Hon. Laurence D Pierce (Ret.) joined JAMS after serving as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court for over nine years. During his service on the Superior Court, Judge Pierce sat predominantly in Middlesex County where, for over seven years, he was a regional administrative justice and chair of the Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Prior to his tenure on the Superior Court, Judge Pierce served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts District Court for five years. During that time, he also served as an associate justice of the Appellate Division for the Northern District and as a regional administrative justice.

Judge Pierce presided over and resolved many cases through pretrial rulings, settlement conferences, and bench and jury trials during his judicial career. He spearheaded the Superior Court’s alternative dispute resolution efforts, conducting education programs and establishing alternative dispute resolution programs at various courts statewide. He is adept at handling a myriad of matters across the legal spectrum and especially enjoys handling challenging and multifaceted matters in multiple practice areas, including business and commercial, employment, personal injury and tort, construction, insurance and professional malpractice.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Pierce was a litigation partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston, which he joined as an associate in 1988. There he was a member of the Major Commercial Litigation and Government Enforcement and Compliance practice groups and co-chair of the Professional Development Committee. His practice involved civil litigation and criminal defense.

At Choate, Hall & Stewart, Judge Pierce also served as chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and played an instrumental role in forging the firm’s partnership with Family Services of Greater Boston, an organization that assisted children and families and supported programs designed to meet the needs of the city’s residents in dealing with the effects of poverty, discrimination and violence. While at Choate, Hall & Stewart, he also served as special counsel for the Supreme Judicial Court’s Committee on Professional Responsibility for Clerks of Court.

Judge Pierce is a member of the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of California.

Judge Pierce’s reputation as a highly respected jurist is well established. Judicial colleagues and practitioners have consistently praised his extraordinary work ethic, exemplary judicial temperament and “unwavering commitment to the people he has served throughout his career.” Indeed, he has been lauded "not only for his first-rate legal skills, but for his compassion, judgment and humanity."

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Experienced jurist who served as chair of the Massachusetts Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee from 2016 through 2023
• Former private practitioner with experience representing clients in civil and criminal litigation, and at alternative dispute resolution proceedings
• Faculty member at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) certification programs for case conciliators, training attorneys in dispute resolution procedures
• Conducted training for judges regarding judicial settlement conferences as a tool for caseload management, including consideration of the related legal and ethical issues

