Jon A. Halaby, Esq.
jonhalaby@halabylegal.com

Jon Halaby’s practice focuses on insurance law, tort and construction litigation. He also drafts trusts and estate plans and litigates probate disputes. Jon’s specialty as an insurance attorney involves the analysis and litigation of insurance bad faith claims, and the preparation of insurance coverage opinions. He is often called upon to advocate on behalf of insurance carriers and policyholders regarding claims handling and coverage questions. Jon’s general litigation practice specializes in personal injury, property loss, and business tort claims. He is also an experienced construction law attorney and frequently represents contractors and project owners in a variety of issues involving breach of contract and faulty workmanship. His estate planning practice includes the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documents, and in addition to preparing estate plans he is often called upon to resolve probate disputes such as will contests, and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Jon began his career with a prominent civil litigation firm located in Denver, Colorado, where he primarily spent his time representing the largest personal motor vehicle insurance carrier in North America. At this law firm, he also handled the defense of civil liability claims brought against the Denver police department and several city and county law enforcement agencies across the state. From there, Jon moved on to two other private law firms in the metropolitan Denver area, where he broadened his civil areas of practice to include general liability, plaintiff’s personal injury, construction and estate and probate litigation. He also continued to sharpen his insurance coverage and bad faith experience while litigating numerous cases in these areas.

In 2006, Jon moved his practice to Massachusetts whereupon he initially associated himself with an AV rated boutique law firm located at One International Place in Boston. He gained valuable experience litigating a variety of cases for the firm’s established clientele, while mastering the state and local rules of civil procedure specifically applicable to Massachusetts. In addition to handling cases in the Massachusetts Superior and District courts, he handled state appeals as well as matters filed in the federal system. In 2010, he joined Julie A. Halaby, Esq., to form Halaby Law Group. Jon’s practice at this partnership emphasizes the needs of insurance policyholders and carriers, business owners, and those injured by the tortious conduct of others, while further expanding on his estate and probate practice. Being a co-owner of a small two attorney firm, Jon can concentrate the focus of his energy solely on the needs of his clients, without the distractions associated with a larger organization.  

As an insurance specialist, Jon enjoys providing counseling services to his business and individual clients on issues involving insurance claims handling, and coverage determinations. In the area of insurance law, Jon is also a skilled author, having written several newsletters and an insurance coverage manual. He has contributed to several state bar association sponsored publications- including the Massachusetts Lawyers Journal- and a trade journal published by a national civil litigation group. Recently he has been commissioned by the Insurance Library of Boston to teach classes to industry professionals, providing instruction on insurance claims handling and extra-contractual liability issues.

Jon also provides representation to individuals and small to mid- sized businesses in a variety of legal specialties. These include automobile accidents, slip and fall injuries, construction accidents, fire and flood losses, and other instances involving alleged tortious conduct. Jon handles matters involving breach of contract of a commercial nature between companies, as well as individual consumer actions. His construction practice includes defect litigation, claims of faulty workmanship and nonpayment of contracted for service amounts. In the area of probate, Jon litigates cases involving lack of testamentary capacity, trust validity and undue influence.  Jon has handled several trials and arbitrations both in Massachusetts and Colorado, and has also mediated and successfully settled hundreds of disputes.

Professionally, he has served as a board member of the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, and now serves on the Insurance and Bad Faith Law Committee of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, which focuses on educating others in the practice of law with respect to insurance coverage and insurance bad faith issues. He is also associated with the Automobile Liability Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practices Section of the American Bar Association. Jon is a frequent lecturer on automobile injury claims for the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education foundation.   

Having served as an educator and resource to other attorneys within the Massachusetts and Colorado legal communities, Jon is accustomed to guiding others in their understanding of litigation strategy and resolution. Because of his advisory work in the area of insurance law, he is well-equipped to provide counsel and direction to his clients where coverage, claims handling and other decisions are involved.

Education

Case Western Reserve University School of Law, JD

Denison University, BA

Bar Admissions

Massachusetts state courts

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

First Circuit Court of Appeals

Colorado state courts

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

              

Julie A. Halaby, Esq. 
juliehalaby@halabylegal.com

Julie Halaby focuses her practice on addressing the legal needs of employers, business owners and individual professionals, providing ongoing counsel and support with employment and business-related matters.  Whether this involves preparing contracts, responding to events in the workplace, setting up an LLC or corporation, initiating or responding to a lawsuit, or other issues affecting day-to-day business operations, Julie is committed to helping her clients succeed.  Through her knowledge of the ever-changing employment and business related laws, exposure to a variety of industries, and her sensitive, solution-oriented approach, Julie is a valuable resource in the transactional context and where ongoing counsel is needed.

Julie began practicing law fifteen years ago in Massachusetts, defending discrimination and wrongful termination cases for employers, including an international company that ranks one of Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 places to work.  She then ventured west to Denver, Colorado where she continued in the law firm setting, litigating employment, contract, tort, construction, workers’ compensation and insurance coverage disputes on behalf of large corporations, construction contractors and insurance carriers.  In her transactional role, Julie negotiated and prepared employment-related agreements and commercial contracts, particularly in the construction context.  She monitored industry-specific legislation for clients and served as a lobbyist to the Colorado state legislature.  Julie also spent much of her time providing "general counsel" kinds of services, giving ongoing advice on a variety of legal matters that affect day-to-day business operations.  She assisted companies with litigation management and oversight of their local counsel in other states, and served as a trusted advisor to company executives, managers and insurance representatives. 

Julie returned to Massachusetts and in 2009, opened her own law practice in Cohasset, performing counseling and transactional work in the areas of employment, business and real estate law.  She and her husband Jon A. Halaby, Esq. formed Halaby Law Group in 2010 and now practice in downtown Hingham.

Julie enjoys acting in an “independent general counsel” capacity to companies who need ongoing support.  She assists management and human resources professionals with delicate personnel matters including hiring practices, employee counseling and discipline, termination/layoffs, compensation/wage and hour questions, workplace injuries, accommodation of disabilities, return to work/modified duty, and investigating and responding to charges of unlawful employment practices.  Julie helps employers prevent litigation by addressing these issues promptly, and by helping them maintain proper policies, documentation and training in these areas.  She prepares employee handbooks and manuals, safety training, independent contractor agreements/consulting agreements, confidentiality/trade secret agreements, non-competes, severance agreements and other employment-related materials. 

Beyond the employment arena, Julie assists new business owners with selecting the appropriate entity (LLC, corporation, etc.) based on their unique needs and concerns.  She then prepares and files all necessary documents including certificates with the Secretary of State, agreements among the business owners, and other documents needed for the business to be operating in compliance with Massachusetts law.  Julie also prepares various industry-specific contracts for her clients relating to commercial leasing, confidentiality / non-disclosure, indemnity and insurance obligations, and the purchase and sale of products and services.   

Julie also represents buyers and sellers in residential real estate transactions.  Whether she is preparing an Offer to Purchase, assisting the client with the home financing process, evaluating home inspection results, or negotiating the Purchase and Sale Agreement, Julie combines her knowledge of contract law, extensive counseling experience, and litigation and dispute resolution skills to be an effective advocate in this extremely important and personal transaction. 

Education

Case Western Reserve University School of Law, JD

University of New Hampshire, BA

Bar Admissions

Massachusetts state courts

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Colorado state courts

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado