He has brought his expertise in this area to bear down against pharmacies, pill mill doctors, manufacturers, and distributors of opioids.

JP’s litigation in this area has included government enforcement actions for the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as lawsuits brought on behalf of public entities attempting to recover from the immense costs, both human and economic, of this epidemic.

JP served as a whistleblower in a joint Washington Post and “60 Minutes” investigation into the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry on federal regulators. He subsequently testified both to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives about these same matters. He has appeared on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” discussing ongoing opioid litigation, and he was a featured interview in the HBO Documentary “Crime of the Century.”

While working in private practice representing public entities in opioid litigation, JP also spoke internationally and across the country on the impact of the opioid epidemic, and on the ways communities must come together with compassion and with novel and progressive ideas for how we treat the victims of substance abuse and addiction as we move forward as a nation.

Through his years of practice, JP has handled a wide variety of cases for a diverse selection of clients. He takes on whatever challenges are presented, and advocates zealously for his clients: those who deserve real justice in a society where “justice” often seems to come only for those with money and power. As we as a nation begin to speak about the institutionalized hurts caused by a system stacked in favor of corporations, and seeking only to keep those on top in place, JP intends to make his practice a place where clients will feel that their voice is truly heard.

PUBLICATIONS:

“Bootstrapping the Opioid Epidemic,” Maryland Bar Journal (Spring 2019)

PRESENTATIONS:

Panelist, The Calm Before the Storm: A Look at Pending COVID-Related Legislation - University of Baltimore School of Law (August 2020)

Webinar Symposium on the History, Status, and Potential Future of the Opioid Epidemic and Litigation (May 2020)

The Criminal Case Against JUUL from the DOJ Perspective, Harris Martin JUUL Conference (October 18, 2019)

Panel Member - Symposium on the Opioid Epidemic. Panel on Opioid Litigation, NYU Law School (September 26, 2019)

Uloric: Emerging Litigation, Mass Torts Nexus Alumni Day (September 2019)

History of the Opioid Epidemic, Panel Discussion, Rockville, Maryland, Rockville Goes Purple: Opioid Awareness Seminar (2019)

A Brief History of DEA Opioid Enforcement, Masters of Mass Tort (2019)

The History of the Opioid Epidemic from the Perspective of a Former DOJ Litigator, Maryland Municipal League Winter Retreat (2019)

Legal Issues facing Pharmacies and PBMs in the Opioid Litigation, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Institute National Conference (2019)

Impacts and Effects of New Medical Marijuana Laws in Maryland, Maryland Law Enforcement Seminar on Medical Marijuana Enforcement (2018)

The Status and Strategies in Opioid Litigation of State Cases, American Association for Justice: Winter Opioid Seminar (2018)

ACCOLADES:

2019 Super Lawyers Rising Star

2020 America’s Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch

EDUCATION:

J.D. University of Baltimore School of Law, 2009
B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing, College of William & Mary, 2002

Licensed to practice in the State of Maryland before state and federal courts.