Michael P. "Mike" Thornton

Michael Thornton is the chairman and founder of Thornton Law Firm. A nationally recognized expert on toxic tort and complex civil litigation, Mr. Thornton graduated from Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt Law School. In the 1970's he successfully undertook the representation of a number of shipyard and construction workers who had developed asbestos-related diseases. Over the years, Thornton Law Firm has grown to become the largest firm in the Northeast representing victims of asbestos and other toxic materials. The firm has brought justice to workers who contracted cancer and other health issues from exposure to chemicals, defective drugs, and defective products, and to children who have suffered brain damage from lead poisoning and birth defects from chemicals and pesticides to which their parents were exposed. In addition, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other states and local governments have sought the firm's expertise to address damage from threats to the public health. A Multi-billion dollar recovery for the Commonwealth from tobacco companies resulted from the firm's work in these areas.

More recently, Mr. Thornton has lead the firm’s financial fraud practice area. Thornton Law Firm represents whistleblowers and pension funds in some of the largest and most sophisticated financial services and bank fraud cases in the world. These cases have already changed the way large financial services companies do business, improving transparency and lowering costs. Thornton Law Firm represents both public and private pension funds, states, employees, and unions in these matters. The firm maintains an extensive network of lawyers and experts from around the country to provide nationwide counsel in several areas of complex litigation, such as securities fraud and other class action matters.

Mr. Thornton and Thornton Law Firm have also supported the Brigham and Women’s Hospital's International Mesothelioma Program, which focuses on giving victims quality life extension, leading to a cure. Mr. Thornton and the firm have also proudly supported The Thornton House at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A home away from home for mesothelioma victims and their families, The Thornton House opened in 2008 and houses up to nine families at a time.

Mr. Thornton is a member of the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine bars. He has published a number of articles on legal subjects and has lectured at the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and Yale Law School.