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• As a judge, presided over litigation where a real estate developer alleged that a construction lender failed to provide funding for the second phase of a development project. The lender countered that the real estate developer failed to complete the first phase of the project by the date specified in the loan agreement and failed to obtain an appraisal that was a condition of phase two funding
• As a judge, presided over litigation where a general contractor sued for breach of contract and quantum meruit for goods and services provided to a telecommunications systems installer; the plaintiff alleged that it performed work at the home of the telecom’s president in exchange for the promise of work as the telecom’s subcontractor on public utility projects; the defendant counterclaimed that there were significant construction defects at multiple worksites and that the general contractor submitted duplicate and often misleading, inflated and fraudulent invoices
• As a judge, presided over litigation where a general contractor alleged that a developer failed to pay construction costs, as the parties had agreed; The developer countered that there were defects in the work performed by the general contractor and that part of what it constructed was within a utility easement, which resulted in financial losses to the developer
• As a private practitioner, handled civil litigation between joint venture partners involving ownership of a major media company
• Education Law
• As a private practitioner, handled disputes related to school law; clients included educational institutions, faculty and students
• Employment Law
• As a judge, presided over litigation involving employment disputes, including wrongful termination, noncompete and whistleblower allegations
• Insurance
• As a private practitioner, represented parties at an insurance arbitration involving claims of breach of contract, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty relating to claims handling practices
• Life Sciences
• As a judge, presided over matter where a pharmaceutical company entered into an agreement with a biomedical consulting firm to provide services related to the development of a medical device, and related regulatory compliance; the pharmaceutical company paid the consulting firm several million dollars for work performed; the medical device never came to the market; the consulting firm initiated litigation alleging that the pharmaceutical company failed to pay invoices for services rendered; the pharmaceutical company countered that the services provided by the consultant were not worth the amount paid and that the consultant fraudulently misrepresented the viability of the project
• As a private practitioner, represented a party at an arbitration involving breach of contract claims between pharmaceutical companies regarding a failed joint venture for the development of diagnostic products
• Personal Injury
• As a judge, presided over litigation where plaintiff alleged that he was stopped in an intersection at a red light with his left blinker flashing; a vehicle coming from the opposite direction stopped and waved at the plaintiff to make the left turn; as the plaintiff was completing the turn, the defendant allegedly drove around the vehicle that had waved, causing an accident and significant personal injury; the defendant argued that he proceeded through a green light at the intersection and that it was the plaintiff who was negligent
• As a judge, presided over litigation where plaintiff, a customer, alleged that a grocery store failed to clean the floor after a spill, causing the plaintiff to slip and fall and sustain a serious injury; the grocery store asserted that it was not negligent, that plaintiff was aware of the spill that the floor was cleaned, that a warning sign was placed in the area and that the plaintiff exaggerated the nature and extent of the injuries
• As a judge, presided over litigation where the plaintiff alleged that melting snow dripping from defendant’s roof resulted in unsafe conditions on the walkway below, causing the plaintiff to fall and sustain serious injuries; the defendant countered that it regularly shoveled and sanded the walkways, but that this incident occurred during a snowstorm, so there was no opportunity to clear the area
• As a private practitioner, represented a party in civil litigation arising out of a fire and explosion at a manufacturing facility in Massachusetts
• Professional Liability
• As a judge, presided over litigation where plaintiff’s estate alleged that medical personnel failed to recognize and treat symptoms of a life-threatening cardiac condition; the defendants argued that plaintiff’s symptoms were not indicative of the condition that caused the plaintiff’s death and that plaintiff’s care was appropriate and consistent with the applicable standard of care
• As a judge, presided over litigation where the plaintiff’s estate engaged the services of a financial services firm and then sued, alleging that the firm was negligent in providing investment and tax planning services; the financial services firm asserted that it never expressed proficiency in the areas of the alleged deficiencies and that the agreement between the parties did not include those services
• As a judge, presided over litigation where plaintiff, after giving birth by cesarean section, experienced acute vaginal hemorrhaging, which required emergency care and ultimately a hysterectomy; the plaintiff alleged that the defendants failed to consult practitioners with more knowledge and experience treating postpartum hemorrhaging and that the hysterectomy was performed unnecessarily; defendants countered it was likely that the plaintiff sustained an injury to the cervical branch of her uterine artery at the time of delivery, that their primary concern was the life of the patient and that the care provided was consistent with the accepted standard of care
• Real Property
• As a judge, presided over litigation where plaintiffs alleged that a municipality installed sewer lines across their farm property without authorization, thereby interfering with plaintiffs’ plans to develop the property; the municipality, which alleged that the lines were installed pursuant to an easement agreement, instituted a taking by eminent domain, paying plaintiffs a sum that the municipality considered just compensation; plaintiffs sought to prove that the compensation amount was not reasonable and that they were entitled to use and occupancy compensation
• As a judge, presided over litigation where property owners sought to enjoin a mortgage holder from foreclosing on property they owned and occupied; the plaintiffs alleged that as of the date of the foreclosure notice, the mortgage holder did not hold the mortgage pursuant to a valid chain of custody; the mortgage holder claimed that it held the mortgage through a chain of assignments linking it to the record holder of the mortgage and, as such, possessed the legal authority to foreclose
• As a judge, presided over litigation where a municipality sought to enjoin the keeping of unlicensed farm animals on a parcel of land adjacent to defendant’s home; the defendant alleged that it obtained an easement from the owner of the adjacent property that allowed the keeping of animals on the land; the municipality denied that any such easement had been granted and that health regulations enacted after the alleged easement required a permit; the defendant countered that because the animals had been on the property for an extended period, the defendant was not subject to the permit requirement

