Michael A. Lesser

Mr. Lesser joined Thornton Law Firm LLP as an associate in 1995 after previously clerking at the firm. He heads the firm’s Whistleblower litigation section, with a focus on representing individuals that report violations of securities laws subject to the SEC Whistleblowing statute and individuals that report fraud on the government through the Federal and state False Claims Act statutes. In 2020 Mr. Lesser’s client, an FX trader who worked for Bank of New York Mellon, was awarded the then largest individual SEC whistleblower award in the history of SEC whistleblower litigation. The client’s almost $50 million dollar award was for providing original information to the Securities and Exchange Commission that resulted in a successful enforcement action that returned a significant amount of money to harmed investors. Mr. Lesser was rated as one of New England’s Top Rated Lawyers by ALM Media and Martindale-Hubbell™ from 2020-2022. Mr. Lesser was named an Up-and-Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers’ Weekly in 2002. He was selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He was selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2005 and 2010. Awards and Honors Super Lawyers® Selectees Michael A. Lesser included in a Super Lawyers® list Honors Named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer® in 2021 and 2022 by Thomson Reuters’s Massachusetts Super Lawyers® Magazine Named a New England’s Top Rated Lawyer by ALM Media and Martindale-Hubbell™ in 2020, 2021 and 2022 Named a Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” in 2005 and 2010 by Thomson Reuters’s Massachusetts Super Lawyers® Magazine Named an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers’ Weekly in 2002 Other Sources of Feedback About Michael A. Lesser Included on the 2026Massachusetts Super Lawyers list Past Lists 2025 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2024 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2023 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2022 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2021 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2010 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list 2005 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list

• Then-largest-ever individual SEC whistleblower award – 2020
• Spirito v. Hyster New Eng., Inc., et al., 70 Mass. App. Ct. 902, 827 N.E.2d 1160 (2007)

• Massachusetts, 1995
• U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts, 1997
• U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2006

• American Bar Association (Member)
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• American Association for Justice (Member)
• Taxpayers Against Fraud (Member)