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For over 35 years, John has worked closely with injured victims and their families and knows the long-term and devastating consequences that auto accidents, railroad accidents, and truck wrecks can have. John also understands that catastrophic cases, like wrongful deaths, are complex and require extensive time, skill, and resources to properly litigate in court. This knowledge and experience has helped him to become a highly effective, results-oriented accident litigation attorney who has won many millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients.
In 2020, John and his team obtained the largest reported recovery in Virginia that year, $6,500,000, for a single car accident plaintiff who was left a quadriplegic by the car crash. John’s other recent results include a $5,800,000 settlement for a traumatic brain injury victim and a $4,725,000 settlement for a child passenger who suffered vision impairment and multiple fractures in a car crash.
John’s strong record as an attorney has earned him numerous honors, including as a Top Lawyer by Coastal Virginia Magazine, a VA “Super Lawyer” designation (awarded to only 5% of lawyers in Virginia), and an AV Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating given, for his reputation as highly ethical and pre-eminently qualified in the practice of law. John has been recognized by his peers on a national basis as among U.S. News Best Lawyers for both Plaintiff’s Personal Injury and Railroad Law. Virginia Lawyers Weekly named him a leader in the law and as a Hall of Fame inductee. John served for a decade on the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors and served as Chair of the FELA Litigation Group and the Railroad Law Section of the American Association for Justice. John regularly teaches about personal injury law for attorney groups like the Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association and the Virginia Beach Bar Association.
In addition to his professional service, John is also extremely active in Hampton Roads civic, non-profit, and religious communities. Through Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers Cares, the firm’s philanthropic and outreach initiative, John ensures that significant contributions are made to Hampton Roads charitable organizations each year. CHIL Cares donates yearly to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, and the Legal Aid Society of Eastern VA. John has served as the President of his Jewish congregation, Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk, VA.
- J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1988
- B.A., University of California at Berkeley, 1985 – graduated with Phi Beta Kappa Honors
- Virginia, 1988
- North Carolina, 2001
- West Virginia, 2002
- Virginia Beach Bar Association
- Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association
- Association of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA)
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA)
- American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- Brain Injury Association of Virginia
- Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Permanent Member
- Sovereign Immunity & Qualified Immunity, Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association’s 2023 Bench Bar Conference, April 19, 2023 – panelist
- Personal Injury Practice: How to Have a Successful Mediation, 2023, co-presenter
- Working with a Ton of Information in Your Virginia Injury Practice, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Advanced Auto Retreat, July 29, 2022 – co-authored paper
- Doctor Depositions and Cross-Examination, National Business Institute, August 4, 2021 – presented and co-authored paper
- Traumatic Brain Injuries Made Simple, National Business Institute, August 4, 2021 – presented and co-authored paper
Accidents, Automobile Accidents, Automobile Negligence, Bicycle Accidents, Boating Accidents, Bodily Injury, Brain Injury, Bus Accidents, Catastrophic Injury, Construction Accidents, Dog Bites, Head Injury, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Pedestrian Injuries, School Bus Accidents, Severe Burns, Slip and Fall, Spinal Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Truck Accidents, Car Crash, Whiplash, Premises Liability, Hit and Run, Railroad Electrocution
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
