Law Firm Overview

For more than twenty-five years, GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC has worked to develop and maintain a strong foundation in business, contract, tort, domestic and insurance litigation throughout Massachusetts. Representing insurance companies, private businesses, and individual clients, our experienced trial attorneys offer over seventy years of collective litigation experience to ensure your case is handled correctly. Through our experience defending insurance-related and general business liability cases and pursuing bodily injury and wrongful death claims on behalf of our individual clients, we have developed a reputation for excellence in our litigation practice. We have handled thousands of cases through the years and have gained special recognition for our abilities on exceptionally difficult and complex cases. Although we are recognized as aggressive, formidable trial attorneys, we are also appreciated for being considerate, cooperative and respectful of others.

With an extensive liability defense background, the skilled attorneys at GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC have exposure to nearly every type of legal case its individual clients present. The considerable defense exposure allows GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC to understand the issues of a client ' s claim, evaluate the recoverable damages, and accurately assess the merits of the case. We have dealt with bodily injury, wrongful death, and other personal injury claims, and we know how they work.

GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC offers a wide variety of legal services to its individual clients, including claims arising from bodily injury due to an automobile accident or doctor ' s negligence to personal injuries such as a wrongful termination to wrongful death claims. We also handle family law matters, consumer protection issues, and landlord-tenant disputes.

PRACTICE AREAS

Insurance and Tort Litigation Our highly skilled trial attorneys have extensive trial experience in insurance and tort matters throughout Massachusetts. We aggressively litigate all types of insurance matters, including motor vehicle accidents, property and casualty matters, general commercial disputes, premises liability, product liability, professional liability and most other insurance and tort matters. Our experience with the insurance industry allows our attorneys the insight to appreciate the legal aspects of the case and to apply practical resolutions to the dispute. Our exceptional representation in insurance and tort matters has gained us a reputation for excelling in difficult, complex cases.

Business and Commercial Litigation Our tort litigation practice extends to liability issues for small and large businesses. Concentrating on self-insured businesses and claims in which insurance coverage may be unavailable, our attorneys provide quality representation. We have experience litigating contract disputes, director and officer liability claims, and employment disputes. Our experience representing companies in insurance-related issues makes GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC the preferred law firm for many businesses throughout Massachusetts.

Bodily Injuries and Wrongful Death With a background in tort litigation, we have litigated numerous bodily injury and wrongful death cases over the years. With the experience gained representing plaintiffs and defendants, we understand the framework of a bodily injury case and can anticipate developments before they occur. We represent individuals who have been injured or the family and heirs of persons who have been killed due to the negligence of others in such matters as motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, slips and falls, and injuries caused by the negligent design or manufacture of a product.

Construction Litigation Our construction litigation practice involves representing injured workers, construction contractors and construction subcontractors in cases that arise from job site injuries resulting in bodily injury or death and claims of defects in work or failure to perform or pay for contracted work. Included in this area of practice are contract disputes, breaches of contracts, indemnity and insurance agreements, and liens.

Premises Liability Litigation   Our premises liability litigation practice involves representing injured visitors, property owners and tenants in cases that arise from bodily injury or death on property allegedly due to defective conditions on the property. Included in this area of practice are lease disputes, breaches of lease provisions, and indemnity and insurance provisions in leases.

Products Liability Representing both consumers who have been harmed and manufacturers, retailers, and other distributors who have liability concerns, we ensure that you receive the best representation available. As part of the bodily injury and wrongful death practice, GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC assists injured individuals in bringing their claims for their injuries or death caused by the negligent design or manufacture of consumer products. We insure that injured consumers or the family and heirs of deceased consumers receive fair treatment under the law and seek full and fair compensation for injuries caused by defective products. For manufacturers, retailers, distributors and service companies, we pledge to aggressively defend safe products.

Employment Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Our law firm represents employers and workers in cases involving claims of denial of employment benefits or illegal discrimination due to a person ' s race, gender, age, religion, disability or sexual harassment and innuendo. For workers, we pledge to aggressively challenge any unlawful employment decisions that negatively impact their jobs. For employers, we pledge to aggressively defend any lawful employment decisions taken to protect their businesses.

