Representative matters include:

• After an 11-day trial in Superior Court, successfully defended trustees against fiduciary claims and obtained an award of both executor and trustee compensation
• After a four-day trial, obtained an order removing a trustee from his fiduciary responsibilities
• After a nine-day arbitration, successfully defended a boat manufacturer against claims of fraud, defect and products liability arising out of the manufacture of three large passenger ferries
• Successfully prosecuted to settlement on the eve of trial claims on behalf of an international technology client arising out of a failed SAP global ERP implementation
• Granted summary judgment obtaining appraisal rights for minority shareholder clients in the Business Litigation Session, Suffolk County

• Ranked in Chambers USA, Litigation: General Commercial, Rhode Island
• Recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Health Care, Litigation – Insurance, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions and Litigation – Securities, Rhode Island, 2006-Present
• Named by Best Lawyers in America as a “Lawyer of the Year,” Litigation – Intellectual Property, Providence, 2019
• Recognized in Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, Providence, 2007-Present
• Named a “Top 100” trial lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association, 2012
• Named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation
• Named an “IP Star” by Managing Intellectual Property magazine

What Clients Say

“Robert Duffy has an excellent reputation in the market for his practice in complex business litigation, including IP matters and cases involving ERP software. He also frequently advises clients on product liability and fiduciary duty disputes. Market commentators describe him as “unflappable” and “nimble in court,” as well as highlighting his “complete grasp of facts and strategies.” (Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business)

“I consider Bob Duffy to be the best commercial litigator in Rhode Island. I’ve seen him go toe-to-toe with the biggest and most reputable firms in the country, and consistently outmaneuver and outperform them across the board. It’s not just his combination of toughness, experience and knowledge of the law and our business, but also the strategic thinking that makes him the right choice for our lead trial attorney in nearly any case.” (Client comment from Best Law Firms.)

“Bob Duffy is one the best businessmen I know, and he brings that perspective to his role as an attorney. He understands value and is relentlessly focused on delivering it. I trust Bob and his team to act in the best interest of my company, which is why I will use them again and again.” (Client comment from Best Lawyers.)

Professional & Community Involvement

• Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope, Board Member
• Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Co-Trustee and Finance Committee Member
• Rhode Island Bar Foundation

“Service Charge Added to Trustees’ Indemnification” was the title of the April 2018 article in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly — featuring Stacey Nakasian and Robert Duffy — that addressed a Court decision approving payment of interest by a trust on legal fees incurred by the trustees. More here.

Common Law Application of the Philosophy of Property: Where the Rubber Meets the Road (German-American Philosophical Colloquium 2012) See presentation here.

Advising Victims of Securities Fraud (Rhode Island Bar Association, May 2009)

The Law of the Internet in Rhode Island (National Business Institute 2001)

Internet Basics for the Rhode Island Attorney (National Business Institute 1999)

Education

• Suffolk University Law School, J.D., cum laude
• Providence College, B.A., cum laude

Bar Admissions

• Rhode Island
• Massachusetts

Court Admissions

• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
• U.S. District Court for the District Connecticut
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• U.S. Tax Court