Margaret M.Toohey

Margaret Toohey collaborates with clients, experts, and foreign co-counsel to get results in complex and cross-border disputes. She handles "bet-the-company" cases, including class actions and multibillion-dollar claims, on both the plaintiff's and defense side.

Margaret focuses her practice on disputes in the raw materials, manufacturing, and health care sectors. She has particular experience handling force majeure and other business interruption claims, including claims relating to plant accidents, the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more recently, the conflict in Ukraine and related sanctions against Russia. She has also litigated cases involving environmental contamination (air, soil, and groundwater), anticompetition allegations, and alleged breach of contract, fraud, public nuisance, and trade secret misappropriation.

Margaret has taken multiple matters to final hearings on the merits, including as first chair in federal immigration court. Her arbitration experience includes disputes under the AAA, CPR, ICAC, ICC, and ICDR rules, applying U.S., EU, Brazilian, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Swiss substantive laws (among others). She has first- or second-chaired dozens of depositions, direct- and cross-examined witnesses, and is experienced at working with fact and expert witnesses throughout the life of a case.

Equal parts advocate and advisor, Margaret routinely counsels clients as commercial disputes arise with an eye to avoiding disruptive lawsuits. She also maintains an active pro bono practice and has secured asylum on behalf of political dissidents from Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Margaret's civic engagement includes serving on the Economic Development Committee of Tremont West Development Corporation and the Young Professional Committee of EDWIN's Restaurant & Leadership Institute.