Menu
Michael E. Mooney, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Photo

Michael E. Mooney

Chairman / Boston

Overview

Michael Mooney, chairman of Nutter, focuses his practice on tax and business, representing corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies in a broad array of domestic and international tax and business transactions, including complex business combinations and divestitures.

Michael also works frequently with businesses to reorganize into more tax-efficient structures and achieve intergenerational transfers at minimal tax cost. Michael also handles tax controversies before the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

Michael is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a member of the Boston Tax Forum, and a member of the Board of Editors of Accounting and Financial Planning for Law Firms. He served as vice president, executive director and member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Tax Institute of New England Inc. from 1989 to 2011. He writes and speaks frequently on topics related to taxation and executive compensation.

Active in many business, civic and charitable organizations in Greater Boston, Michael is a director of Jobs for Massachusetts, an executive leadership organization of CEO’s from prominent Boston businesses, a trustee of Lesley University, a director of the Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation, a director of A Better City, Inc., where he served as chair of the Board from 2006-2010, and a former director of Music Lives. He is also a director of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, where he was the founding co-chair of the United Way Lawyers Leadership Breakfast and currently serves as a member of the organization’s Legal Advisory Council. Michael is a member of the Board of Overseers of the New England Aquarium, a member of the Business Advisory Council of Boston College Law School, and a member of the Chief Executives Club of Boston. Michael is a member and vice chair of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, a Commission formed to convene leaders from Boston’s key sectors to support the outcomes of the city’s Climate Action Plan. He has served as legal counsel to the USS Constitution Bicentennial Salute, Inc. and currently serves as legal counsel to and Clerk of Sail Boston, Inc. For more than ten years Michael served as a co-chair of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund Annual Dinner, sponsored by Catholic Charities. He is the founding chairman of the Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program, served as chair of the 2003 Law Day Dinner Steering Committee and as co-chair of the Association’s 2008 Diversity and Leadership Task Force, and currently is serving as co-chair of the Boston Bar Foundation Society of Fellows.

Experience

Experience

  • First Commons Bank, N.A.

    Nutter advised First Commons Bank, N.A. in its proposed merger with Brookline Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKL). The total value of the transaction is approximately $55.958 million.

  • Commerce Bancshares Corp.

    Nutter is representing Commerce Bancshares Corp. and its subsidiary, Commerce Bank & Trust Company, in its pending merger with Berkshire Hills Bancorp. Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), in an all-stock transaction valued at $209 million.

  • McCarthy Capital

    Nutter represented McCarthy Capital, a private equity investment firm, when it led a recapitalization and growth equity investment in Seven10 Storage Software, LLC to further accelerate growth.

  • Admune Therapeutics LLC

    Sale to Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

  • Harvey Building Products, Inc.

    Sale to Dunes Point Capital

  • North Middlesex Savings Bank

    Nutter represents North Middlesex Savings Bank in its pending merger with Marlborough Savings Bank. The combined bank will have assets of close to $1 billion and $95 million in equity and operate a network of 14 branches. 

  • McCarthy Capital

    Nutter represented McCarthy Capital, a private equity investment firm, when it partnered with Bamboo Rose, a provider of the digital B2B Marketplace for retailers, to continue its expansion.

  • Restructurings

    Restructuring an “underwater” real estate project by introducing new equity and debt, while avoiding a recapture of tax benefits claimed by the original owners.

  • Pre-Immigration Tax Planning

    Completing pre-immigration tax planning for a wealthy foreign individual before his permanent move to the United States.

  • Adams Community Bank

    Nutter advised Adams Community Bank, a mutual savings bank based in Adams, Massachusetts, in its acquisition of The Lenox National Bank, a national bank located in Lenox, Massachusetts. The transaction was completed on October 16, 2015. Adams paid approximately $14.3 million in cash for all outstanding shares of Lenox common stock. 

  • Greenfield Cooperative Bank

    Merger with Northampton Cooperative Bank

  • Granite Savings Bank

    Merger with Cape Ann Savings

  • International Joint Ventures

    Negotiating and preparing an international strategic partnering agreement between a U.S. technology company and a French manufacturer allowing the two to share new developments and achieve greater manufacturing and distribution efficiencies throughout the world.

  • MBO’s and LBO’s

    Representing management in an MBO of an investment management company with a view to minimizing the tax impact on management and the selling owners.

    Leveraging the buyout of multiple real estate properties through a new partnership vehicle combining tax efficiencies with intergenerational tax planning.

  • Executive Compensation

    Representing numerous chief executive officers in the negotiation of their employments agreements and sometimes separation agreements.

    Representing top management of a financial institution in connection with its acquisition by another financial institution.

    Designing and drafting complex equity compensation arrangements for a broad array of corporations, LLC’s and banks.

  • Emerging Companies

    Designing and implementing a tax efficient business structure for an emerging pharmaceutical company engaged in cancer research.

    Working with an emerging company and a major foreign investor in the company to create the most tax efficient structure for each.

  • Tax-free Reorganizations

    Designing a “spin-off” of valuable technology by a life sciences company.

  • Tax Controversies

    Representing taxpayers in controversies with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue concerning their domicile and state of residence for income tax purposes.

    Representing a taxpayer in a federal controversy over a conservation easement charitable deduction.

    Handling appeals to the IRS Appeals Office regarding proposed federal income tax deficiencies following audits.

  • M&A Transactions

    Representing sellers and buyers in the sale and/or purchase of their businesses.

News & Insights

News

Honors

Honors

  • Chambers and Partners, Leading U.S. Tax Attorney, 2007-2017
  • The Best Lawyers in America (30+ years)
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2004-2017
  • Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition, 2009
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers Top 100, 2004-2007
  • Who's Who in America

Education & Admissions

Education

Boston College Law School, J.D.

St. Norbert College, B.A.

Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • U.S. Court of International Trade
  • U.S. Tax Court

In the Community

Active in many business, civic and charitable organizations, Michael is a director for Jobs for Massachusetts, a trustee of Lesley University, a director of the Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation, and a director of A Better City, Inc.

Noteworthy

Chambers and Partners, Leading U.S. Tax Attorney, 2007-2017

The Best Lawyers in America (30+ years)

Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2004-2017

Massachusetts Super Lawyers Top 100, 2004-2007

Who's Who in America

Back to Page