Hon. Paul E. Troy (Ret.), has been a full-time Mediator, Arbitrator and Neutral Case Evaluator at JAMS since 2014, after serving for over 12 years as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court. 

Before being appointed to the Superior Court, Judge Troy spent 30 years as an attorney in both public and private practice, serving as an Assistant District Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil and Criminal Divisions, Partner and Chair of the Litigation Department at Sherburne, Powers and Needham, P.C., and Partner at Holland and Knight, LLP, after the two firms merged.

Prior to attending law school, Judge Troy served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army in Vietnam (awarded the Silver and Purple Heart).  He taught Civil Trial Practice for eight years as an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University School of Law and was a member of the Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. For over 25 years, Judge Troy was the co-editor and a co-author of the popular MCLE publication A Practical Guide to Introducing Evidence: Basic Foundations and Objections. Judge Troy has also served as an instructor at the MCLE Civil Mediation Workshop, which is designed to train new mediators. He was the Workshop’s Chair in 2017 and 2018. He is a member of the MBA Dispute Resolution Section, and is a past president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. 

In addition to his experience as a trial attorney, and presiding over hundreds of trials, motions and settlement conferences while on the Superior Court, since joining JAMS in 2014 Judge Troy has had extensive further experience resolving complex disputes in mediation and arbitration.   A sampling of the claims he has mediated and/or arbitrated at JAMS include:  

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Corporate partnership and shareholder disputes, Including M.G.L. c.93A demands, claims of freeze-out, excess compensation, fraud, conspiracy, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty,  theft of company information, intellectual property, unfair competition, buyouts and subrogation.
• Construction
• claims involving land developers, builders, trustees, and homeowners, including construction and engineering defects, breach of contract, fraud, negligence, home remodeling damages, and other construction-related disputes.
• Employment Law
• alleging discrimination involving race, age and handicap, and wrongful termination, sexual harassment, retaliation, non-compete breaches, and Wage Act violations.
• Personal Injury
• Claims of bodily injury and other damages arising from automobile accidents, premises negligence, dog bites, defamation, and defects in commercial and personal products.
• Professional Liability
• Claims against attorneys alleging legal malpractice in trial representation, estate planning, bankruptcy proceedings, and conflict of interest; claims against physicians, architects, accountants, and engineers.
• Real Property
• Claims alleging breach of contract, trespass, eminent domain, construction damage, conservation land violation, overburdening an easement, and nuisance.

Memberships, Professional Activities and Honors

• Member, MBA Dispute Resolution Section
• Member and Chair, Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (2009-2014)
• Adjunct Professor, Civil Trial Practice, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, 2007-2014
• President, Federal Bar Association, MA Chapter, 1996-1997. Also served as Vice-President, President-Elect, National Delegate, and Executive Board Member, 1994-2000
• Served as the co-editor and a co-author of A Practical Guide to Introducing Evidence:  Basic Foundations and Objections, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc., 4th Ed., 2nd Supplement, 2017

Background and Education

• Associate Justice, Massachusetts Superior Court, 2002-2014
• Presided over full range of civil and criminal jury trials
• Member of Superior Court committees, including Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legal Education, New Justice Training and Mentoring
• Trial Lawyer
• Partner, Holland & Knight, LLP, Boston, 1998-2001
• Partner, Sherburne, Powers & Needham, P.C., Boston 1982-1998, prior to its merger into Holland & Knight, LLP in 1998
• Chairman, Litigation Department, Sherburne, Powers & Needham, P.C., 1994-1998
• Trial Practice focused on representing corporations, corporate officers and individuals in civil litigation matters, including derivative actions, professional liability, eminent domain, copyright infringement, product liability, medical malpractice, and personal injury claims. Also represented businesses and individuals in banking, construction, tax, and other regulatory and white collar criminal investigations.
• Represented both plaintiffs and defendants in jury trials throughout the Commonwealth. Briefed and argued cases before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
• United States Attorney’s Office, Boston, 1974-1982
• Assistant United States Attorney, 1974-1982
• Civil Division, 1979-1982; Criminal Division, 1974-1979
• Appellate Practice: Briefed and argued 24 cases before the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• Honors:
• Director's Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney presented by Attorney General William French Smith in Washington, D.C.
• Many commendations for trial work, including a personal commendation from The Honorable William H. Webster, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County, MA, 1972-1974
• J.D., Suffolk University Law School, Boston, 1972 after return from Vietnam
• B.A., Philosophy, St. John’s Seminary, Boston, 1965
• Lieutenant, United States Army, 1966-1968; served in the Republic of Vietnam, 1967-1968
• Awarded Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star for Actions in Vietnam