Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense

Richard J. Riley

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: RRiley@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Tort Litigation
• Insurance Coverage
• Construction Litigation
• Professional Liability-Medical and Legal

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 1982
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1983
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 1984

Richard J. Riley is a Founding Shareholder of Murphy & Riley, P.C. He started his legal career in 1982 as an associate attorney at Murphy & Mitchell, P.C., an insurance defense firm the principal of which, Walter G. Murphy, was one of the most well-respected trial lawyers in Boston. Together with Walter and Bob Murphy, Rick established Murphy & Riley, P.C. in May, 1993. The firm, which started out with five attorneys, has grown steadily to its current size and scope.

Mr. Riley concentrates his practice in the areas of medical and legal professional liability, construction litigation, general tort litigation and insurance coverage (including disputes under M.G.L. c. 93A and 176D). He has tried to a verdict more than two dozen cases in both state and federal court in diverse areas including product liability, medical malpractice, general tort liability, employment discrimination and insurance coverage (declaratory judgment actions). He has argued appeals in every appellate court in the Commonwealth including the Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Appellate Division of the District Courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Memberships:

• Defense Research Institute
• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association

Education:

• Harvard University, B.A. (cum laude), 1979
• Boston College, J.D. (cum laude), 1982

Joseph A. King

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: JKing@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Insurance Defense
• Insurance Coverage

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 1991
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1991
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2005

Attorney Joseph A. King is a Shareholder and has been with Murphy & Riley, P.C. since the inception of the firm in 1993. Joe was originally an associate with the law firm of Murphy, DeMarco & O'Neill, P.C. and left that firm along with Rick Riley and Bob Murphy joining Murphy & Riley, P.C. as an associate in 1993. 

Joe is a graduate of Bates College where he received a B.A. in Political Science and served as editor of the campus newspaper, The Bates Student. Joe received his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law where he served as the student member to the Faculty Selection Committee and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1991.

Joe's practice includes the defense of general liability matters, professional liability matters and insurance coverage matters. He has extensive experience in State and Federal Courts, including jury trial experience, and has argued in the Massachusetts Appeals Court as well as other appellate courts.

Joe is a former member of the Board of Directors of Northeastern University School of Law Alumni Association (1992-1995); a former member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association (2007-2011); and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Joe lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts with his wife Kristin and three sons, Gavin, Andrew and James.

Memberships:

• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association (Board of Directors, 2007-2011)
• Frank J. Murray Inn of Court (Board of Directors, 2012-Present; Secretary 2014-2016; President 2016-Present)

Education:

• Bates College, B.A., 1987
• Northeastern University, J.D., 1990

John P. Coakley

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: JCoakley@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Civil Litigation
• Insurance Coverage
• Product Liability
• Premises Liability
• Employment Litigation
• Professional Malpractice
• Automobile and Land Transport
• Civil Rights Litigation

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 1991
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1997
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2002

Jack Coakley is a Shareholder of Murphy & Riley, P.C. Jack joined the firm in 1996 and has extensive litigation experience representing insurance companies, their insureds and self-insured entities in federal court and the Courts of the Commonwealth and before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other administrative agencies. He has represented and counseled numerous entities and individuals in hundreds of cases throughout Massachusetts on a myriad of issues including employment-related litigation, discrimination claims, civil rights claims, wrongful death claims, medical and legal malpractice claims, state administrative investigations, and numerous other matters. Jack was selected to the 2016 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

In addition to being an experienced trial attorney, Jack has extensive appellate experience in the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
 
Jack graduated Magna Cum Laude from both Providence College and Villanova University School of Law. At Villanova, Jack was a Case and Comment Editor on the Villanova Law Review and earned admission to the Order of the Coif honorary scholastic society.

After graduating from Villanova, Jack served on active duty for four years with the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he served as a Trial Counsel, Senior Trial Counsel and Operation Law Attorney, representing the United States in Courts-Martial and administrative proceedings in both garrison and deployed environments. He is currently a member of the United States Army Reserve, where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Jack is also an adjunct faculty member for the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies and provides Rule of Law and Human Rights Training to military personnel of foreign nations engaged in partnership programs with the United States Armed Forces.

Memberships:

• Boston Bar Association
• Frank J. Murray Inn of Court

Education:

• Providence College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1988
• Villanova University, J.D. (magna cum laude), 1991

Military:

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserves, JAG

Frank L. DePasquale

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: FDepasquale@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Personal Injury Defense
• Contract Disputes
• Domestic Relations

Admitted

• New York, 1998
• Massachusetts, 2003
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2005
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

Frank L. DePasquale is a member at Murphy & Riley, P.C. where he represents individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit corporations in personal injury, contractual, criminal defense and domestic relation matters. Frank has litigated these matters in both Massachusetts and New York State since 1998, representing clients on a wide range of issues including wrongful death, sexual assault, financial torts and crimes, contractual claims and child custody matters. Frank has tried over twenty cases to a verdict in the state courts of MA and NY, in each of these practice areas.

Education:

• Providence College, B.A. (cum laude), 1993
• American University, J.D., 1997

Christopher G. Long

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: CLong@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Premises Liability
• Employment
• Discrimination
• Property Loss
• Trucking
• Land Transport
• Civil Rights
• Wrongful Death
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Not For Profit Social Service Agencies
• Bad Faith and G.L. c. 93A/176D

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 1999
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 2004
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2013

Christopher G. Long is a shareholder of Murphy & Riley, P.C. and has been with the firm since 2006. He has more than 17 years of litigation experience representing both defendants and plaintiffs in civil actions. He has represented clients in hundreds of cases involving premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, workplace discrimination, bad faith claims and litigation involving non-profit social services agencies including wrongful death cases. He has represented clients in the State and Federal trial courts, the Massachusetts Appeals Court and before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. 

