Michael R. Keller

Mike is the Liaison Partner for the Bridgeport, Connecticut office of Morrison Mahoney. His practice concentrates in the area of professional liability, with a particular focus on the defense of non-medical professionals—including attorneys, real estate professionals, executives, directors and officers, and corporations—against claims of malpractice, negligence, and improper employment practices before state and federal trial courts, as well as administrative agencies. Mike also frequently handles aviation claims including the defense of airlines, aircraft manufacturers and maintenance facilities in a variety of claims, as well as high exposure and complex matters in the areas of maritime, transportation, environmental claims and regulation, and product liability, including counseling and defending maritime claims involving terminal operators, hull, P&I, and pleasure watercraft.

In addition to providing defense in litigation matters, he counsels clients on numerous issues for risk management purposes. He often presents seminars to bar associations, participates in legal risk management seminars for area law firms and mock trials to client and industry groups and has written articles on diverse legal issues for firm and industry publications such as The Standard.

• elected as a Connecticut Super Lawyer Rising Star Lists for Professional Liability, 2014-2017
• Selected as a New England Super Lawyer Rising Star for Professional Liability Defense, 2014-2017
• Supreme and Appellate Court victories in legal malpractice cases:
  • Dressler v. Riccio, 205 Conn. App. 533
  • Dubinsky v. Reich, 187 Conn. App. 255 , cert denied, 331 Conn. 918
  • Heisinger v. Cleary, 323 Conn. 765
• Other Notable Results
  • Dodds v. Rich-Taubman Associates, 2021 WL 2014811 (motion for summary judgment granted)
  • Firmin v. Charles, 2021 WL 3609631 (motion to dismiss granted)
  • Proxysoft, LLC v. Russo, 2020 WL 8130208 (motion to dismiss granted)
  • Small v. Charles, 2019 WL 3546474 (defense verdict in legal malpractice case)
  • Lexington Ins. Co. v. Rockwood Corp., 2018 WL 7819245 (motion to dismiss granted)
  • Amerosa v. Griffin Aviation Services, X06-UWY-CV015-6028315-S (motion to dismiss granted in wrongful death aviation case on jurisdictional grounds)
  • Caouette v. Warning Lights and Scaffolding Service, Inc. (motion for summary judgment granted)
  • Heisinger v. Cleary, 2015 WL 1589152 (upholding application of fiduciary exception to attorney-client privilege)
  • Bradley Court v. Weisman Law Offices (defense verdict in legal malpractice case)
  • Second chair in multi-million dollar legal malpractice trial resulting in defendant’s verdict
  • Summary Judgment in real estate based legal malpractice suit and subsequently obtained fees and costs on behalf of client based on frivolous nature of plaintiff’s lawsuit
• Internal Managing Editor for Widener Law Review (2006–2007)
• Town of Westport: Elected member of Board of Finance