Lewis, Phillip G.

Carl was born and raised in Maryland.  He received his B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, cum laude, in 1982; and his J.D. from The Boston University School of Law in 1985.  Carl is admitted to practice before the Rhode Island and Massachusetts courts, and the United States District Court for the Districts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

With over twenty-five years of courtroom experience, the focus of Carl’s litigation practice includes:
• Business litigation and commercial litigation, including construction, contract and shareholder disputes, employment discrimination, mechanics' liens,  injunctions & restraining orders, and representation of clients before zoning boards;
• Personal injury litigation, including construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, nursing home negligence, premises liability, workplace accidents and wrongful death;
• Criminal defense, including assault, motor vehicle offenses, environmental crimes, narcotics and white collar crimes.

Carl may also be contacted through Lynn Della Torre at (401) 751-1500, Ext. 114 and ldellatorre@gklfirm.com.

Carl’s notable experience includes the following:
• $1,625,000.00 as compensation for personal injuries suffered in a car accident.
• $600,000.00 as compensation for personal injuries suffered in a car accident.
• Lead defense counsel for successful prosecution and defense of shareholder actions.
• Lead counsel for successful lawsuits filed in State and Federal court enjoining the use of clients’ trademarks and trade names.
• Lead counsel for a successful lawsuit to recover significant funds invested with an investment company based upon claims of misuse of funds by the fiduciary.
• Lead counsel for a successful lawsuit to recover significant funds from a stock brokerage firm based upon claims of the failure to prevent the misuse of funds by a trustee.
• Lead counsel for a successful lawsuit to rescind the purchase of a condominium based upon claims of breach of warranty and misrepresentation.
• Lead counsel for a successful lawsuit to compel the sale of commercial real estate.
• Lead counsel for a successful replevin action to recover manufacturing equipment.
• Lead counsel for successful lawsuits and mechanics lien actions brought on behalf of general contractors and material suppliers to recover the costs of labor and materials.
• Lead counsel for successful defense against negligence claims arising from a fire on a commercial fishing vessel.
• Not guilty verdicts for clients charged with assault crimes.

Carl began his legal career in 1985 as a Staff Counsel for the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security.  He then served as a prosecutor for the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for over ten years, where he successfully prosecuted murder, arson, driving fatality, narcotics and weapons offenses, environmental crimes and white collar crimes. His successful trials include State v. Wayne Wright, defendant convicted of murder for the death of a seventy year old woman and sentenced to life plus twenty-five years without parole; State v. Jose Garcia, defendant convicted of felony murder for the arson deaths of six family members and sentenced to life without parole; State v. Robert Chiellini, defendant convicted of first degree murder for the stabbing death of his girlfriend and sentenced to life imprisonment; State v. Frederick Wilding, defendant convicted of murder in the beating death of his three and one half week old infant daughter and sentenced to sixty years with forty years to serve; State v. Angel Suero, defendant convicted, through the use of DNA evidence, of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a ten year old girl and sentenced to life plus twenty years to serve; State v. Michael Morris & Patrick Kilburn, defendants convicted of armed home invasion, and sentenced to fifty years to serve; State v. Robert Vanasse, defendant convicted of child molestation and sentenced to thirty years to serve.