Goodell DeVries is pleased to announce that Sean Gugerty and Joseph S. Johnston have been elected partners of the firm, effective January 1, 2022.
Sean Gugerty is a member of the firm’s Medical Malpractice and Appellate Law Practice Groups. His practice is focused primarily on defending health care providers and health care institutions in medical malpractice claims before the Health Care Alternative Dispute Office of Maryland, the Circuit Courts of Maryland, Maryland’s appellate courts, the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., and federal courts. Sean has successfully litigated high-exposure cases involving claims of alleged birth injury, catastrophic brain injury from NICU care, complications during and after surgery, and claims for failure to prevent COVID-19 infection. He has been honored as a Maryland Super Lawyer in the area of Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Defense and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants and Health Care Law. Sean also defends companies that manufacture and sell over-the-counter medications and was part of the briefing team that obtained dismissal of over 1,300 cases filed against generic manufacturer defendants in the Zantac MDL (MDL No. 2924).
Before joining the firm, Sean was the law clerk to the Honorable Joseph M. Getty, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. He also clerked for the Honorable Peter B. Krauser, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals (Ret.), and the Honorable Sherrie R. Bailey, Associate Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.
Sean is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland (B.A., summa cum laude, 2011) and the University of Maryland, School of Law (J.D., 2015), where he earned a concentration in health law. While in law school, Sean interned with the legal department of The Johns Hopkins Health System, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). He also served on the Journal of Health Law & Policy and the Maryland Law Moot Court Board.
Sean was recently named Chair of the Education Committee of Maryland-D.C. Society for Healthcare Risk Management (MD-DC SHRM).
Joe Johnston is a member of the firm’s Medical Malpractice Practice Group. Joe considers it an honor to represent nurses, physicians, and hospitals, including several of the world-class hospitals in the Baltimore and D.C. area, in defending against medical malpractice claims and guiding them through the litigation process. Over his career, Joe has litigated to successful resolution a variety of high-exposure medical malpractice claims, including claims of alleged birth injury, failure to prevent preterm birth, catastrophic brain injury arising from alleged medication errors, complications arising during and after surgery, and failure to diagnose or delay in diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as cancer, pulmonary embolism, and sepsis.
Joe has jury trial experience in defending against medical malpractice and dental malpractice claims in Maryland, experience arguing motions in Maryland Circuit Courts, and appellate court experience arguing appeals in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He also has extensive experience in participating in mediation, and experience with other forms of alternative dispute resolution such as binding arbitration. He has been honored as a Maryland Super Lawyer in the area of Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Defense and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants.
Joe holds degrees from the University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2007), where he was Editor in Chief of the University of Baltimore Law Review, and Franklin & Marshall College (B.A. 2002). After law school, he completed a judicial clerkship with the Honorable James R. Eyler at the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
About Goodell DeVries
Goodell DeVries is a regional law firm with a national presence. From product liability and mass torts to medical malpractice law, complex commercial litigation, insurance, toxic torts, and more, Goodell DeVries’s team of attorneys handles the most complex legal challenges for clients across the country. Our lawyers are ranked among the best in the nation by leading directories, including Chambers, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. To learn more, visit www.gdldlaw.com.
