John J. McGivney

John McGivney is Rubin and Rudman’s Managing Partner and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. John has tried thirty-five cases in state and federal trial courts; has arbitrated numerous matters; has served as an arbitrator, certified mediator, and master in civil litigation; and has briefed or argued twenty-five appeals, in various areas of civil law, in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. He has also settled thousands of cases for both plaintiffs and defendants.

John has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General and has also represented clients in matters with the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Attorney General and other regulatory agencies, including the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board, and the Massachusetts Outdoor Advertising Board, and the New York Departments of Labor and Environmental Conservation.

Since entering practice in 1981, John has represented clients in a broad range of litigation matters, including the following:

• Construction law, including construction site accidents, contract disputes in both public and private construction, and suretyship
• Commercial litigation, including trade secrets and unfair competition
• Defamation, privacy and civil rights
• Directors’ and officers’ liability
• Dissolution of partnerships and businesses
• Education Law
• Employment law, including ERISA and FEHBA
• Insurance law, including coverage, extracontractual liability, primary/excess insurance and reinsurance, property, casualty, life, disability, and marine/cargo insurance
• Mass tort and class actions
• Motor vehicle tort
• National security clearance
• Premises liability
• Private international law, including the laws of Canada, England, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Peoples Republic of China, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland
• Probate disputes over trusts and estates
• Products liability
• Professional malpractice, including accountants, architects and engineers, and attorneys
• Real estate and lease disputes
• Securities litigation, including securities fraud, and broker-dealer arbitration
• Taxpayer disputes
• Trademark and licensing
• Zoning and permitting litigation

Recognition and Awards

• Named, Boston magazine, Top Lawyers, Civil Litigation, 2022
• Recognized, The Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year” award, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, in Boston, 2022
• Listed, The Best Lawyers in America®, 2008–2024
  • Insurance Law
  • Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Martindale-Hubbell® – Annually rated AV Preeminent
• Selected, Massachusetts Super Lawyers List, 2004, 2016–2020

Professional and Community Involvement

• Association for Conflict Resolution – Member of the largest professional association for mediators, arbitrators, and conflict resolution practitioners in the U.S.
• Member, Former Director, Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association
• Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys – Member
• Member, Rubin and Rudman Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
• Speaker and Panelist at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association and various other conferences
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance – Member of this prestigious insurance organization (2016)