John Reilly is the founding member of the Firm and has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the practice of law. Recognizing that success usually takes teamwork, he is proud to be associated with the Firm’s attorneys and staff who have helped the Firm earn its reputation for excellence in so many areas of the law. And he is extremely honored and grateful for the trust that so many clients have placed in him and the Firm, helping to make this success possible.

Mr. Reilly has represented hundreds of clients, many of whose issues involved litigation. He has tried dozens of cases, primarily before the state and federal courts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Due to his many successful efforts and verdicts, several clients have requested that he assist them in federal and state courts elsewhere in the country and he has done so through special permission of those courts. These experiences have helped him experience, appreciate, and incorporate “cutting edge” developments and trial techniques.

John has handled and tried many complex cases involving personal injuries, civil rights, business litigation, environmental law, insurance law, petroleum marketing, defamation, product liability, construction law, workplace injuries, land use and real estate disputes. He has also successfully represented criminal defendants before and at trial. His clients have included individuals, many other lawyers, physicians, small businesses, and nationally known corporations. (The full scope of his practice and the matters handled by the Firm is outlined in greater detail in this website.)

Based on the recommendation of attorneys and judges, Mr. Reilly has been awarded the prestigious “AV” rating of Martindale-Hubbell and been included by Martindale-Hubbell in the Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys in America. Fewer than about 5% of law firms in United States qualify for these peer-reviewed honors and no lawyer or Firm has a higher rating. John has also been selected as one of Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers, his biography being included in a special stand alone magazine appearing in The Boston Globe. This has also been included in The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel statewide.

A few years ago John expanded his practice.  It now operates from staffed offices in Warwick, Rhode Island and a newer, administrative center in Attleboro, Massachusetts. This has resulted in the ability to service a larger community and resulted in an even more vibrant and dynamic practice and experience for his Firm and its clients.

Birthplace:
Bangor, Maine

Bar Admissions – State Courts:
State of Rhode Island and Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Bar Admissions – Federal Courts:
United States Supreme Court (Washington, D.C.);
United States Courts of Appeal for the First Circuit (Boston), Second Circuit (New York) and Third Circuit (Philadelphia);
United States District Courts for the Districts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut;
United States Court of Claims (Washington, D.C.).

Special Appearances in Other Courts:
Pro hac vice (special appearances) in cases heard before the Superior Courts of Connecticut, Florida and New Hampshire as well as the United States District Courts for the Western District of Texas, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Hampshire.

Education:

• Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with honors (accelerated, early summer graduation ranked 2nd in class);
• University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, with honors, in Political Science;
• Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, R.I., with honors.

Professional Associations, Memberships and Honors:

• “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell and included by Martindale-Hubbell in Bar Register of Preeminent Atorneys in America (less than top 5% of law firms in United States qualify for these peer-reviewed honors);

• American Jurisprudence Award (Evidence);
• Defense Research Institute;
• Governor’s Select Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Reform Task Force (member);
• Graduate Tax Program of the Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachetts (courses toward L.L.M. degree in Taxation);
• National Merit Scholarship Award;
• Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society (Political Science);
• Rhode Island Association of Auto Theft and Arson Investigators (past President of this former organization);
• Certified Fraud Examiner;
• Rhode Island Bar Association;
• U.S. House of Representatives (summer congressional intern, Washington, D.C.);
• Vale Technical Institute, Blairsville, Pennsylvania (certified in automobile physical damage analysis);
• Who’s Who in America;
• Who’s Who in American Law; and
• Who’s Who in Rhode Island.

Seminar Presentations:

• Seminar organization and presentation, “Handling Unusual Claims” (co-sponsored by National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Rhode Island Auto Theft and Arson Investigators) (Lincoln, RI 1993)
• Presentation, “The Examination under Oath” (Worcester, MA 1994)
• Presentation, “Automobile Fires – Accidental and Incendiary. Layering and Preservation of Evidence” (Milford, MA 1995)
• Presentation, “Declination – Defense Avoiding Bad Faith”. Insurance Training Alliance. (Warwick, RI 1995)
• Presentation, “A Hot Time in the Olde Towne Tonight” (successful arson defense strategies utilizing circumstantial evidence). RIAATAI (Smithfield, RI – April, 1996)
• Presentation, “Overcoming the Presumption of an Accidental Fire and How Not to Convert Insurance Company Investigators to Agents of the State”. Rhode Island Chapter IAAI (Cranston, RI – May, 1996)
• Presentation, “The Role of Defense Counsel in SIU Cases”. SIU Coordinator’s/Investigator’s Conference (Keene, NH – June, 1996)
• Presentation/Participation, “The Examination under Oath” and “Mock Trials of Fraud Cases”. Integon Group, SIU Training Seminar (Myrtle Beach, SC – November, 1996)
• Local Seminar Committee and Presentation, “The Role of the Insurance Attorney”. 25th Annual Northeast IAATI Training Seminar (Newport, R.I. – May, 1997).