Divorce and Family Law GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC handles a full range of family law matters. We help you through the difficult process of a divorce or separation, assisting you to get fair financial treatment and your custody issues resolved favorably. We also handle child support matters, help secure visitation rights, and advise on other matters, including adoption, premarital agreements, and paternity.

Consumer Protection GRIFFIN & GOULKA LLC handles Chapter 93A consumer protection cases involving unfair or deceptive trade practices. Representing both consumers who have been harmed and manufacturers, retailers, and other distributors who have liability concerns, we ensure that you receive the best representation available.

Landlord-Tenant Our attorneys represent landlords and tenants in disputes over commercial and residential leases. We aggressively litigate lease disputes, challenge or defend specific clauses or provisions of a lease, and handle eviction proceedings. As a further extension of our aggressive litigation practice, we represent plaintiffs and defendants in cases concerning injuries caused on the leased premises.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the process of resolving legal conflicts without going to trial. Our firm is in the forefront of this area, advising clients on arbitration, alternate dispute resolution, mediation, mini-trials, and private judging. Our attorneys are knowledgeable about and experienced in ADR. We counsel our clients about the availability of ADR procedures to enable our clients to make informed choices concerning dispute resolution. J. Kenneth Griffin and Joanne Goulka both facilitate dispute resolution in a variety of legal areas, including acting as mediators or arbitrators.

Areas of Practice

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Business & Commercial Law
• Divorce
• Employment Law -- Employer
• Family Law
• Insurance Defense
• Landlord/Tenant
• Personal Injury -- Defense
• Products Liability Law
• Sexual Harassment

Honors and Awards

• "AV" Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
• The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
• Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys

Representative Clients

• ACIC Insurance Company
• All America Insurance Company
• American Family Insurance Company
• American Laundry Machinery, Inc.
• Amica Insurance
• Belmont Country Club
• Broadway Electrical Contractors, Inc.
• Burger King Corporation
• CCX Construction Corp.
• Central Insurance Companies
• The Cheviot Corporation
• Columbia Construction Company
• Commercial Electrical Contractors, Inc.
• Constitution State Service Company
• COREGIS Insurance
• Cranshaw Construction Corp.
• Crawford & Company
• Crum & Forster Commercial Insurance
• Diebold, Inc.
• Douglas A. King Builders, Inc.
• Diocese of Worchester
• E & J Gallo Wineries
• E.K. Novelty Manufacturing
• FED Corp.
• Fine Hotels Corp.
• Florists Mutual Insurance Co.
• Gulf Chemical Corp.
• The Hartford Insurance Companies
• Haverhill Golf And Country Club
• Healthcare Recoveries, Inc.
• Heritage Mutual Insurance Company
• Hilton Hotels Corporation
• Housing Systems, Inc.
• J.L. Marshall & Sons, Inc.
• Macauley & Sons Concrete, Inc.
• Manganaro Corporation
• Mario Susi & Sons, Inc.
• Metro Environmental Construction Company
• MGM Grand Hotel
• The Middlesex Corporation
• Mt. Hawley Insurance Company
• MRP Site Development
• North River Insurance Company
• Northeast Distributors, Inc.
• OneBeacon Insurance Group
• Pavao Construction Company, Inc.
• Percussion Software
• Principal Life Insurance Company
• RLI Insurance
• Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company
• St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company
• St. Paul Travelers Insurance Company
• The Salem Country Club, Inc.
• Save-On-Wall Company
• Sears Roebuck and Company
• Standard Parking Systems, Inc.
• Sun Oil Company
• Todesca Equipment Company
• Travi Construction Corp.
• United Fire Group
• United States Fire Insurance Company
• Veterans Transportation Services, Inc.
• Wayne Dalton Corporation

West Practice Categories

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business & Commercial Law, Age Discrimination, Disability & Illness Discrimination, Gay & Lesbian Rights, National Origin Discrimination, Race Discrimination, Religious Discrimination, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Employment Law -- Employer, Family Law, Insurance Defense, Insurance Law, Complex Litigation, Federal Trial Practice, Multidistrict Litigation, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Personal Injury -- Defense, Products Liability Law, Legal Malpractice, Other Professionals Malpractice, Landlord/Tenant