McQuaid, Brendan A.

Whether in the courtroom, the legislature, or the offices of elected officials, Gerald A. McHugh, Jr. has worked relentlessly on behalf of his clients and the rights of injured persons for three decades.  Mr. McHugh has achieved seven-figure or higher recoveries for his clients more than 70 times over the course of his career.  His verdicts and settlements have been featured in the American Bar Association Journal, the National Law Journal, and other publications.  Every year since 2004, Philadelphia Magazine has identifed Mr. McHugh as one of the Top 10 "Super Lawyers" in Pennsylvania based on its statewide poll of fellow attorneys.  The Pennsylvania Report  routinely identifies him as one of the 100 most influential people in state public affairs.

Mr. McHugh focuses his practice on complex civil litigation, including medical malpractice, unsafe products, aviation disasters, civil rights, and workplace accidents.  His skill as a trial lawyer has resulted in selection as a fellow of both the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (limited to the top 500 trial attorneys in the world) and the American College of Trial Lawyers.  He is also included in the current edition of Best Lawyers in America.  His clients have included victims of the Lockerbie air disaster, the collapse of the Paris Air Terminal, and the widow of the Olympic wrestler slain by John duPont.

Mr. McHugh is a recognized authority on tort law.  On six different occasions the governor of Pennsylvania has presented Mr. McHugh with pens used to sign legislation which he helped draft.  He is the co-author of Pennsylvania Torts: Law and Advocacy, a critically acclaimed legal text that is part of the Pennsylvania Practice series.  He has set new precedents in the courts, including the right of a patient in a clinical trial to hold a hospital responsible for failing to inform of the risks.  He also established a precedent that state agencies can be held liable for damages for wrongful death.

Mr. McHugh has received numerous awards both for his professional achievements and his many charitable efforts, including the Fidelity Award of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award from the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, the Leadership Award from Pennsylvania Legal Services, the President's Award of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, the Rosenberg Memorial Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, the Equal Justice Award from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, the Young Lawyers Community Service Award of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Distinguished Child Advocate Award from the Support Center for Child Advocates.

Mr. McHugh was appointed three times by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to chair the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Program (IOTLA). He has been president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and is now President of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.  A co-founder of Hospitality House of Philadelphia, he has been active in anti-drug efforts and in working to establish the Firehouse Farmers Market, located in the West Philadelphia neighborhood where he has lived his entire life.