Metcalf, J. Conard

James F. Meehan, a founding member of Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C., retired from active practice on December 31, 2000. His career spanned five decades, during which he honed his skills and built his reputation as an outstanding and versatile courtroom advocate, serving as senior partner at one of Boston's largest personal injury firms, before joining forces with several of his colleagues in 1985 to found a new firm. Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow is largely the product of Jim Meehan's vision. "I am convinced," he says, "that the best way to practice law is in a fairly small firm where talented people collaborate with each other and work as a team."Even after his departure, everyone at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow continues to strive to prove him right.

Meehan represented a wide spectrum of clients over the years and brought his skills to bear on many different types of cases, including civil rights, maritime, medical device and aviation matters, as well as general personal injury cases. One of Meehan's greatest successes was his representation of World Airways in a marathon case stemming from a 1982 Logan Airport accident in which a World Airways plane skidded on an icy runway and slid into the harbor. After two lengthy trials in the federal court, World Airways ultimately was awarded $65 million in damages from the Massachusetts Port Authority. This result was especially significant because it was the first time that the operator of a landing aircraft had succeeded in recovering from an airport facility because of negligently maintained conditions at the airport.

A recognized leader among the Massachusetts bar, Meehan has served as president of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and of the Massachusetts chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He has been admitted to fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (two highly selective honorary organizations) and has been chosen by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. By appointment of the Supreme Judicial Court, Meehan also served a term on the Massachusetts Judicial Conduct Commission. Meehan is known throughout the local legal community for his affable style. His outstanding career is proof positive that courtesy and collegiality are not at all incompatible with aggressive and effective advocacy, and these principles continue to define the practice of law at Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C.