About John B. FitzGerald
John B. FitzGerald III trained as a political scientist and economist before turning to law. He completed undergraduate studies at George Washington University’s Mount Vernon campus in political science and economics, and earned his J.D. from Vermont Law School in 1981. Those academic choices set a practical tone for a career that moves between government procedure and private practice.
Soon after law school, FitzGerald began work in public service. In 1983 he served as a hearings officer for the New Hampshire Department of Labor. That early role put him behind the bench in administrative proceedings and gave him regular exposure to regulatory and workplace disputes. The hearings work also shaped how he approaches fact-finding and decision-making in contested matters.
FitzGerald entered private practice later in the 1980s. He joined Jensen & Uliasz in 1988 and then moved to Roussos, Hage & Hodes in 1991. Those years in firm settings broadened his courtroom and client-side experience. He handled contested matters, prepared cases for hearing, and worked on litigation strategy with colleagues. In 1997 he became a partner in a firm that would bear his name, Patch & FitzGerald, P.A.
Across more than three decades in practice, FitzGerald has maintained a steady presence in New England legal circles. He is admitted to practice in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He holds current membership in the Manchester Bar Association and remains active in the professional networks where he has long practiced. His career path reflects a blend of administrative and litigated work.
Colleagues describe FitzGerald as methodical and plainspoken. He has a reputation for preparing thoroughly and for simplicity in presentation—qualities that echo his early administrative work. He has moved between roles that require different temperaments: the measured stewardship of a hearings officer and the adversarial posture of an advocate.
At Patch & FitzGerald, P.A., FitzGerald is a partner and continues to handle matters that draw on his background in hearings and court practice. He maintains a practice in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and remains engaged in cases that require administrative procedure experience and state-court litigation skills. His current practice focuses on matters informed by administrative hearings and state-court practice.
