Michael B. Rosenberg

Michael leads the Firm in the areas of antitrust and trade regulation, franchise disputes, public contracts and construction claims. 

He served as a Law Clerk to the United States Court of Claims and as a Trial Attorney in the United States Department of Justice before entering private practice with Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn, a Washington, DC national law firm.  After ten years at Arent, Fox and a “spin-off” firm Michael relocated to Vermont, where he was a senior partner with Miller, Eggleston & Rosenberg before becoming a member of Burak, Anderson & Melloni. 

Michael represents clients in a wide range of complex economic matters.  As an antitrust lawyer he provides compliance counseling and negotiation, and has appeared in private treble damage litigation and cases involving the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Department of Justice, state Motor Vehicle Boards and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.  As a construction attorney he provides contract counseling, negotiation and claims reviews and has undertaken numerous trials, arbitrations and mediations in various state and federal forums, including the United States Claims Court, multiple federal Boards of Contract Appeals, the General Accounting Office, and the American Arbitration Association. 

Michael served as counsel to the Vermont Automobile Dealers Association and has represented many dealers, and several manufacturers, in franchise, lending, consumer protection and advertising disputes.  He has successfully litigated state and federal Dealer Day in Court Act cases, and handled other federal competition disputes on behalf of multi-national clients including Kahru USA, CCM-Sports Maska and Bauer-Nike Hockey. 

He was a Special Vermont Assistant Attorney General and lead counsel for the Plaintiff in State of Vermont v. Frank W. Whitcomb Construction Co. and Pike Industries, Inc., a paving industry price-fixing case settled on the eve of trial for $3.5 million.  Michael successfully arbitrated Winooski One Hydro v. City of Burlington, which allowed construction of the last private hydroelectric station completed in Vermont, and tried to verdict the Berlin Convalescent Center test case that invalidated the State of Vermont’s method of reimbursing nursing home for public patient care. 

Education: 

George Washington University National Law Center (JD with Honors, 1969)

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (BA, 1966) 

Bar Admissions: 

Vermont, 1984

Virginia, 1978

U.S. Supreme Court, 1972

U.S. Claims Court, 1969

District of Columbia, 1969 

Professional Associations and Experience:

National Association of Dealer Counsel

Vermont and New Hampshire Chair, American Bar Association Public Contract Law Section

Chair, Federal Bar Association Claims Court Committee

Lecturer at five seminars on “Vermont Construction Law – What Do You Do When…”

Lecturer on arbitration at the Annual Meeting of the Vermont Bar Association

Lecturer on arbitration before the Associated General Contractors of Vermont

Lecturer on arbitration in Russia on behalf of the Vermont Bar Foundation

Presenter of many private antitrust compliance and franchise protection seminars 

Other Community Service:

Six-Time Chair and Board Member, Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Board Member, Burlington City Arts

Board Member, Vermont Ballet Theatre

Programming Committee member and volunteer counsel, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

President, Temple Sinai Congregation

Board Member, University of Vermont Hillel