John D. Aldock
Areas of Practice
John Aldock is the chair of Goodwin Procter’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Aldock’s nationwide practice focuses on commercial litigation and includes class actions, mass torts, insurance, securities, international, RICO, ERISA, commercial arbitration and business litigation.
Work for Clients
Representative clients for which Mr. Aldock has been lead counsel include CNA Insurance in various state and federal actions involving alleged bad faith and fraud claims and in contested bankruptcy proceedings; Arrowpoint Capital Corp. in connection with putative class actions involving alleged fraud and bad faith claims; Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. in an arbitration involving intellectual property compensation; Arthur Andersen LLP in class actions brought under the U.S. securities laws; Rockwell Automation in multiple toxic tort class actions at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and the Hanford Reservation in Washington State; Lafarge North America in several Louisiana class actions and numerous individual cases alleging damages arising from hurricane Katrina; and a major life insurance company in numerous state and federal class actions including MDL and national class actions brought under RICO, ERISA and state law. In addition, Mr. Aldock served as Special Counsel to the 20 U.S. and international corporate members of the Center for Claims Resolution from its inception in 1988 through 2000, including as lead trial counsel in negotiating and gaining U.S. District Court approval of a multibillion-dollar settlement of present and “future” asbestos claims (claims by individuals who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos but who have not yet manifested any disease from that exposure). See Georgine v. Amchem Products, 157 F.R.D. 246, rev’d...more » Representative clients for which Mr. Aldock has been lead counsel include CNA Insurance in various state and federal actions involving alleged bad faith and fraud claims and in contested bankruptcy proceedings; Arrowpoint Capital Corp. in connection with putative class actions involving alleged fraud and bad faith claims; Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. in an arbitration involving intellectual property compensation; Arthur Andersen LLP in class actions brought under the U.S. securities laws; Rockwell Automation in multiple toxic tort class actions at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and the Hanford Reservation in Washington State; Lafarge North America in several Louisiana class actions and numerous individual cases alleging damages arising from hurricane Katrina; and a major life insurance company in numerous state and federal class actions including MDL and national class actions brought under RICO, ERISA and state law. In addition, Mr. Aldock served as Special Counsel to the 20 U.S. and international corporate members of the Center for Claims Resolution from its inception in 1988 through 2000, including as lead trial counsel in negotiating and gaining U.S. District Court approval of a multibillion-dollar settlement of present and “future” asbestos claims (claims by individuals who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos but who have not yet manifested any disease from that exposure). See Georgine v. Amchem Products, 157 F.R.D. 246, rev’d 83 F.2d 610 (3d Circuit 1996), aff’d. Amchem v. Windsor, 521 U.S. 591 (1997). Mr. Aldock has represented major law firms in state and federal court litigation alleging professional malpractice and represented targeted lawyers before the state grievance committees, as well as major accounting firms in strategic advice and litigation matters. less »
Professional Activities
Mr. Aldock is chair of the Advisory Committee on Rules of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and a member of the Panel of Distinguished Neutrals (Washington, D.C.) of the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and the Council for Court Excellence, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Aldock is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In addition, he has been selected by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, and SuperLawyers as one of America’s leading business litigation lawyers for commercial and bet-the-company litigation.
Publications/Presentations
Mr. Aldock has made presentations at numerous conferences sponsored by the Judicial Conference of the United States, The Federal Judicial Center, the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, the American Bar Association, ALI-ABA, Defense Research Institute, and various law schools. His topics have included class actions, complex litigation, mass torts, toxic and hazardous substances, “future” personal injury claims, ethics in mass torts and litigation management.
Professional Experience
Mr. Aldock was the chairman of Shea & Gardner prior to its combination with Goodwin Procter in 2004. After receiving his law degree, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Luther W. Youngdahl of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Following his judicial clerkship, Mr. Aldock served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1968 to 1971.
Bar and Court Admissions
Mr. Aldock is a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Supreme Court Bars, the Judicial Conference and Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee for the District of Columbia Circuit and the American Law Institute.
Education
J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1967 (Law Review and cum laude)
B.S., Northwestern University, 1964
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