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Michael Kendall is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in its Boston office. As a member of the Firm’s Trial Department, he represents clients in business litigation and civil and criminal regulatory matters. Michael’s civil experience includes mergers and acquisition litigation, securities disputes, class actions, antitrust cases, and advising directors and audit committees on corporate governance issues. He also has substantial experience in securities regulation, campaign finance, government ethics, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, healthcare, money laundering and forfeiture, asset tracing, bank fraud and tax matters. Michael has tried numerous cases in federal and state courts, and also has handled numerous appeals. He has represented clients in investigations by Congressional committees and special prosecutors.
From 1989 to 1996, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts. He successfully prosecuted the speaker of the Massachusetts legislature, the chairman of its insurance committee, and several lobbyists. During 1992, he served as the Deputy Associate Attorney General and Counselor in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that capacity, he helped oversee the Antitrust and Tax Divisions, supervising several cases of national significance, including the prosecution of Salomon Brothers, Inc. for fraud committed on the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Michael is active in several public service and pro bono matters. He has served as a special counsel to the Massachusetts commission that investigates judicial misconduct. He is an overseer and pro bono counsel to a highly regarded private, inner city middle school. He is the former co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Committee on Federal Practice and Procedure, and formerly served on the Federal Magistrate Selection Committee.
As part of his work with the Department of Justice and McDermott, Michael has traveled to Russia, Georgia, Romania, Kyrgyzstan and Bosnia to advise their governments on legal reform and human rights.
In 1984, Michael served as a law clerk in a human rights law firm in South Africa. Before he began practicing law, he worked as a foreign correspondent in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He is a member of the editorial board of the Business Crimes Bulletin. He has been listed as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer and in Who’s Who of International Business Crimes Lawyers.
Representative Experience:
Represented company in a mergers and acquisition dispute and exposed a $3.5 billion fraud by National Century Financial Enterprises
Advised the audit committee of a publicly traded company ($1 billion in annual revenues) on issues relating to earnings and financial statements
Defended a major insurance company in a class action litigation challenging sale of $2.1 billion in assets and liquidation of subsidiary
Conducted an internal investigation for Fortune 100 company over allegations of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations in the Middle East
Conducted an internal investigation for a publicly traded health care company into allegations of commercial bribery involving senior executives
Retained by the Government of Bosnia to investigate allegations of corruption in a $5 billion foreign aid program
Education:
Harvard Law School, J.D., 1984
John F. Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P., 1984
Harvard College, A.B. (magna cum laude), 1979 | 