Peter G. Hermes

Full Profile

Peter Hermes has over fifty years of experience as a trial and appellate attorney in state and federal courts, with more than fifty reported decisions to his name. His broad trial practice includes litigation of complex construction matters, corporate disputes, intellectual property rights, patent licensing agreements, defamation claims and environmental tort cases. Peter is recognized for his practice at the cutting edge of developments in insurance coverage and surety law, having spoken and written on those topics.

Peter represents clients in insurance matters across all aspects of negotiating and interpreting insurance coverage and handling bad faith claims. Clients benefit from his considerable attention and focus on risk management matters, and he is skilled at identifying alternative strategies and courses of action in order to resolve controversies and disputes without litigation. Peter also represents businesses, senior executives and high net-worth individuals in various industries in connection with non-litigation matters. Intimately familiar with the many ways in which an oversight in a complex transaction can lead to years of litigation, Peter uses his knowledge and experience from his trial practice to assist  clients in contract negotiations, financial transactions and other business matters.

Admissions

• Massachusetts
• US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Education

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 1972
• B.A., Manhattan College, 1969

Memberships

• American Bar Association
  • Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
• Boston Bar Foundation 

Experience

• Representation of contractor in connection with resolution of claims arising from condominium collapse
• Successful representation of contractor in connection with resolution of condominium warranty claims
• Successful appeal reversing trial court decision of first impression interpreting policy Supplementary Payment provisions
• Successful defense of Owner of baseball team from claims of Stadium developer and contractor
• Successful application of doctrine of judicial estoppel to claim of breach of duty during trial by tort defendant against her counsel and insurer.
• Successful defense of insurer on claim for coverage alleging multiple accidents.
• Represented insurer against claim of injury to tenant’s patient in common area held to arise out of premises rented to tenant.
• Successful representation of property owner in obtaining additional insured coverage in a commercial case potentially affecting thousands of Massachusetts leases.
• Successful reformation of insurance policy based on mutual mistake.