Jeffrey Swope focuses his practice on representing colleges and universities. In addition to representing his clients in court and administrative actions, he advises them on a wide range of non-litigation matters, including student and faculty issues, internal investigations, federal and state regulatory matters, and government contracting.
In his insurance practice, Jeff emphasizes coverage, rate regulation, and lawyers’ professional liability issues. He also maintains a general civil litigation practice for a variety of other clients.
Jeff has served as a trial advisor and judge in trial-practice courses at the Harvard Law School, and as a trial-practice advisor and lecturer at legal education programs for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.
Representative Experience :
- Defense against a subpoena in the government’s Microsoft antitrust litigation for the research materials of a scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, resulting in the recognition of a privilege for such materials in the First Circuit.
- Reinstatement after appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court of a $40 million health insurance rate increase denied by the Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner.
- Negotiated settlement of a major wrongful-death claim by a student’s estate against a university.
- Design, and defense at trial and on appeal, of a municipality’s no-cost acquisition of the assets of a private water company valued in excess of $4 million through exercise of a purchase option in a nineteenth-century statutory franchise.
- Defense in jury trials of complex employee claims for pension rights and wrongful denials of promotion.
Professional Affiliations :
- Member, Boston Bar Association, and Former Chair, Colleges and Universities Group
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- President, Social Law Library
- Member, Greater Boston Legal Services,Inc.
- Member, National Association of College and University Attorneys
- Trustee and Treasurer of Ella Lyman Cabot Trust, a private foundation that makes grants to individuals
Education :
- J.D., magna cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1970
- B.A., magna cum laude, Harvard University, 1967
Admissions : Massachusetts, 1970
Admitted To Practice :
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Cost
Rate : $$$