Richard W. "Rich" Paterniti

Richard W. Paterniti is a partner at Jones Kelleher. His practice involves the litigation and trial of personal injury cases with a focus on medical malpractice, premises liability, motor vehicle negligence and product liability cases. Rich has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts throughout the country and has worked on trial teams that have successfully obtained multi-million dollar resolutions for injured clients at trial, arbitration and mediation. His practice also has included employment and commercial litigation.

Rich has been recognized for his work by his peers and by national organizations. The Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice groups in which he is a partner have received the highest rankings of excellence by various organizations, including the U.S. News and World Report.

Rich has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the publication of Best Lawyers in America since 2015 in the category of Personal Injury Litigation. In addition, the Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory has awarded Rich an AV rating, the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards.

In 2013, 2015 and 2016, Rich was selected by his peers as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in Massachusetts, as published in the New England Super Lawyers publication and in Boston Magazine. Since 2011, as published in Boston Magazine, Rich has been selected as a "Super Lawyer," a rating given to the top 5% of practicing attorneys based on an extensive peer review and evaluation process. Prior to that, Rich was selected as a "Rising Star" (2009, 2010).

Rich is licensed to practice law in the federal and state courts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He is a graduate of Middlebury College (B.A., cum laude, 1993) and Boston College Law School (J.D., 1999) and has published several articles on various legal issues. He is a member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Rhode Island Association for Justice, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Rhode Island Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice.

Prior to 2014, Rich worked for more than 15 years at Cooley Manion Jones LLP representing clients in personal injury claims as well as employment and commerical disputes. He also spent more than five years representing clients at a national employment and labor law firm.

In addition to his legal work, Rich serves on the Board of Directors of Wide Horizons for Children, an organization dedicated to the well-being and security of vulnerable and orphaned children worldwide. Over the years, he has contributed his time and energy to other non-profit organizations in the Boston area.