Johnson Controls, Inc. v. Bowes

This is an action by Johnson Controls, Inc. (Johnson), to reach and apply the proceeds of legal malpractice insurance policies issued by St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (St. Paul) to attorney John T. Bowes (Bowes). See G. L. c. 214, § 3 (6). A judge of the Superior Court in Middlesex County granted St. Paul’s motion for summary judgment and entered a judgment dis missing Johnson’s claim. The appeal was transferred to this court on our own motion.

Between 1960 and 1972 Bowes, then a member of the Massachusetts bar, was retained by Johnson to perform legal services in its behalf. St.…