John A. Shope

Partner - Boston

John Shope
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Complex commercial litigation, particularly consumer class action litigation, is the primary focus of John Shope’s dispute resolution practice, in which he defends national corporations such as American Honda, Dell, Fidelity Investments, L'Oréal, TimberTech, Wal-Mart and Enterprise Rent-A-Car both in New England and nationally.

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Education:

  • University of Chicago Law School, J.D., with honors, 1991
  • Amherst College, B.A., 1987
  • Leningrad State University, Certificate, 1986

Representative Experience

  • Obtained dismissals of three consumer class actions in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court based on arguments for change in governing law
  • Defeated class certification of suit against financial services company despite uniform disclosures
  • Defeated proposed multi-billion dollar pipeline subsidy in state regulatory proceedings
  • Successfully tried defense of a suit seeking to invalidate a power purchase agreement valued in excess of $40 million due to long term gas supply restructurings
  • Represented the State of New Hampshire in a constitutional challenge to the deregulation of the electric utility industry
  • Obtained $2 million arbitration award from the American Arbitration Association's International Centre for Dispute Resolution over mismanagement of a power plant in Guyana
  • Represented private equity fund in successful international arbitration over power plant in North Africa
  • Arbitrated successor gas indices in power purchase agreement
  • Represented power plant in challenge and successful settlement of pipeline repair cost allocation dispute at Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities
  • Represented a generation company in a constitutional challenge to taxation of hydroelectric generating units
  • Represented generators challenging proposed electric ratepayer-funded multi-billion dollar gas pipeline

Honors

  • Named by BOSTON MAGAZINE as a "New England Super Lawyer" (2009-2015) 
  • Named by BOSTON MAGAZINE as a "Massachusetts Super Lawyer" (2008) 
  • Named by BOSTON MAGAZINE as one of the “40 Bostonians to Watch” (June 2002) 
  • Named by the BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL as one of the forty outstanding business and community leaders under age forty in the greater Boston area (November 2001) 
  • BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER’S Community Service Award (August 2001)

Involvement

  • Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association and International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution
  • International Chamber of Commerce, New England Arbitration Subcommittee  
  • New England Legal Foundation, Board Member 
  • Frank J. Murray Inn of Court, Board Member and Past President
  • Steering Committee, Boston Bar Association Business and Commercial Litigation Section
  • Class Action Committee, Boston Bar Association, Member and Past Co-Chair
  • Bay Village Neighborhood Association, Board Member and Past President 
  • Community Music Center of Boston, Board Member  
  • University Club of Boston, Member 
  • Boston Planning and Development Authority Impact Advisory Group, Member
  • Webinar, Arbitration Clauses: Who, What, Where, Why, When & How? (November 2017) 
  • New England Legal Foundation, Massachusetts Class Action Outlook (April 2015)
  • Boston Bar Association, Challenges to Arbitration (November 2013)
  • George Mason University Law School Judicial Symposium, Arbitration (November 2013)
  • New England Legal Foundation, Key Supreme Court Business Cases (October 2013)
  • Law Seminars International, Aggregate Litigation After Class Actions (June 2013)
  • Class Actions and the Bankruptcy Code (Defense Research Institute, August 2002) 
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Bar Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Connecticut
  • New York

Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • U.S. Court of Appeals First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York