Michael L. Chinitz

Michael L. Chinitz, founder of Chinitz Law LLC in Newton, Massachusetts, is a skilled executive advisor and advocate with more than 35 years of experience.  Clients and referring lawyers alike praise Mike for his efficient and practical approach to resolving employment-related disputes and guiding executives and other employees through their career transitions, as well as through many issues executives confront over the course of their careers. Mike has been elected a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for nineteen years; he is a year-after-year Boston Magazine "Top Lawyer" in the field of Employment Law, has an AV Preeminent* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell and an "Excellent" rating on Avvo.

Mike's areas of focus include, among others:

• Executive advocacy and mobility--negotiating and drafting a broad range of agreements, including executive employment and separation agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, NDA's, compensation arrangements, as well as Board of Directors and Advisory Board Agreements.       
• Counselling executives and resolving disputes concerning noncompete, non-solicit, no-poach, and other restrictive covenant and non-disclosure agreements.
• Counselling executives and resolving disputes concerning commission agreements, equity arrangements, bonus plans, change in control agreements, and "for good reason" termination arrangements.
• Conducting efficient and affordable review of offers of employment, separation agreements, and noncompete/non-solicitation agreements, non-disclosure, confidentiality, and Protective Information and Invention Assignment Agreements, and other employment-related agreements.          
• Providing employment law counseling--both for executives and for employers, across a wide range of Massachusetts state and Federal employment law issues. 
• Advocating for executives and other employees on matters involving wrongful termination and other violations under Massachusetts and Federal statutory employment laws as well as the common law.   
• Business and commercial disputes--counselling parties through efficient and practical solutions to complex business and commercial disputes and referring them or associating with trusted trial counsel when necessary.      

Known for his practical, reliable and skilled legal counsel on employer-employee matters, Mike has an impressive track record of resolving a broad spectrum of claims.  He also excels in representing partners and co-owners in internal business conflicts, and has valuable insights into the interactions among shareholders, LLC members, and business partners.

Mike approaches his engagements in a comprehensive and holistic way and works with a broad range of professionals to help his clients with various issues that may arise over the course of an executive/employee's career. Such professionals include executive outplacement advisors, coaches, tax and corporate lawyers, insurance and financial advisors, and other professionals. 

In instances when matters cannot be resolved through negotiations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, Mike associates with prominent members of the employment law trial bar who will initiate litigation or arbitration as needed. Because Mike had an active litigation practice for more than 30 years, he has can quickly assess the merits of client's claims if they were to litigate; can advise clients of the costs and benefits of taking claims into litigation against employers and work alongside of trial lawyers with whom he associates if this route becomes necessary.               

Mike is an alum of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he graduated with Phi Betta Kappa honors; he then attended Boston University School of Law, where he was an Editor on the Law Review, and graduated summa cum laude.  Mike is on the Executive Committee of the BU Law Alumni Association.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.