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Zabbo_Tim

Timothy M. Zabbo

PartnerProvidence

Tim is a trusted and experienced attorney with a diverse and dynamic civil litigation practice in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. His experience spans both state and federal courts, including arguing appeals. He has extensive experience litigating commercial, product liability, toxic tort, negligence, and personal injury cases. His representation includes manufacturers, distributors, and premises defendants in asbestos claims throughout New England. He serves as the national coordinating counsel and regional trial counsel to an electrical products manufacturer, and has represented cosmetic manufacturers in talc litigation. He also defends developers, architects, engineers, and contractors in cases alleging negligent construction, business owners in premise liability claims, property owners on mechanic’s liens, and other liability concerns.

Tim provides strategic guidance to his clients on business disputes, risk management, insurance coverage, contracts, non-compete/solicitation and indemnity clauses, prevailing wage, wage and hour, discrimination and other labor and employment issues. He advises on federal and state regulations, privacy and confidentiality laws, including quashing subpoenas and filing for protective orders on a client’s behalf regarding protected information.

Tim also brings his trial skills to mediation and offers private mediation for parties.

  • Represented a cosmetic company headquartered in New York, in a complaint in Providence County Superior Court, securing a dismissal based on lack of personal jurisdiction in Rhode Island.
  • Hinckley Allen obtained dismissal of a complaint in the Superior Court of Massachusetts for lack of personal jurisdiction that was filed against their clients who own and operate a bulk liquid storage facility in New York. This case was brought by a Massachusetts truck driver alleging he developed Aplastic Anemia due to his alleged benzene exposures from loading gasoline and diesel fuel at the client’s terminal. Our client filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, which the judge granted. Read more.
  • HTX Helicopters, LLC v. Rhode Island Airport Corporation – On behalf of the airport, Tim successfully persuaded Judge Mary S. McElroy of the United States District Court, District of Rhode Island to dismiss a Complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) on the grounds that neither the federal question statute nor the Declaratory Judgment Act give the Court jurisdiction over alleged violations of federal grant assurances made by one of the airport’s operators.
  • In a chemical exposure case against the defendant mechanical contractor, Tim convinced the trial court to exclude plaintiff’s expert affidavit in granting summary judgment because it failed to set forth the applicable standard of care, did not establish that the expert was competent to opine on the issues in the case, and consisted of nothing more than a conclusory repetition of plaintiff’s allegations.

Work Experience

  • Hinckley Allen
    • Partner (2025-Present)
    • Counsel (2016-2024)
  • Adler Cohen Harvey Wakeman & Guekguezian, LLP
    • Attorney (2006-2016)
  • Rhode Island Superior Court, Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson
    • Clerk (2005-2006)

Honors & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America® (2024-2027)
    • Litigation — Construction
    • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
    • Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
  • Super Lawyers, Rhode Island, Rising Stars (2013-2020)

Charitable & Civic Involvement

  • American Heart Association - Rhode Island, Executive Leadership Team
  • Coastline EAP/Rhode Island Student Assistance Services
  • It's My Heart New England, Volunteer
  • Providence College Mal Brown Club

Professional Affiliations

  • American Mock Trial Association, Judge, Providence Regional Tournament (2020)
  • Defense Counsel of Rhode Island/Defense Research Institute
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Massachusetts Bar Association
  • Rhode Island Bankruptcy Court
  • Rhode Island Bar Association
    • Superior Court Bench/Bar Committee
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
  • Superior Court of Rhode Island, Court Annexed Arbitration Program, Arbitrator

Bar Memberships

  • Connecticut
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
  • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
Publication

3D Printing: New Frontier in Potential Product Liability Claims

Litigation Partner Mitchell Edwards, Counsel Timothy Zabbo and Associate Mark Hochberg were recently featured in Massachusetts/Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly to explore the new frontier in potential product liability claims resulting from the…

Publication

Initial Civil Appeals: Rhode Island

David A. Wollin and Timothy M. Zabbo provide a Q&A guide to appeal from an intermediate appellate court the the court of last resort in Rhode Island. This Q&A addresses starting an…

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Firm News

Hinckley Allen Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2027

Hinckley Allen is pleased to announce that more than 120 attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, …

Firm News

Hinckley Allen Recognized for Excellence: 75% Attorneys Honored in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026

Hinckley Allen is proud to announce that 127 of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, representing 75% of the firm’s legal team.

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Case Study

Obtained Dismissal of a Complaint for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

Hinckley Allen obtained dismissal of a complaint in Providence County Superior Court for lack of personal jurisdiction. The complaint was filed against a Hinckley Allen client, a cosmetic company incorporated in Delaware…

Case Study

Hinckley Allen Achieves Dismissal in Superior Court Based on Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

Hinckley Allen obtained dismissal of a complaint in the Superior Court of Massachusetts for lack of personal jurisdiction that was filed against their clients who own and operate a bulk liquid storage…

Past Event

Sponsor: Perrin Conferences — National Asbestos Litigation Conference

September 16, 2025

Hinckley Allen is proud to be a sponsoring firm of Perrin Conferences' National Asbestos Litigation Conference, a prominent, national-level legal event focusing on asbestos and related litigation. About Perrin Conferences: Perrin Conferences,…