John Hanify.

John Hanify was one of five lawyers that helped open Jones Day's office when the firm first moved into Boston in 2011.

Now, after nearly a decade at the Am Law 100 firm—and extending a career that included growing a law firm of his own—Hanify has left to join Beantown-based Goulston & Storrs as counsel in its litigation group.

Hanify, 69, officially retired from Jones Day in April as a part of the firm's retirement policy.

“Everything respecting the partnership is confidential” at Jones Day, Hanify said. “But generally what happens is you lose partnership status when you're 65 and then you shed your formal assignments.”

Hanify was the head of the firm's Boston litigation practice and the office's pro bono coordinator. But two years ago, at age 67, he shed those assignments.

“You get to a point where you don't really have that much to do and you see the end of your professional life coming and I didn't want that,” Hanify said.

Hanify began his career four decades ago at old-line Boston firm Gaston Snow & Ely Bartlett, which dissolved in 1991. After four years at Gaston Snow, he became an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

He headed back to private practice in 1980, co-founding Hanify & King, a boutique where he led the commercial litigation practice. Over his nearly three decades at the firm it grew to around 40 lawyers, but with that growth, the firm hit a crossroads.

“It was a first-generation firm, and then the question is, when the principals are getting a little older, what do you do … do you just kind of let it begin to fade out with the principals, or do you do something to rebuild it?” Hanify said.

As issues arose around the firm's direction, Hanify learned of Jones Day's plan to open in Boston and, along with four of his boutique colleagues, joined the Am Law firm.

“It was a new challenge for me,” he said of his move to Jones Day's Boston outpost, which has now grown to some 44 attorneys.

Goulston & Storrs, he said, “was really my first and only choice after I left Jones Day. It's a great place,” said Hanify, who represents businesses and financial institutions in complex, high-stakes commercial litigations.

Hanify said he looks forward to reuniting with some of his former Hanify & King clients at the roughly 180-lawyer firm, as well as working with the firm's budding commercial litigation practice.

In April, Goulston & Storrs added five commercial litigators from New York-based boutique Miller & Wrubel to its office in the Big Apple, including the firm's co-founder Joel Miller. The firm also brought on Pepper Hamilton partner Gene Barton in its corporate practice in February in Boston.

Late last week, Goulston & Storrs named William “Bill” Dillon as its new co-managing director, replacing Barry Green, who now heads the U.S. operations for Goulston client, Lighthouse Real Estate Investments LLC.

CORRECTION: 10/25/18, 6:48 p.m. EDT. An initial version of this story incorrectly stated that William Dillon would be replacing co-managing partner Martin Fantozzi. Fantozzi will remain as co-managing partner alongside Dillon. 

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