Attorney James E. Riley, Jr. has been providing the highest caliber of skilled and personalized legal services to clients for over 35 years. He has represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country, consistently achieving exceptional results for clients in a broad range of legal matters.
While continuing our excellence as a boutique litigation firm, over the past decade Mr. Riley has increasingly focused on advising clients on real estate and commercial transactions, as well as wills, trusts, and other future planning.
Mr. Riley is of counsel to Canepa & Vidal, a Santa Fe, New Mexico law firm that represents numerous municipalities, as well as the State of New Mexico’s Risk Management Division. Canepa & Vidal was ranked a Best Law Firm by the 2020 US News & World Report. Mr. Riley has been a senior litigator at the firm for over two decades.
Mr. Riley has served as regional litigation counsel for several self-insured national corporations, including Coca Cola Enterprises, Inc., Rollins, Inc. and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), handling matters in both state and federal courts.
Mr. Riley is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (1999 – present) and has completed the Harvard Law School Mediation Training Program (October 2004). He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and recognized as a top rated Massachusetts attorney by Super Lawyers.
- Real Estate
- Wills and Estates
- Business Representation
- Personal Injury
- Insurance Defense
- Medical Malpractice
- COVID-19 Issues - business interruption, insurance matters, monetary loss
Attorney James E. Riley, Jr.
- MEDICAL MALPRACTICE (FTCA): Recovery against the Veteran’s Administration for failure to diagnose lung cancer, resulting in death of 67-year-old man. Settled for $1,000,000 by mediation.
- MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: Failure to diagnose and treat an acute neurological condition in the Emergency Room, resulting in partial paralysis. Settled for $4,000,000.
- MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: Failure to adequately monitor post-operative complications in a neurosurgery patient. Settled for $585,000.00.
- NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE: Abusive and negligent treatment of an 87-year-old nursing home resident. Settled for $250,000 by mediation.
- CIVIL RIGHTS: Police misconduct, sexual harassment of female motorist resulting in psychological injuries. Judgment in the amount of $1,600,000.
- FEDERAL TORT CLAIM (FTCA): Suit against United States involving a Santa Clara Pueblo tribal police officer in high speed car chase which resulted in death of an innocent motorist. Settled for $1,000,000.
Admission
- Massachusetts Bar - 1973
- U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts - 1973
- New Mexico Bar - 1973
- U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico - 1973
Education
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst - B.A., 1970
- Suffolk University Law School - J.D., 1973
- Harvard Law School, Mediation Workshop – October 2004
Community Involvement & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Massachusetts Trial Lawyers Association
- New Mexico Bar Association
- New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
35+ years of experience in complex civil litigation in state and federal courts
