With new job, ex-AG Reilly goes back to trial roots
Former attorney general Thomas Reilly is leaving the international law firm Greenberg Traurig to join a smaller Boston-based boutique where he will return to his roots as a trial lawyer.
Reilly, 66, today will join the firm Cooley Manion Jones LLP, a 50-lawyer firm that specializes in litigation and represents victims of the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island.
“I’ve been a trial lawyer pretty much all of my career and I miss it,’’ said Reilly, whose work at Greenberg involved advising clients on government investigations, civil litigation, and business regulation. “I can’t be in court all the time, but I hope to be back trying cases and using the skills I acquired over all these years.’’
Reilly served eight years as Massachusetts attorney general, leaving the office in 2007. He joined Greenberg, one of the nation’s largest law firms, after an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006. He previously served as Middlesex district attorney.
Harry Manion, a founding partner of Cooley Manion Jones, said Reilly will retain his clients in government investigations but also focus on white collar investigations, personal injury cases, business litigation, and other matters. “I’ve known Tom for 30 years and he’s a perfect fit for us,’’ said Manion. “He has broad-based experience in every type of litigation we handle.’’
Cooley Manion Jones, founded in 1984, represented the family of Victoria Snelgrove, the Emerson College student killed by a pepper pellet shot by a Boston police officer in 2004 after the Red Sox won the pennant.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com. 