Rodney E. Gould

Partner

617.228.4443

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A litigator with over 40 years of experience, Rod has conducted litigations in federal and state courts throughout the country.

He concentrates in transportation, travel and tour operator law, recreation law, commercial litigation, employer/employee relations including EEOC and state administrative issues, intellectual property, and general corporate counseling.

As a nationally recognized expert in transportation and travel law, he routinely counsels travel-related entities throughout the world, and has served as an expert witness in numerous cases.

Most recently, he co-authored a major treatise, Litigating International Torts in U.S. Courts, (West 2013-2023).

Rod is the author of many articles and regularly gives speeches to travel associations and other trade groups. He has taught various courses at several New England law schools and was selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Boston Magazine.

In recent years, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has featured Rod in numerous articles about his practice and his cases.

Accomplishments

Secured the pretrial dismissal of a federal lawsuit against the firm’s clients, a travel agent that scheduled a European vacation and the tour operator that organized the excursion.
Successfully argued and won a reversal on appeal of a trial justice’s order denying a camp operator’s petition to compel arbitration pending further discovery.
Successfully argued and won a reversal on appeal of a federal district court's dismissal of petition to compel arbitration in a case arising from the death of a participant in a hike up to Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
Secured the pretrial dismissal of a federal lawsuit against a tour operator that arranged an excursion to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, Peru. During the course of her visit, the plaintiff fell down several plateaus, suffering serious injuries.
Successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Florida that a parent not only had the authority to enter into a contract with a travel agency on behalf of her minor child but that the arbitration provision contained therein was taking valid and enforceable. The case involved the death of an eleven-year-old boy who took an African safari with his mother, and was killed by a hyena while there.
Obtained the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging negligence in the repair, maintenance and replacement of a bicycle when the plaintiff was injured during a bicycling tour.
Secured rulings allowing a lawsuit for damages against the Palestine Liberation Organization with regard to the seizure of the vessel, the Achille Lauro to go forward despite the PLO’s claims of sovereign immunity. A successful settlement of our client’s claims against the PLO ended twelve years of litigation for the Klinghoffer family as well as for our client.

Education

J.D., magna cum laude, Columbia University, 1968

Editor of the Law Review

James Kent Scholar

International Fellow

Crown-Zellerbach Foundation Fellow

Stone Scholar

Moot Court Honors

B.A., cum laude, Colby College, 1965

Phi Beta Kappa

London School of Economics

Admissions

Bar Admissions

New Hampshire

California

Pennsylvania

District of Columbia

Massachusetts

New York

Court Admissions

Numerous U.S. District Courts throughout the country

U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, D.C., and Federal Circuits

U.S. Supreme Court

Distinctions

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Massachusetts Super Lawyer

The American Lawyer/Corporate Counsel Top Rated Lawyer

The National Law Journal Top Rated Lawyer

Affiliations

Dean, Southern New England School of Law, 1988-91
Adjunct Professor of Law, Western New England College School of Law, Springfield, MA; (Subject: Contemporary Problems in Mergers and Acquisitions; 1982-85)
Adjunct Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA; (Subjects: Corporations, Securities Law; 1985-88)
Adjunct Professor of Law, Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA; (Subjects: Corporations, Securities Law; Antitrust; Mergers & Acquisitions) 2001; 1985-91

Community

Director, Mass. Audubon Society

Museum of Fine Arts – Visiting Committee (Contemporary Art) 2008-Present