Chris served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association from 2009 - 2014. As Co-chair of its Defense Associates' Division Committee he organized and presented at seminars for the education and professional growth of young defense attorneys including the How to Survive & Thrive as a New Associate program and the "Brown Bag Lunch" trial practice series. He also organized and conducted events to promote collegiality and civility among both defense and plaintiff's attorneys.

Memberships:

• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association (Board of Directors, 2009-2014)
• Defense Research Institute
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Education:

• Providence College, B.A., 1996
• Suffolk University Law School, J.D., 1999

William P. Mekrut

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: WMekrut@MurphyRiley.com

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 2002
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 2004
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2005

William P. Mekrut joined Murphy & Riley, P.C. as an Associate in 2004, after having practiced civil and commercial litigation with another Boston firm for two years. Bill's practice areas include defending medical and legal malpractice claims; representing insurers in insurance coverage litigation; defending individuals and businesses in cases involving construction accidents, premises liability claims, consumer protection act claims, and wrongful death/catastrophic injury claims; and appellate advocacy. Bill has represented clients in state and federal court in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.?

Bill is an active member in the Boston legal community, and has written articles and presented at seminars on various legal topics concerning insurance defense and coverage issues. As a member of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, Bill has co-hosted a discussion on risk transfer issues relating to construction contracts, and served as a panelist/moderator for a program designed to provide guidance to junior associates. Bill serves in the MassDLA as a member of the insurance coverage subcommittee. Bill has also been an Instructor of First Year Legal Research & Writing at Boston University School of Law.?

During law school, Bill was an Articles Editor for the American Journal of Law and Medicine, and interned with the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. As part of the general community, Bill has supported the National Multiple Sclerosis Society including running in - and completing - the Boston Marathon five times, from 2007 through 2011, to raise money for the Society.

Education:

• Marist College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1999
• Boston University School of Law, J.D., 2002

Lauren J. Birnbaum

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: LBirnbaum@MurphyRiley.com

Admitted

• Florida, 2000
• District of Columbia, 2004
• Massachusetts, 2006

Lauren joined the firm in 2011 after spending 5 years at a Boston law firm defending cases and representing clients in matters involving catastrophic injuries and death as a result of premises liability, products liability, toxic exposure, and motor vehicle accidents. Lauren's practice with Murphy & Riley, P.C. focuses on premises liability and general liability defense.

Prior to practicing law in Massachusetts, Lauren was an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Litigation Division of the District of Columbia Attorney General's Office. As an Assistant Attorney General Lauren served the citizens of the District of Columbia by providing legal representation to the District agencies, officers, and employees. Her areas of practice included sexual harassment, premises liability, motor vehicle tort actions including cases involving wrongful death, medical malpractice, and constitutional claims.

Lauren started her legal career as a Captain in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps as a claim and legal assistance attorney and a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Lauren investigated and negotiated civil claims on behalf of the U.S. Government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and she served our active and retired service members and their dependents on general legal issues. Additionally, Lauren was appointed by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and prosecuted criminal offenses in U.S. District Court. She is currently serving in the Massachusetts Army National Guard as Deputy Chief of Legal Assistance and she recently became DA Select for promotion to Major.

Throughout her career Lauren has successfully defended clients in both State and Federal courts, and through the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Memberships:

• Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association
• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association

Education:

• University of New Hampshire, B.A. (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), 1997
• Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 2000

Military:

Major, U.S. Army JAG Corps, Active Duty 2000-2003

Christopher G. Perillo

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: CPerillo@MurphyRiley.com

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 2004
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2009

Education:

• St. John's Seminary, B.A. (cum laude), 1992
• St. John's Seminary, M.Div. (cum laude), 1997
• Pontifical Gregorian University, S.T.B. (cum laude), 1995
• Suffolk University Law School, J.D., 2004

Language:

• Italian
• Spanish

Kevin M. Sullivan

Managing Shareholder

Boston, MA

• E-Mail: KSullivan@MurphyRiley.com

Practice Areas

• Medical Malpractice
• Professional Malpractice
• Construction Accidents
• Product Liability
• Premises Liability
• Business Litigation
• Bad Faith
• Wrongful Death

Admitted

• Massachusetts, 1994
• New Hampshire, 2012
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1997
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 2000
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2000
• U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire, 2013

Kevin M. Sullivan is a trial attorney with more than twenty years of litigation experience. He has represented clients at jury trials in four states, and has extensive trial experience in state and federal courts throughout Massachusetts. His practice includes the defense of complex tort actions and cases involving catastrophic personal injury and death. Kevin represents medical and mental health professionals in malpractice actions, and defends individuals, businesses, and not for profit social service agencies in civil actions involving construction accidents, product liability, premises liability, liquor liability, and other personal injury matters.

Kevin served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps, and is a former Special Assistant United States Attorney.

Kevin co-authored the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) publication, "Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Torts." He has presented seminars on various legal topics for insurance industry representatives and attorneys, including leading a Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association Trial Practice Series seminar on "Pre-Trial Considerations" and serving as a panelist at the MCLE seminar, "Handling Medical Malpractice Cases." Kevin served on the Voir Dire Committee of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Judicial Administration Council.

Kevin is a member of the American Legion.

Memberships:

• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Education:

• Brown University, B.A., 1989
• Tulane University Law School, J.D. (cum laude), 1994

Military:

Lt., U.S. Navy, JAGC (1995-1999)