BOSTON – Aug. 14, 2025 – A. John Pappalardo, a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Boston office, was selected as a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly 2025 Hall of Fame honoree. The Hall of Fame recognizes top Massachusetts lawyers who have been practicing for 30 or more years and who have made significant contributions to the development of the law and bar while improving the quality of justice in the Commonwealth. Pappalardo and fellow inductees will be honored at an annual awards ceremony at the Venezia Restaurant Boston Sept. 16.
Pappalardo is a founding member and former co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Boston office. During the course of his 50+ year career, Pappalardo has conducted many significant representations, tried landmark cases, and represented Fortune 500 companies in connection with their business dealings in Massachusetts and across five continents.
“John’s selection to the Hall of Fame is a testament to his extraordinary career, unwavering integrity, and lasting impact on the legal profession,” Boston office Co-Managing Shareholders David J. Dykeman and Terence P. McCourt said in a joint statement. “We congratulate John on this prestigious honor and thank him for his decades of remarkable service to the firm and the legal community.”
Pappalardo’s international practice focuses on federal white collar criminal defense, representing corporations and individuals in federal and international investigations. He has served as lead counsel in many high-profile cases, including representing former YUKOS Oil Company CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky in historic fraud and tax evasion trials in Moscow from 2003 through 2009.
Prior to entering private practice, Pappalardo served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, where he led successful prosecutions including cases against a U.S. Congressman, the head of New England organized crime, RICO cases against corrupt police officials, and international conspiracy involving U.S. residents and the Irish Republican Army. His nine-year tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office also included roles as chief of the Public Corruption Unit, chief of the Criminal Division, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Pappalardo is regularly recognized for his legal contributions by top publications, including Law360, Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Super Lawyers of Massachusetts, and New England Super Lawyers.