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 more than two decades. The verdicts and settlements he has achieved for his clients have been featured in the American Bar Association Journal, the National Law Journal, and other publications. On six different occasions the governor of Pennsylvania has presented Mr. McHugh with pens used to sign legislation which he helped draft. The Pennsylvania Report has identified him as one of the 100 most influential people in state public affairs. In 2004, 2005 and again in 2006, Philadelphia Magazine identified Mr. McHugh as one of the top 10 “Super Lawyers” in Pennsylvania based on a statewide poll of fellow attorneys.
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 2003-2004 edition of Best Lawyers in America. His clients have included the victims of the Lockerbie air disaster and the I-95 police pursuit chase. He was co-counsel with Arthur Raynes in representing the estate of David Schultz, the Olympic wrestler murdered by John du Pont. Most recently, he won a major victory against the federal government for its failure to treat a veteran’s mental illness. Mr. McHugh has achieved seven-figure or higher recoveries for his clients more than 40 times over the course of his career.
Mr. McHugh is the co-author of Pennsylvania Torts: Law and Advocacy, a critically acclaimed legal text that is part of the Pennsylvania Practice series. His articles have appeared in the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, the Philadelphia Lawyer, the Barrister, and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly. He teaches at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and lectures widely including for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the State Conference of Trial Judges.
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 co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Equal Justice Fund, which delivers legal services to the indigent. 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.
To read more about Mr. McHugh, click here to link to his website: www.geraldmchugh.com.
- St. Joseph’s University—valedictorian,
summa cum laude, college scholar
- University of Pennsylvania Law School—with honors
- Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association—Board
Member; past Chair, Legislative Policy Committee
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association—President,
1998-1999
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers—Fellow
- American College of Trial Lawyers—Fellow
- Best Lawyers in America
- American Law Institute—Elected Member
- Governor’s Nominating Commission for Judicial Appointments—past
Member
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's Disciplinary Board—Past
Chair, Hearing Committee
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, IOLTA Board, Past Chair
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Committee of Mediation, Member
- Advisory Committee for Civil Rules, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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