About Attorney Edward P. Ryan, Jr.

A former president of the Massachusetts Bar Association (2000-2001), Ed Ryan has significant jury and non-jury trial experience in both state and federal courts. He specializes in a diverse array of matters including criminal, civil personal injury, civil rights litigation, and divorce and estate matters. He has also served by court appointment as a discovery master and guardian ad litem, monitoring litigation for the court and reviewing accounts in estate matters.

Experience & Qualifications

Practicing privately since 1977, Edward P. Ryan, Jr. worked as an assistant district attorney in Worcester County for two years after graduating magna cum laude from Suffolk University Law School. He received his undergraduate degree from Wheeling Jesuit College in 1972.

Attorney Ryan has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including his successful defense of a homeless person against manslaughter charges stemming from the tragic Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire. Mr. Ryan’s handling of that case was cited by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly when it named him one of the Lawyers of the Year in 2000.

Prior to building his own law firm, attorney Ryan worked as labor counsel to the cities Fitchburg and Gardner. During this tenure he negotiated labor contracts on behalf of the municipalities as well as handling a wide variety of labor disputes as an advocate and hearing officer. More recently he has served as counsel to various unions. Mr. Ryan has represented both employees and corporate employers in various private sector labor matters.

Martindale-Hubbell, the nation’s premier attorney directory, has given Mr. Ryan a rating of AV, its highest rating for lawyers.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Ryan is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is on the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel list of attorneys approved for appointment in murder cases, and is also on the Federal Criminal Justice Act panel of attorneys qualified to accept appointment in federal criminal cases in Massachusetts.

• Criminal
• Civil Personal Injury
• Civil Rights Litigation
• Divorce
• Estate Matters

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1977
• U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts, 1978
• U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 1996
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2000

Education

• Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts: J.D. – 1976. Honors: Magna Cum Laude
• Wheeling Jesuit College: B.A – 1972

Classes/Seminars

• Legal Analyst and Commentator appearing on NECN, WBZ and other media outlets
• O’Reilly Factor
• Continuing Legal Educator for MBA, MCLE, MATA and other legal organizations

Honors and Awards

• American Jurisprudence Awards for Criminal Law, Administrative Law, Trusts, Constitutional Law
• Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Lawyer of the Year 2000
• Martindale – Hubbell,  AV Rated
• Register of Preeminent Lawyers
• MBA Gold Medal Award 2007
• Frank J. Murray Inn of Court, Lawyer of the Year 2014

Professional Associations and Memberships

In addition to serving as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the state’s largest bar group, Mr. Ryan has served as president of the Worcester County Bar Association, the Northern Worcester County Bar Association and the Bar Advocates of Worcester County, Inc. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

• Massachusetts Bar Association, Former President, 2000 – 2001
• Massachusetts Bar Association, President
• Worcester County Bar Association, President
• Northern Worcester County Bar Association, President
• Bar Advocates of Worcester County, Inc, President
• American Bar Association, Member
• American Association for Justice, Member
• Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Member
• National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, Member
• Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, Member
• Past Employment Positions
• Worcester County, Assistant District Attorney, 1973 – 1977
• Worcester County, Administrative Secretary and student Prosecutor, 1973 – 1977

Pro Bono Activities

• Past member of Board of Trustees, Fitchburg YMCA
• Past member of Board of Overseers, St. Bernard’s Catholic High School
• Pan-Mass Challenge, a 192 mile bike ride raising funds for Dana Farber, 30-year rider