Scholarship for Best Trial Advocacy. Syd previously practiced at Regan & Kiely LLP and Tucker, Heifetz & Saltzman in Boston.
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Samantha J. Spicer
Associate
Samantha is an Associate in the Connecticut office. Her practice focuses on defending individual and corporate clients in a ... -
Michael W. Stenger
Associate
Mike is an Associate in Melick & Porter's Connecticut office. His practice focuses on employment law, professional liability, transportation law, and general liability.
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Jennifer A. Sunderland
Of Counsel
Jennifer is Of Counsel in the firm's Boston office. She focuses on helping employers defend claims involving discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. She also has experience with matters involving contract disputes, insurance coverage, professional malpractice, product liability, and premises liability. Jennifer has tried numerous felony criminal and civil jury trials in Massachusetts state court.
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Robert T. Treat
Partner
Rob concentrates his practice on premises liability, professional liability, explosion, construction injury and worker’s compensation matters. Rob’s most notable defense verdicts in civil jury trials include: a negligent product distribution claim by a waitress whose face was burned by flaming brandy flambé spilled on her by a chef performing a “Strawberry Flambe” on stage.
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Elizabeth A. Valentine
Associate
Elizabeth is an Associate in the firm's Boston office. Elizabeth's practice focuses on the defense of property liability, general liability cases, and insurance coverage. -
Parker L. Williams
Associate
Parker is an Associate in the Boston office. Parker focuses his practice on civil litigation matters, including personal injury and negligence defense, products liability, premises liability, toxic torts, insurance coverage, and complex commercial/business disputes.
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John N. Yokow
Associate
John is an associate in the firm’s Boston office. John’s practice focuses on civil litigation matters including personal injury/negligence defense, product liability, premises liability, insurance coverage, bad faith claims, complex commercial / business disputes and employment.
What Sets Us Apart
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Client-Centered Approach
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Well-Qualified & Accomplished Firm
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Nationally Recognized Super Lawyers®
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Seasoned Litigators & Appellate Attorneys
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High-End Legal Representation
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Track Record Of Client Success


Latest Firm News About General Liability
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12 Melick & Porter Attorneys Named to the 2022 Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Rising Stars ListsView Article
- William L. Keville Jr.,
- William D. Chapman,
- Brian C. Davis,
- Robert P. Powers,
- Michael J. Mazurczak,
- John F. Rooney lll,
- Christopher D. George,
- General Liability,
- Employment Litigation,
- Insurance Coverage,
- Appellate Litigation,
- Toxic Torts,
- Product Liability,
- Asbestos,
- Richard E. Heifetz,
- Christian H. Hinrichsen,
- Jennifer A. Sunderland,
- Lauren K. Camire,
- Rene Pickett
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NINE LAWYERS RECOGNIZED BY BEST LAWYERS® IN 2023 IN AMERICAView Article
- Robert P. Powers,
- Michael J. Mazurczak,
- John F. Rooney lll,
- General Liability,
- Employment Litigation,
- Professional Liability,
- Insurance Coverage,
- Toxic Torts,
- Product Liability,
- Lauren S. Fackler,
- William P. Rose,
- Richard E. Heifetz,
- Matthew B. DiMario,
- Shannon O'Neil