Michael A. Dunning was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and presently resides on Cape Cod in the town of Barnstable. He graduated from Weymouth High School and from the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

After admittance to the Illinois Bar in 1966, Dunning practiced with the Chicago firm of Mandel & Lipton, and acted as general counsel to Miller-Davis Construction Company, a large Mid-West commercial and institutional contractor. He was a co-founder of the law firm in 1974. He has served on the Board of Directors and as Corporator of local financial institutions. He has also served on The Board of Directors of Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Cod YMCA. He currently is a commissioner of the Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission and served as Chairman for four years. Dunning is a member of the Barnstable County Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association and has served on the Board of Directors of Real Estate Bar of Massachusetts (REBA), where he served as Chairman of the Title Insurance and National Affairs Committee. Dunning was admitted to practice in State and Federal courts in Illinois, and in Massachusetts since 1970. He concentrates on real estate, zoning, bank and business matters.