Joseph F. Hardcastle
jfh@hardcastleshober.com
After spending the first decade of his legal career with a large Boston firm, Mr. Hardcastle co-founded Hardcastle & Shober in January 2000. While the training, staffing and complex litigation experience at big firms give corporate clients comfort in knowing they are getting the best representation money can buy in high stakes cases, escalating overhead and exploding billing rates began making it hard to justify such representation in many disputes. As he saw cases increasingly settle not because of the merits of the case but because of the costs of litigation, Mr. Hardcastle looked for a better way to utilize his skills. At Hardcastle & Shober, he continues to provide clients with the benefit of the legal skills he has developed, but by keeping firm overhead down is able to do so at an hourly rate that still is less than what his billing rate was when he was at a big firm over ten years ago.
Mr. Hardcastle has extensive experience litigating complex matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts and through arbitration in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Mr. Hardcastle has represented a number of companies, universities, municipalities, and individuals in a wide variety of matters, including employment disputes, claims for ERISA benefits, closely-held corporation shareholder disputes, environmental claims, franchise agreement disputes, public bidding law disputes, zoning matters, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and breach of contract claims. In addition, Mr. Hardcastle has represented one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in matters arising under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 before public utility commissions throughout New England. Mr. Hardcastle also provides general legal advice and transaction counseling to a number of small and mid-size business clients, including with respect to employment practices, contract needs, environmental compliance, lending arrangements, real estate purchases and sales, and shareholder issues. Mr. Hardcastle practiced law at the Boston law firm of Palmer & Dodge LLP (since merged into Locke Lord LLP) from 1991 until January 2000 and is a 1991 graduate of the Boston University School of Law (cum laude). Mr. Hardcastle has been recognized as a "Super Lawyer" in the area of business litigation since 2007 and has received Martindale-Hubbell's "AV" peer review rating, its highest professional distinction.
Cintra S. Shober
css@hardcastleshober.com
Ms. Shober has practiced law in the Boston area since 1991. She has experience in a wide range of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts, including insurance defense, coverage, and subrogation, personal injury, premises liability, professional malpractice, product liability, and other complex commercial disputes. She also has worked on numerous appeals.
In addition to her law practice, Ms. Shober has lectured and authored materials for various legal education programs, including ones held at Northeastern University and MCLE. She also was an adjunct faculty member at Boston University School of Law from 2000-2003. Ms. Shober is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and in Pennsylvania. Ms. Shober graduated from the Boston University School of Law in 1991, where she was a member of the moot court team that won both the John Marshall National Moot Court Competition and the Best Brief Award for the competition. Ms. Shober has received an “AV” peer review rating, the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Lawyers Directory. Prior to co-founding Hardcastle & Shober in 2000, Ms. Shober spent seven years as a litigation associate with Conn, Kavanaugh, Rosenthal, Peisch & Ford, L.L.P.