Paul R. Sugarman

OF COUNSEL AND CO-FOUNDER

THE personal injury attorney in Massachusetts – with the distinguished career and unparalleled accomplishments to back it up.

31 St. James Ave.
10th Floor
Boston, MA 02116

Biography

Paul Sugarman, Of Counsel and Co-Founder, acts as a leader and mentor for the entire SUGARMAN team. He concentrates his practice in the areas of civil and appellate litigation. Widely recognized in the legal community for his outstanding achievements and distinguished service over an almost 70-year career, he is often called upon to serve as a mediator for parties seeking dispute resolution and is a prolific writer and frequent lecturer.

Paul is known for representing clients in some of the most complex and high-profile cases in Massachusetts, including the 1978 representation of the Chief Justice of the Superior Court in proceedings before the full bench of the Supreme Judicial Court.

Paul has held leadership and executive positions in major legal associations in Massachusetts. He was President of the Massachusetts Bar Association and has chaired or co-chaired many association committees, including the Committee on Court Reform. He served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, was President of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers and is presently serving as a member of the Board of Governors.

Paul’s record of public service is equally distinguished. After finishing law school, Paul served three years in the Judge Advocate General Corps United States Army, achieving the rank of Captain. Later in his career, he was named a Trustee of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and President of the Boston University School of Law Alumni Association. He was appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court to the Board of Bar Overseers for a four-year term and served as its Chair for three of those years. Also, in 1990 the Supreme Judicial Court appointed Paul as Special Master and Commissioner to investigate alleged improprieties in the Boston Municipal Court.

From 1990 to 1994, he served as Dean and Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School, rejoining SUGARMAN after his tenure there. He has numerous honors and awards, including an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Suffolk University, the Gold Medal Award from the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Civil Justice Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates. In 2023, Paul was inducted into the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame.

Paul has over 25 appellate decisions to his name, including some of the seminal personal injury law decisions in Massachusetts.

Education

  • J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1954 Cum Laude
  • A.A., Boston University, 1951

Bar Admission

  • Massachusetts, 1954
  • United States Court of Military Appeals, 1955
  • United States District Court, Massachusetts, 1958
  • Supreme Court of the United States, 1965

Affiliations

  • Boston Bar Association
  • Massachusetts Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Massachusetts Association of Trial Attorneys
  • American Bar Foundation
  • Massachusetts Bar Foundation
  • American Association for Justice
  • American Judicature Society
  • American Society of Law and Medicine
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Fellow, International Society of Barristers
  • Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Inductee, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame, 2023
  • “The Best Lawyers of America”, Personal Injury – Plaintiffs, 1997-2024
  • “Massachusetts Super Lawyers”, Law and Politics, 2004-2023
  • Boston Magazine 2023 Top Lawyer
  • J. Newton Esdaile Award, Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, 2002
  • American ORT Federation Jurisprudence Award, 1999
  • Civil Justice Award, American Board of Trial Advocates, 1993
  • Gold Medal Award, Massachusetts Bar Association, 1991
  • Silver Shingle Award, Boston University School of Law, 1989
  • Honorary L.L.D, Suffolk University, 1989
  • William O. Douglas First Amendment Freedom Award, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith, 1986
  • Who’s Who in American Law
  • Who’s Who in the World
  • Who’s Who in America
  • Associate Editor Boston University Law Review
  • Super Lawyers Feature Story
  • Rated by Super Lawyers 2023
  • Boston Magazine Top Lawyers 2023

How SUGARMAN Can Help You.

  • 1

    We will listen carefully to you.

  • 2

    We will advise you regarding your potential case and the relevant law.

  • 3

    We will investigate for you and bring legal proceedings if appropriate.

SUGARMAN lawyers know that the damage done to lives by injury can be profound, yet often difficult to quantify or describe. And those effects last a lifetime. Our personal injury lawyers have the experience and resources to make a powerful case by developing the evidence and using expert consultation and testimony in order to prove your claim at trial. Just as important, we represent the injured and their families with special regard for the social, mental and emotional issues they face.