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For over 30 years, John has worked closely with injured victims and their families and knows the long-term and devastating consequences that auto accidents, railroad accidents, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful deaths can have. John also understands that catastrophic cases 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 litigation attorney who has won millions and 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 become quadriplegic after his accident. John’s other recent results include a $5,800,000 settlement for a traumatic brain injury victim and a $4,725,000 settlement for an auto accident victim who suffered vision impairment and multiple fractures.
John’s strong record has earned him numerous honors, including a Top Lawyer designation 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 in the practice of law. He is also rated 10 out of 10 (“Superb”) by Avvo and is ranked among the top 100 trial lawyers in Virginia. John served for a decade on the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors and served as Chair of the FELA Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice from 2011 to 2017. 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, his firm’s philanthropic and outreach initiative, John ensures that significant contributions are made to Hampton Roads charitable organizations each year. Recently, John directed the firm to donate $5,000 to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, which sponsored more than 12,500 meals for local residents. Currently, John serves as the Ohef Sholom Temple President.
- J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1988
- B.A., University of California at Berkeley, 1985 – graduated with Phi Beta Kappa Honors
- Elected in 2011, 2012 and 2013 to Chair the FELA Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice (the largest plaintiffs’ attorney organization in the United States)
- Listed among VA “Super Lawyers” for personal injury law 2010-2013, 2015-2023 (only 5% of lawyers get this listing)
- 2019-2023 Top Lawyer by Coastal Virginia Magazine and CoVaBIZ
- Elected in 2010 and re-elected again every year through 2014 as a District Governor from the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area to the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association’s Board of Governors
- Chosen in 2011 and every year since for “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in VA”
- AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® : attorney reputation assessment system, showing the highest level of skill and ethics
- Member since 2011 in the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Roundtable
- Ranked 10 of 10 (“Superb”) by AVVO, a national lawyer assessment service
- 2012 Clients’ Choice, Car Accident Lawyer, by AVVO
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 list, 2019 – 2021
- Selected as one of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” for 2019
- AAJ Leaders Forum | The American Association For Justice, Patron
- Recognized by Lawyers of Distinction for work in Personal Injury Law, 2021
- Virginia, 1988
- North Carolina, 2001
- West Virginia, 2002
- Virginia Beach Bar Association
- Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- American Association for Justice
- Brain Injury Association of Virginia
- Sovereign Immunity & Qualified Immunity, Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association’s 2023 Bench Bar Conference, April 19, 2023 – panelist
- 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
- Personal Injury Practice: How to Have a Successful Mediation, 2023, co-presenter
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
