Multiple attorneys at Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney have recently received impressive peer-reviewed recognitions from Super Lawyers. Only 5% of the practicing lawyers in Rhode Island are named Super Lawyers in any single year. No more than 2.5% of the lawyers in each state obtain the designation of a Rising Star yearly.

2022 Super Lawyers

James A. Ruggieri (Personal Injury – Products, Insurance Coverage, General Litigation, Employment Litigation.)

Paul S. Callaghan (Construction Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Civil Litigation, Transportation, Maritime.)

Peter E. Garvey (Personal Injury – Defense, Professional Liability, Insurance Coverage, General Litigation, Business Litigation.)

Melissa M. Horne – (Business Litigation)

2022 Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars

Brian W. Haynes (General Litigation, Personal Injury – General, Insurance Coverage, Alternative Dispute Resolution.)

Meagan M. Bellamy (Personal Injury – Defense)

James A. Ruggieri of Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney served as co-counsel with Washington, D.C.- based Mayer Brown in defeating Rhode Island’s controversial practice of imposing highway tolls on tractor trailers.

In a 91-page opinion, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith for the District of Rhode Island held that the “RhodeWorks” tolling program violated the Commerce Clause of the U. S. Constitution and ruled that the State was permanently enjoined from further tolling under the law.

In 2015, Rhode Island instituted RhodeWorks, the first and only of its kind in the United States – to toll only large commercial trucks at various bridge locations along the State’s major corridors. The purpose of this plan was to fund the construction and repairs of bridges within the State.

Five tolls were located on the I-95 corridor, three on the I-295 beltway around Providence, one on I-195 to Southeastern Massachusetts, and three on U.S. Route 6 or Rhode Island Route 146.

Judge Smith observed that this plan had the obvious appeal of raising tens of millions of needed dollars from tractor trailers while leaving residents largely unaffected.

The trucking industry, represented by the American Trucking Associations, Inc., and two companies, M&M Transport Services, Inc. and Cumberland Farms, Inc., filed suit in 2018 to block the RhodeWorks tolls. Complex litigation ensued before the U.S. District Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

In May and June of 2022, Judge Smith conducted a twelve-day bench trial featuring numerous national experts in transportation economics and highway engineering.

Judge Smith held that RhodeWorks had failed to fairly apportion its tolls among bridge users – based on a fair approximation of their use of the bridges; was enacted with a discriminatory purpose; and was discriminatory in its effect. As such, “the statute’s tolling regime is unconstitutional under the dormant Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution,” he concluded.

Judge William Smith’s complete opinion can be found here.

Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney, LLP is pleased to announce that several attorneys from the firm were recently recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

First and foremost, James Ruggieri was named “Lawyer of the Year” in two separate categories: Product Liability Litigation – Defendants and Employment Law – Management. The “Lawyer of the Year” honor goes to the attorney who has received the highest overall peer feedback for his or her area of specialty; and only one attorney is recognized in each specialty and location each year.

In addition, Paul Callaghan, Stephen Cooney, and Gerald DeMaria, were also named in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© as well. The Best Lawyers in America® is very selective and only features the top 6% of private practicing attorneys in the United States. These prestigious recognitions represent noteworthy accomplishments as well.

In Rhode Island, Paul Callaghan was recognized for Litigation – Insurance. Stephen Cooney was named for defending Mass Tort Class Actions, Product Liability – Defendants, and Litigation – Insurance. Gerald DeMaria was also recognized for Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.

Finally, The Best Lawyers in America® also honors attorneys for their accomplishments and professional excellence early in their careers. The “One to Watch” selected from HCC was Adrianna Hughes.

James Ruggieri, Paul Callaghan, and Stephen Cooney are partners with the firm. Gerald DeMaria is Of Counsel. Adrianna Hughes joined Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney as a litigation attorney from another regional litigation firm in 2017.

The Best Lawyers in America® is considered one of the leading peer-reviewed resources for choosing the finest legal talent. The selection process begins when lawyers are nominated for consideration. Those individuals who receive high peer reviews undergo an additional validation process.

Only then can these attorneys be recognized by Best Lawyers. Recognition in The Best Lawyers in America® is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred upon lawyers by their peers.

Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney is pleased and privileged to be named in the Bar Register, the definitive guide to the most distinguished law firms in America.

The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers is an invaluable reference for lawyers and sophisticated purchasers of legal services looking for the leading practitioners in any given location or practice area.

