Michael D. Traister
Partner / Chair of Construction Group / Co-Chair of Litigation and Trial Practice Group
“I like helping clients work through and resolve complicated problems. Sometimes, there’s emotion involved, so part of my job can also be to help clients stay on-point and prioritize what’s truly important.”
Practice Areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization
- Construction – Practice Chair
- Land Use & Environmental Law
- Litigation & Trial – Practice Chair
Education
University of Maine School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude
Associate Editor, Maine Law Review
Brandeis University, B.A.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maine
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Affiliations & Recognition
- Former chair of the New Lawyers Section of the Maine Bar Association
- Former Chair of the Town of North Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals
- Moderator of the Town of North Yarmouth Annual Town Meeting
- Best Lawyers in America (2010 to present)
- New England Super Lawyers (2014 to present)
- New England Rising Star Attorney (2008-2013)
- AV rated by Martindale Hubbell
- Corporator, Mascoma Bank
Michael is the firm’s Managing Partner and maintains a wide-ranging litigation and trial practice in both state and federal court. Since joining Murray Plumb & Murray in 1995, he has honed his litigation and dispute resolution expertise, fueled by a love of building and making arguments.
Michael’s practice has a particular focus on business, construction, real estate and probate matters. He also has extensive experience in the land use and zoning areas; has handled numerous boundary, easement, zoning, and development disputes; and has successfully tried significant eminent domain cases to verdict. He has served as chair of the New Lawyers Section of the Maine Bar Association and for many years served as chair of the Town of North Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals and moderator of the Town of North Yarmouth Annual Town Meeting.
Selected by his peers for inclusion in both the Best Lawyers in America and New England Super Lawyers in the specialties of Business Litigation, Construction Law and Land Use and Zoning Law, Michael is also AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. Originally from Auburn, Maine, Michael is an avid skier and fisherman. Today, he resides with his family in North Yarmouth.