Timothy J. Groves

Timothy J. Groves is an experienced civil litigator focusing his practice on professional liability defense, business litigation and education law. Prior to law school, Mr. Groves taught high school English for four years, and then co-founded Schoolyard, Inc., which developed and maintained comprehensive websites for independent schools.

Representative Accomplishments

In the courtroom, Mr. Groves persuaded a Connecticut Superior Court judge after a full trial to reject the personal injury claim of a woman involved in a motor vehicle accident. In a separate Connecticut Superior Court action, he played a substantial role in obtaining a defense verdict on behalf of a home heating oil delivery company related to a property damage claim. 

He has obtained summary judgment on behalf of an orthodontist on a malpractice claim. He also successfully negotiated the dismissal of all claims against a skydiving center and its proprietor in a potentially high-exposure personal injury case. Mr. Groves secured a favorable resolution in arbitration for a landlord in a premises liability suit brought by a tenant.

As general counsel for an independent school, Mr. Groves has redrafted key sections of the school’s employment contracts and personnel policies manual. He has advised the school’s administration on contract disputes and student disciplinary issues, helping to avert potentially costly litigation. He recently persuaded the Rhode Island Supreme Court to order a local school district to reimburse the firm’s client, a local independent public charter school, for tuition payments the district had wrongfully withheld under a mistaken interpretation of state law.  In the public school arena, Mr. Groves has advocated for the rights of school administrators in court and on appeal before the Rhode Island Department of Education.

Mr. Groves was named by Super Lawyers as a 2011 Rhode Island Rising Star.

Clerkships

Mr. Groves served as a law clerk in 2006-07 to Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Paul Suttell.

Professional and Civic Affiliations

Mr. Groves is a member of the Executive Director’s Council of the San Miguel School. He has served as a volunteer mentor to students at Year Up in Providence. He serves on the Governance Committee of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. Mr. Groves is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association and Massachusetts Bar Association. He has been a member since 1998 of the Save the Bay organization, and has been an advisory board member of the Big Brothers of Rhode Island since 2002. Mr. Groves is a volunteer soccer coach in the East Side Sports Youth Soccer League.