About John
A noted and highly awarded litigator who has successfully argued high-stakes, precedent-setting cases across the country, John Tarantino represents international manufacturers, major chemical companies, railroads, e-commerce businesses, entrepreneurs, sports coaches and managers, and leading real estate developers in sophisticated litigation matters involving complex issues of constitutional law, antitrust, intellectual property, product liability, toxic tort, white-collar crime, and employment law. Passionate about his work and his profession, John lectures frequently on trial techniques and is a leading author of legal books and articles on product liability, discovery, evidence, procedure, medical-legal issues, legal ethics and trial strategy. He has won significant trial victories for Atlantic Richfield Company, the Governor of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Senate, and other entities and individuals in cases ranging from toxic torts to constitutional law to bribery and wire fraud.
Practice Areas
Appellate Practice
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Litigation - Banking and Finance
Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Education
Professional Affiliations
Awards & Recognition
- Lawyer of the Year: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Providence (2025)
- Lawyer of the Year: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Providence (2024)
- Lawyer of the Year: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Providence (2024)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Banking and Finance, Providence (2021)
- Lawyer of the Year: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Providence (2020)
- Lawyer of the Year: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Providence (2020)
- Lawyer of the Year: Appellate Practice, Providence (2018)
- Lawyer of the Year: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Providence (2018)
- Lawyer of the Year: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Providence (2017)
- Lawyer of the Year: Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Providence (2016)
- Lawyer of the Year: Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Providence (2014)
- Lawyer of the Year: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Providence (2013)
- Lawyer of the Year: Appellate Practice, Providence (2012)
- Recognized: Appellate Practice
- Recognized: Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Recognized: Commercial Litigation
- Recognized: Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Recognized: Litigation - Banking and Finance
- Recognized: Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
- Recognized: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Recognized: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
- Recognized: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Practice Area: Mass Tort Litigation
- Practice Area: Personal Injury Litigation
- Practice Area: Product Liability Litigation
- Special Focus: Appellate
- Special Focus: Civil and Criminal
- Special Focus: Civil Litigation
- Special Focus: Class Actions
- Special Focus: Complex Litigation
- Special Focus: Corporate Compliance
- Special Focus: Corporate Governance
- Special Focus: COVID-19
- Special Focus: Defendants
- Special Focus: Environmental
- Special Focus: Environmental Crimes
- Special Focus: Federal
- Special Focus: Government Investigations
- Special Focus: Litigation
- Special Focus: Mass Tort
- Special Focus: Personal Injury
- Special Focus: Pharmaceutical
- Special Focus: Product Liability
- Special Focus: Professional Malpractice
- Special Focus: State
- Special Focus: Toxic Tort
- Special Focus: White-Collar Criminal Defense
- Rhode Island Legal Services Equal Access t Justice Award
- Rhode Island Bar Association Award of Merit
- Ralph P. Semenoff Award for Professionalism
- Lawyer of the Year Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly
- Lawyer of the Year Lawyers Weekly USA
- Defense Counsel of Rhode Island Exceptional Performance Citation
- Boston College Law School 75th Anniversary Alumni of the Year Award