Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, the nation’s first and only law firm with offices in all 50 states, is pleased to announce the addition of Partners John F. Rooney III, William D. Chapman, René M. Pickett, and Shannon M. O'Neil to the firm's New England offices.
John F. Rooney III has tried to verdict over one hundred cases in state and federal court. His practice focuses on defending asbestos, talc and benzene cases, complex products liability, environmental damage, utility company litigation, aviation law, contract actions, insurance fraud, sexual abuse matters, premises liability, and criminal law. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Rooney was an Assistant District Attorney in the largest county in Massachusetts where he was a Senior Trial Attorney representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in major felony prosecutions. He represents numerous Fortune 500 companies in New England and currently represents over 40 companies in asbestos and talc litigation throughout New England. As lead defense counsel, Mr. Rooney managed all civil litigation related to a series of natural gas explosions in three neighboring Massachusetts towns, including numerous wrongful death, personal injury, and property claims, along with the successful resolution of seven consolidated class action cases. Mr. Rooney has been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer, honored as a Top Lawyer by The Boston Globe, and has been awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating.
William D. Chapman joins the Boston office of Gordon & Rees. Mr. Chapman has extensive trial experience throughout New England. His practice focuses on the defense of general liability and professional liability claims. He has successfully defended many of the leading professional liability claims against insurance professionals in Massachusetts, including most recently in 2022, prevailing before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in a seven-figure insurance broker liability action. Mr. Chapman has handled cases varying from a class action under the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act to a series of professional liability actions across the United States arising out of the collapse of a prominent workers' compensation insurer and has successfully defended claims against professionals in the fields of insurance, real estate, health and wellness, property management, property appraisal, accounting, architecture, and veterinary medicine, among others.
René M. Pickett joins the Boston and Providence offices of Gordon & Rees. Ms. Pickett represents clients in all areas of the firm’s practice, including claims involving insurance coverage, toxic torts, premises liability, and product liability. She has extensive litigation and courtroom experience defending claims in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Shannon M. O'Neil joins the Boston and Providence offices of Gordon & Rees. Ms. O'Neil's practice concentrates on complex civil litigation, with a special focus on toxic tort litigation. She has extensive experience overseeing and managing nationally recognized companies both as local counsel and national coordinating counsel. She is involved with all phases of litigation, including discovery and depositions, dispositive and pre-trial motions, and trial preparations, and has experience defending claims in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“We are extremely excited to add this team of top-flight New England trial lawyers to our Boston, Hartford, and Providence offices," said Hartford Office Managing Partner John Robinson. "This is yet another example of how our 50-state platform can be utilized to benefit the needs of clients, both regionally and nationally, and the arrival of this team of lawyers bolsters our depth in the arenas of toxic tort, professional liability, and other practices areas.”
The depth of experience in the New England offices of Gordon & Rees enables the firm to serve its many clients with needs throughout the Northeast. With “boots on the ground” attorneys in the various New England offices, many of the firm's Boston and Hartford attorneys are also admitted to practice in New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine and regularly serve clients in the areas of energy, environmental and toxic tort, complex products liability, professional liability defense, medical device, construction, employment, commercial, tax, and insurance coverage litigation, as well as in other legal sectors.
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