Thomas T. Merrigan

A partner at Sweeney Merrigan Law in Boston, Massachusetts, Thomas T. Merrigan is a true virtuoso of the courtroom. With over four decades of navigating the intricate world of law, he has captured nationwide recognition by clinching groundbreaking verdicts in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He has carved a name for himself among Massachusetts' "most powerful" legal minds. His dynamic practice spans a variety of challenging arenas, including:

• High-stakes personal injury
• Medical malpractice battles
• Criminal defense
• Multifaceted business and civil conflicts
• Proceedings related to professional licensing

Before returning to private practice, Mr. Merrigan served 12 years on the district court bench – first as first justice of the Orange District Court from 1990 to 2002 and, from 1994 to 2002, concurrently as an associate justice in the Appellate Division.

In recognition of Mr. Merrigan’s leadership and innovation in improving court-community collaboration, enhancing public trust in the judiciary and addressing substance-abuse issues, he was honored with the Warren Burger Award as “Trial Court Judge of the Year,” among many other accolades.

In 2022, Mr. Merrigan secured the largest civil verdict in Franklin County history and achieved Massachusetts’ highest sexual assault award when a jury returned $10 million on behalf of his client. Complementing his courtroom prowess, he is also a trained mediator and arbitrator, with credentials from The National Judicial College, Harvard Law School’s Negotiation Project, the Program of Instruction for Lawyers and the MIT–Harvard Public Disputes Program. 

An academic scholar from Deerfield Academy, he earned his B.A. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst – spending his junior year at the University of Nottingham – and received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law in 1976. That same year, he was licensed in Massachusetts.