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John C. Dougherty

Member

[email protected]

+1.617.348.3024

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John is a trial lawyer with nearly 30 years of experience representing public and private companies in high-stakes litigation and disputes. He has a particular focus on commercial litigation and product safety matters and significant experience defending clients in shareholder or derivative cases and consumer class actions. His practice also encompasses appellate, regulatory, patent, and criminal matters as well as internal investigations, compliance counseling, and crisis management. John primarily represents clients in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and food & beverage industries.

John’s extensive experience with commercial and business matters includes litigating disputes involving mergers and acquisitions and a broad spectrum of business arrangements, including collaboration, licensing, development, supply and sourcing, and management agreements, in both federal and state courts and national and international arbitration forums. He also helps clients avoid or manage business risks and litigation, regularly counseling them on due diligence clauses, contract formation, and project management arrangements and advising them on best practices in alliance management.

On the product liability side of his practice, John serves as lead counsel, national coordinating counsel, and trial counsel in cases involving personal injury and related claims. His work in this area ranges from helping companies strategically manage national tort dockets to coordinating the national and international defense of multijurisdictional matters. He has also served as national resolution counsel, helping company leaders plan and implement settlements and other strategies to resolve mass actions and highly complex one-off cases.

When managing significant litigation, John is often called upon to lead large multidisciplinary client service teams, including “virtual firms” comprising multiple outside law firms. He works closely with clients to create effective outside counsel relationships, often using innovative methods to manage teams and budgets.

John is also a go-to advisor for sensitive matters, particularly those involving scientific, medical, and regulatory issues. He defends life science companies in shareholder and derivative class actions with claims related to clinical trial or product performance data and pharmaceutical and food companies facing allegations brought by consumers, state attorneys general, insurance companies, and other payors.

Prior to joining Mintz, John served as co-chair of the Life Sciences Practice and a member of the Executive Committee of a litigation and IP firm that serves the life sciences and technology sectors. Earlier, he was a partner and an associate at a multinational law firm.

In law school, John served as managing editor of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy.

viewpoints

Late last month the Supreme Court of the United States opened the door to a potential sea change in personal jurisdiction over corporate entities.  In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, the Court held that any corporation registered to do business in a state which requires out-of-state businesses to consent to general personal jurisdiction waives its right to assert a Due Process challenge to jurisdiction in that state. Thus, businesses registered to do business in such states can be sued there, even if none of the events underlying the lawsuit took place in that state.

 
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News & Press

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187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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Mintz is pleased to share 10 attorneys have been named by their clients as Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyers.”

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Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.

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Best Lawyers® recognized 108 firm attorneys in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, two Mintz attorneys – Poonam Patidar and Scott M. Stanton – received 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 28 firm attorneys were included in the inaugural edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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Law360 featured the arrival of leading trial lawyer John C. Dougherty as a Member in Mintz’s Litigation Practice in Boston. The article highlighted Mr. Dougherty’s life sciences industry focus, and included his commentary on what drew him to Mintz, citing the firm’s multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to client service and focus on growth.
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Recognition & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants (2013-2025)

  • Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation (2024-2025)

  • The Wall Street Journal, Best Lawyers in New York City (2018)

  • Who's Who Legal: Life Sciences (2016 – present)

  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers (2024)

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