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships & Affiliations 

• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association, 1997–2024
• Member, Boston Bar Association, 1997–2024
• Member, American Bar Association, 1997–2009
• Member, Massachusetts Judges Conference, 2008–2024
• Member, New England Minority Supplier Development Council, 2005–2008
• Member, Cambridge Planning Board, 2007–2008
• Director, Friends of Cambridge Athletics, 2001–2006
• Director, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 1998–2003
• President, North Cambridge Little Baseball League, 1997–2000
• President, Cambridge Youth Hockey, 1998–2000
• Commissioner and Vice-Chair, Cambridge Human Rights Commission, 1989–1994
  
  

Selected Awards and Honors 

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State Senate, Official Citation in recognition of sixteen years of service as a judge, 2024
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Governor’s Citation in recognition of sixteen years of service as a judge, 2024
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts, House of Representatives in recognition of Distinguished and Honorable Service while serving as judge on the Massachusetts Trial Court, 2024
• City of Cambridge, Massachusetts resolution in recognition of unwavering commitment to the citizens he has served, 2024
  
  

Selected Presentations, Speaking Engagements & Articles

• Co-Author, “Resolving Case via Judicial Settlement Conferences,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, June 14, 2021
• Boston Bar Association bench/bar discussion involving COVID issues, 2022
• Workshop, Court-Certified Conciliation Training, MCLE, 2015–2017, 2019, 2022
• Contributor, Report of the Boston Bar Association, Task Force on the Vanishing Jury Trial: Jury Trial Trends in Massachusetts, 2006
• Judicial training presentations involving contempt, conviction integrity and domestic violence, 2020–2024
• Judicial Leadership Conference presentations involving managing judicial stress and leadership strategies, 2019–2021
  
  

Professional Activity

• Member, Advisory Committee, Massachusetts Trial Court Judge to Judge (J2J) Mentoring Program, 2018–2024
  • A professional development resource, the J2J program has become a model for trial courts across the country. Judge Pierce planned trainings for new and more experienced mentor judges and was a frequent lecturer at such programs.
• Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL), 2015–2023
  • Judge Pierce participated in this program, which offers alternative probationary conditions for convicted offenders. In exchange for attending weekly classes conducted by a judge, professor and probation officer, and completing reading and writing assignments, a probationer receives a reduction in their probationary term.
    
    

Selected Media References

• “Exclusive Look at How Massachusetts Courts Are Readying for Return of Jury Trials,” WCBV5, Dec. 8, 2020
• “Governor Patrick Announces Three Trial Court Nominations,” Press Release, The Official Website of the Governor of Massachusetts, Jan. 15, 2014

Background and Education

Background and Education 

• Associate Judge, Massachusetts Superior Court, Dec. 2014 – Sept. 2024
  • Regional Administrative Judge (Criminal), Massachusetts Superior Court, Middlesex County, Aug. 2016 – Mar. 2024
    • Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, 2016–2023
    • Chair, Probation Committee, 2019–2023
• Associate Justice, Massachusetts District Court, Jan. 2008 – Dec. 2014
  • Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Northern District, March 2011 – Dec. 2014
  • Regional Administrative Judge, Massachusetts District Court Department, March 2013 – Dec. 2014
• Choate Hall & Stewart, 1988–2008
  • Partner, June 2000 – Dec. 2008
    • Member, Major Commercial Litigation and Government Enforcement and Compliance Practice Groups
    • Chair, Pro Bono Committee
    • Co-Chair, Professional Development Committee
  • Of Counsel, Nov. 1994 – May 2000
    • Special Counsel, Supreme Judicial Court’s Committee on Professional Responsibility for Clerks of Court, 1998–1999
  • Associate, April 1988 – Oct. 1994
• Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County Massachusetts, 1983–1988
• Judicial Law Clerk, District of Columbia, Court of Appeals, 1981–1982
• J.D., Antioch School of Law, 1981
  • Editor, Antioch Law Journal
• B.A., cum laude, Harvard College, 1976
  
  

Bar Admissions

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• State of California
• United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
• United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• United States District Court for the District of California