Peter N. Foundas

Peter's legal practice is two-fold, he has a robust practice handling high-stakes commercial disputes and complex transactional work. These complementary practices allow him to lean on his experience in both areas to provide expert legal strategy and counsel to his clients.

Litigation

Peter is an accomplished commercial litigator who helps his clients navigate complex disputes in a variety of industries. With a background in accounting, Peter has investigated fraudsters and faithless fiduciaries of all types, from business partners trying to take more than they deserve, to corrupt managers attempting to conceal their theft. He has extensive experience with all stages of litigation, from providing counsel at the outset of a dispute to representing clients at trial. He has litigated:

• Fiduciary disputes,
• Financial fraud,
• Business divorces,
• Trade secret misappropriation,
• Complex contract disputes,
• Professional malpractice,
• Unfair competition and business torts,
• Employee departures and terminations (on both employer and employee side),
• Insurance defense, and
• Defamation.

Transactions

On the transactional side Peter leverages his skill as a litigator to provide strategic advice to his clients. He specializes in complex transactions, ranging from multi-million-dollar investments to large commercial real estate financing and purchase agreements. He has a broad range of experience including:

• Commercial real estate transactions and leasing,
• Mergers and acquisitions,
• Employment separations,
• Venture capital investments,
• Outside general counseling.

Whether he is helping a client close a lucrative business deal or resolve a partnership dispute, Peter provides strategic advice to help his clients achieve their business goals.

Background

Prior to law school, Peter worked for KPMG LLP in Boston, where he worked on the audits of mutual funds, private equity clients, and pension funds. As an undergraduate at UMass Amherst, Peter was the Editor in Chief of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the largest college daily newspaper in New England at the time. Peter is also a graduate of Boston Latin School. When he is not working, he enjoys playing and coaching hockey, golfing, traveling, and reading about history, space exploration and cosmology.

Education

• Boston College Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif (2011)
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst, B.B.A, cum laude (2005)

Representative Matters

High-Stakes Commercial, Shareholder and Fiduciary Disputes

• Secured a complete dismissal of a former employee’s meritless discrimination complaint filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (the “MCAD”) against our client, a prestigious New England country club.
• Secured a partial impoundment and complete dismissal of an inflammatory complaint filed by former partner of a business who wrongfully sought to publicly litigate a partnership dispute which was subject to arbitration.
• Successfully stayed enforcement of $14 million plus judgment while a separate litigation progresses in New York alleging the basis for the judgment in Massachusetts was a fraudulently obtained confession of judgment in New York. In the related New York action, Peter was instrumental in successfully obtaining $75,000 in sanction against opposing party for discovery violations which was upheld on appeal. See Continuum Energy Techs., LLC v. Iron Oak, Inc. (USA), 2024-02228, 2025 WL 863878, at *1 (N.Y. App. Div. Mar. 20, 2025).
• Successfully moved for injunctive relief for our client against the co-owner of their two-unit commercial condo and successfully obtained an order holding the defendants in contempt for violation of said order. Subsequently obtained a default judgment against defendants for their discovery failures, securing a judgment for the clients’ full damages as well as all attorneys’ fees incurred to obtain the judgment.
• Retained by company with over $500 million in revenues to oversee an investigation into accounting errors and misstatements, where Peter was responsible for overseeing a forensic review, coordination with tax counsel and communicating with the outside independent fraud investigator. Peter and the team successfully identified the cause of the errors and misstatements, and Peter took a lead role in advising the board of directors on how to manage the attendant legal risks and in meeting with the IRS to disclose the results of the investigation and stave off further tax liabilities.
• Successfully convinced competitor in the specialty pharmacy space from attempting to sue our client – a major operator in the local market – without any money changing hands, for baseless claims of trade secret misappropriation by holding extensive pre-suit discussions and ensuring competitor understood filing suit would provoke significant counterclaims.
• Defended main shareholder of an IT placement company from breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by minority investors and successfully negotiated buyout of the minority investors, thereby securing the client’s full ownership of the company.
• Settled a contentious partnership dispute for a client resulting in the sale of the former partner’s ownership interest in a private for-profit college. We compelled arbitration pursuant to an operating agreement between the parties resulting in our client’s former partner agreeing to sell all of her membership interest in the college and its related parent entity to our client on favorable terms.
• Represented a provider of banking and electronic payment software in an action against MasterCard alleging misappropriation of trade secrets. After engaging in extensive expert discovery, especially with regard to damages, achieved favorable settlement for the client.
• Represented major American insurance company and its insureds in litigation concerning a large explosion of a digester at a paper mill in Maine with claimed damages exceeding $350 million, resulting in successful recoveries based on faulty welding repairs, inadequate inspections, and improper engineering supervision.
• Represented a retail establishment at an arbitration proceeding in which the client was accused of failing to warn a customer of dangers associated with its business operations, resulting in a defense finding (prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP).
• Obtained a defense verdict for a nurse practitioner against a failure-to-diagnose wrongful death claim, whereby all of the client’s superiors supported her actions and the plaintiff’s expert was rigorously cross-examined on his competency to testify (prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP).
• Obtained a defense verdict in a seven-figure exposure case against a claim of negligent security against a large urban housing complex (prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP).
• Briefed and argued in front of the Massachusetts Appeals Court on the limits of a defendant’s right under the Sixth Amendment to confront testimonial hearsay evidence presented against him at trial (prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP).

Complex Transactional Matters

• Closed a multi-million-dollar investment deal on behalf of an environmentally conscious European venture capital firm investing in a start-up which develops cutting-edge technology to efficiently extract energy from aluminum with minimal carbon emissions. This representation included leading the diligence and negotiations while retaining special management rights for our client.
• Closed multi-million dollar sale of one of New England’s most prestigious country clubs, securing post-closing commitments by the buyer group for significant capital improvements, membership enhancements and upgraded amenities.
• Closed the transition of a luxury travel business to a former employee while retaining the core employees, office location, business partners, and clients.
• Closed the sale of our client’s payroll business, negotiating a very favorable purchase price despite dealing with challenging regulatory and licensing issues.
• Assisted client in the creation of new women’s health center focused on post-partum patients and negotiated lease of converted retail space for medical office use.
• Negotiated a prelitigation settlement on behalf of a news reporter, successfully obtaining a full release of her contract with an agent which bound part of her income in perpetuity.
• Negotiated and successfully closed the sale of a client’s multi-million-dollar clothing brand business.
• Negotiated dozens of commercial leases for Fortune 500 manufacturing client in a variety of locations nationwide and for general office, warehousing and specialty manufacturing purposes.
• Closed client’s multi-million-dollar investment in upscale ski club and spa in one of the most exclusive skiing destinations in the country.

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch (2021-2025 editions)
• Named a “Massachusetts Rising Star,” Super Lawyers (2023)

Civic

• Allston-Brighton Youth Hockey, Coach (2007 –2020); Board of Directors (2014 – 2023)

Professional

• Boston Bar Association
• Hellenic Bar Association, Vice President

Speeches

• Expert Selection and Effective Litigation Consulting
  Speaker, Massachusetts Society of CPAs Litigation Support and Business Valuation Committee Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts (October 25, 2023)
• How to Mentor Remotely: The 60 Minute Lawyer
  Speaker, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Webinar (March 4, 2021)
• Survival Tips for Young Lawyers
  Panelist, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts (March 20, 2017)
• Survival Tips for Young Lawyers
  Panelist, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts (April 1, 2015)