John A. Caputo

Pennsylvania Medical Negligence Attorney

John A. Caputo founded John A. Caputo & Associates, P.C. and has spent many years representing patients and families across Pennsylvania whose lives were changed by negligent medical care.

His office sits in the Grant Building on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, a short walk from the Allegheny County Courthouse. The practice has never been confined to Allegheny County. Medical negligence, birth injuries, catastrophic injury, and serious trucking collisions have taken him into courtrooms across Western Pennsylvania and beyond.

The belief he built the firm on is a short one: nothing is accomplished well without passion.

It shows up in the work more than in anything he would say about it. These cases turn on medicine as much as law — a stack of records, a fetal monitoring strip, a pathology slide, and one question underneath it all. Would a competent provider have done something different? Answering that takes a lawyer willing to learn the medicine and then try the case.

What follows is his practice, his teaching, the roles he has held, and what happens when you call.

Who Is John A. Caputo?

John A. Caputo is the founding attorney of John A. Caputo & Associates, P.C., a Pittsburgh firm concentrating on medical negligence and catastrophic injury. He has spent many years trying cases for injured patients and grieving families throughout Pennsylvania, and he personally reviews the matters the firm considers.

The firm is small on purpose. Mr. Caputo built it around a limited number of serious cases rather than a high volume of routine ones, and it has never run on an assembly-line model.

Most of the firm’s clients arrive by referral — from other attorneys who recognize a medical case they cannot take themselves, and from former clients. That is a quieter credential than a plaque, and a more useful one.

He has built an extensive technical and medical library over the years, and he uses it alongside the medical experts the firm retains. In a field where the defense arrives with credentialed physicians and experienced trial counsel, that background matters. Reading the medicine is not something he hands off.

He is candid about what he finds there. Some cases have merit. Many do not. Whether a particular set of facts supports a claim depends on what the records actually show.

What Kinds of Cases Does John Caputo Handle?

His practice areas include:

• Medical negligence — surgical error, missed or delayed diagnosis, medication error, emergency department failures, and infections that went unrecognized until they turned serious
• Birth injuries — cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, Erb’s palsy and other brachial plexus injuries, and oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery. He is a member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice
• Catastrophic injury — brain injury, paralysis, and amputation caused by negligent medical care
• Wrongful death — death claims and survival actions arising from negligent care or a fatal collision
• Trucking collisions — catastrophic crashes involving commercial vehicles

Has John Caputo Taught Other Trial Lawyers?

Yes. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, co-teaching Litigation Planning and Strategy from 2003 to 2007, and has taught trial advocacy through the National Institute for Trial Advocacy at both Pittsburgh law schools and lectured for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.

Teaching is a reasonable proxy for what other lawyers think of your work. Law schools and continuing legal education programs do not ask mediocre trial attorneys to demonstrate cross-examination to a room full of them.

His teaching has included:

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law — Trial Certification Program, “Litigation Planning and Strategy,” taught weekly through the fall terms of 2003 to 2006
• Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County – lecturer
• Pennsylvania Bar Institute — lecturer
• Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association — lecturer
• Trial Advocacy Institute — sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Academy of Trial Lawyers

What Board Certifications and Fellowships Granted by Invitation Does John Caputo Hold?

Experience matters in a medical negligence case—but not all experience is equal. John Caputo has earned certifications that require rigorous testing and demonstrated proficiency, and has been invited to join highly selective legal organizations whose membership is limited to attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the courtroom and the profession.

Certifications

• National Board of Trial Advocacy, Civil Trial Advocacy (since 1992)
• National Board of Civil Pre-Trial Practice Advocacy (since 2012)

Membership by Invitation

• Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers – Membership is limited to about 1,000 attorneys (2009)
• Fellow, The National Trial Lawyers (2009)
• Fellow, International Society of Barristers – Membership is limited to about 1,000 attorneys (2006)
• Fellow, American Board of Trial Advocates (1999)
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers – limited to 1% of all attorneys in each state (1993)

Will John Caputo Personally Review My Case?

Yes. Our attorneys personally review every potential case, and when you call you speak with a lawyer rather than an intake coordinator or a paralegal. The consultation is free, the firm works on a contingency fee, and it advances the costs of preparing a case.

Most people who call have never dealt with a lawyer before, let alone one handling something this complicated. They are not sure what happened, not sure anyone was at fault, and not sure they can afford to find out.

Here is what that first conversation actually looks like:

1. You describe what happened, in your own words. You do not need a complete medical file — we can obtain the records directly.
2. You get questions, not a pitch. What the records are likely to show matters more than how the story sounds.
3. You get a straight answer about whether the facts appear to support a claim, or whether they do not.
4. You owe nothing either way. There is no charge for the conversation and no obligation.

If we accept a case, we do it on a contingency fee. The fee is a percentage of any recovery, discussed and agreed before any work begins, and we advance preparation expenses so a family is never asked to fund the case out of pocket. If there is no recovery, there is no fee.

Contact John A. Caputo

If you believe you or someone in your family was harmed by negligent medical care, John Caputo and Elizabeth Jenkins will talk with you about it. Not an intake screener. An attorney.

Call 412-391-4990 for a free consultation, or reach us online. Our attorneys personally review every potential case, and we represent clients throughout Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Western Pennsylvania, and across the Commonwealth.

We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kinds of Cases Does John Caputo Handle?

His practice concentrates on medical negligence, birth injuries, catastrophic injury from negligent care, wrongful death, and serious trucking collisions.

Where Did John Caputo Go to Law School?

He earned his law degree at Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, following undergraduate study at DePauw University. He later returned to teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and on trial advocacy faculty at both Pittsburgh law schools.

Does John Caputo Take Cases Outside Allegheny County?

Yes. Allegheny County is home, and our attorneys have tried cases across Western Pennsylvania, including Butler, Armstrong, Beaver, Westmoreland, and Washington counties. For a strong case, we will travel anywhere in the Commonwealth. Whether a particular matter is a fit depends on its facts.

What Does It Cost to Have John Caputo Review My Case?

Nothing. The consultation is free, and we work on a contingency fee — no fee unless we recover compensation for you. We advance preparation expenses, so a family is not asked to fund the case out of pocket. The fee is discussed and agreed before any work begins.