Only those select law practices that have earned the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory are included.

For over 100 years, the Bar Register has been a unique reference to the legal community’s most eminent practitioners. The Bar Register’s listings are updated and verified each year.

Partners, former partners, lawyers, and staff at Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney recently gathered for a fun-filled social at a popular rooftop restaurant in downtown Providence. A wonderful time was had by one and all.

Gerald C. DeMaria has just received the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards from Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting confidential assessments from not only his peers in private practice but also from members of the judiciary familiar with his work.

This coveted 2022 AV-Rating from Martindale-Hubbell’s Judicial Edition represents the pinnacle of professional excellence as measured through a strenuous evaluative process managed and monitored by the world’s leading legal resource, Martindale-Hubbell.

As one of the legal industry’s oldest and most prestigious legal ranking organizations, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings sets the gold standard in attorney ratings.

In addition to this special honor, Mr. DeMaria has been recognized by other prominent associations and publications over multiple years, including The Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in personal injury defense and product liability defense.

He recently received that publication’s “Lawyer of the Year” designation for his outstanding professional accomplishments in product liability defense. In the latest edition of this seminal reference, he also achieved a similar honor in the field of premises liability. Only a single “Lawyer of the Year” designation is awarded in any given location and in any particular practice area.

Mr. DeMaria, a former partner with Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney, maintains an active practice at the firm as Of Counsel.

“Benchmark Litigation is a well-regarded legal directory whose rankings are important to decisionmakers in multiple industries,” said Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney Managing Partner James A. Ruggieri.

“We are delighted to be included among the best law firms in the state. Dispute resolution is a specialty that is critically important to our clients and transcends so many other practice areas as well,” he added.

The recent edition of Benchmark Litigation serves as one of the most definitive guides to America’s leading litigation law firms by focusing exclusively on litigation in the United States.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, Benchmark Litigation has grown dramatically and has garnered industry-wide attention as the definitive resource for in-depth analysis of the dynamic practice of litigation.

For the Rhode Island rankings, Benchmark Litigation concentrated primarily on the area of dispute resolution. Research was conducted through extensive interviews with litigators and their clients to identify leading law firms.

Recent casework handled by law firms was examined; peers within their jurisdiction or practice area were also questioned.

In his spare time, HCC administrator and financial officer Gerald M. Miele serves as an official for U.S. Figure Skating.

He recently returned from officiating the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which were held Jan. 3-9 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were the final competition before the nomination of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.

The event was widely covered on NBC and viewed in 250 countries and territories that carry the Olympic Channel, making the program the most widely distributed U.S. Figure Skating Championships since the competition began in 1914.

Gerald has a rich family history in the sport of ice skating. His mother, the late LeeAnn Miele, pioneered synchronized skating and served for many years as an official at national and international figure skating events.

Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney is pleased to announce that Attorney Alexander Prinscott has joined the firm. He previously served as in-house counsel to a leading international insurance company based in Massachusetts. In that role, he represented the company and its insureds in civil litigation matters involving claims for compensation arising from personal injury or property damage. He also advised adjusters and policyholders on insurance coverage issues.

Alexander began his legal career at a regional law firm, where he represented and counseled clients in matters concerning civil litigation. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law and the University of Rhode Island. At Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney, Alexander will focus on general liability and premises liability matters.

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® recently released their “Best Law Firms” selections for the state of Rhode Island.

Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney once again received Tier 1 law firm rankings for Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.

This marks the ninth consecutive year that the firm has achieved Tier 1 designations in these practice areas from U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers.

Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney was also recognized as a Tier I law firm in the area of Employment Law – Management in recognition of the firm’s record of success in defending the rights of employers. The firm was also acknowledged for its expertise in defending class action lawsuits in multidistrict litigation.

The rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer reviews from leading attorneys in their field, and a review of additional information provided by law firms.

Firms selected for the 2022 “Best Law Firms” designation are recognized for professional excellence because of consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered designation, especially a Tier 1 ranking, signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

“This distinction by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers highlights the depth of our experience and the extent of our legal talent at Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney. We would also like to believe that such recognition reflects our abiding commitment to client service and the highest quality of legal representation,” said Managing Partner James A. Ruggieri.

The 2022 rankings are based on the highest attorney and law firm participation on record. Best Lawyers rankings are published in leading local, regional, and national publications across the globe.