John P. Coakley

Jack Coakley joined Murphy & Riley, P.C. in 1996 and has been a Member of the firm since 2000.  Jack 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. 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. 

Practice Areas

• Civil litigation
• Insurance coverage
• Product liability
• Premises liability
• Automobile and land transport
• Employment litigation
• Professional malpractice
• M.G.L. c. 93A litigation
• Civil rights litigation

Bar and Court Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1991
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1997
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2002
• U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 1991
• Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces, 1992

Education

• Providence College, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1988
• Villanova University, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 1991
• United States Army Command and General Staff Course, 2004

Professional Memberships

• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association

Legal Publications and Significant Cases           

• Mammone v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 446 Mass. 657 (2003)
• Korper v. Weinstein, 57 Mass. App. Ct. 433 (2003)
• Lee v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 60 Mass. App. Ct. 836 (2004).

Charitable and Civic Participation

• Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
• Duxbury Youth Baseball (2006-Present) - Board Member
• Cub Scout Pack 62, Duxbury, MA (2003-2007) – Committee Member
• Boy Scout Pack 62, Duxbury, MA (2008- Current)– Assistant Scoutmaster
• American Legion, Post 223 (Duxbury, MA)