Sharon L. Caffrey

Sharon L. Caffrey

Sharon L. Caffrey is co-head of the Products Liability and Toxic Torts division of Duane Morris' Trial Practice Group. Ms. Caffrey concentrates her practice in the areas of mass tort, products liability and toxic tort litigation. Ms. Caffrey has served as the national coordinating counsel for Pliva, Inc. in its PPA litigation. She is also one of two science defense coordinators and one of a handful of national trial counsel for Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation in their asbestos litigation and is regularly assigned to handle their asbestos trials around the country. Ms. Caffrey has significant trial experience, including extensive experience as MDL counsel in both asbestos and PPA litigation.

Ms. Caffrey's extensive trial experience also includes trying dozens of cases to verdict. One-third of her verdicts have been in medical malpractice cases involving a wide range of issues. The remaining trials have included a variety of mass tort cases and other health effects defense cases.

Ms. Caffrey has chaired the Mealey's conference on "Email, Discovery and Retention Policies," is a frequent speaker on the topic of eDiscovery issues and is a member of the firm's eDiscovery Initiative.

Ms. Caffrey is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She has spoken at the Mealey's Asbestos Litigation Seminar and the American Conference Institute Asbestos Litigation Seminar. Ms. Caffrey is vice chair of the Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Committee of the American Bar Association and also is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association as well as the Committee on Women in the Profession of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Ms. Caffrey also chairs Duane Morris' Women's Initiative and co-chaired the first Lexis-Nexis conference on Advancing Women in the Profession. In addition, Ms. Caffrey is a member of Duane Morris' Diversity Committee.

A former judicial clerk to the Honorable Dominick J. Ferrelli, JSC and the Honorable Anthony P. Tunney, JSC of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Ms. Caffrey is a 1987 graduate of Widener University School of Law and a graduate of American University.

Areas of Practice

· Mass Torts and Products Liability

· Health Effects Litigation

Representative Matters

· Participated in and cross-examined experts and prepared post-trial brief in Frye hearing before the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The court ruled in favor of our client, a major automotive manufacturer, and found that the plaintiffs' experts lacked any methodology in arriving at their causation opinions.

· National science defense coordinator for two Fortune 100 companies in toxic tort litigation. Involves expert development and oversight, trial preparation, coordination and strategy. Includes strategic oversight of numerous matters in 2007 and 2008.

· Handled Frye hearing for two Fortune 100 companies challenging the admissibility of plaintiffs' experts methodology in toxic tort litigation in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in February 2008.

· Tried medical negligence matter for individual in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in 2008; resulted in one of the largest verdicts in Montgomery County for a plaintiff in a medical negligence matter.

· Served as national coordinating counsel for a pharmaceutical company in its PPA diet and pharmaceutical products liability litigation. Representation includes responsibility for over 250 direct claims and approximately 540 contractual indemnity claims, oversight of local counsel in 18 states, oversight of federal Multi-District Litigation, and the development of corporate and expert witnesses.

· Member of the national asbestos defense team for Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation and a member of their national trial team. Included trying significant case to verdict in the Superior Court of Delaware in 2007.

· Served as national counsel for Borinquen Insulation in its asbestos litigation in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Representation involved approximately 500 cases spanning a period of about eight years.

Professional Activities

· American Bar Association
- Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
-- Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Committee
--- Vice-Chair, 2005-2007

· New Jersey State Bar Association

· Philadelphia Bar Association
- Committee on Women in the Profession

· Camden County Bar Association

· Chair, Duane Morris Women's Initiative

· National Association of Women Lawyers
- Program Committee, 2007
- Survey Committee, 2007
- Leadership Summit, 2007

· National Association of Women Judges
- Friends Committee, 2007

· Camden Inn of the American Inns of Court
- Barrister, 1995-1997

Experience

· Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2000-Present
- Associate, 1997-1999

· Dunn, Haase, Sullivan, Mallon, Cherner & Broadt, Media, PA and Westmont, NJ
- Associate, 1994-1997

· Countess and Shelley, Moorestown, New Jersey
- Associate, 1993-1994

· Horn, Goldberg, Gorny, Daniels, Paarz, Plackert & Weiss, Voorhees, NJ
- Associate, 1991-1993

· McCarter & English, Cherry Hill, NJ
- Associate, 1989-1991

· Parker, McCay and Criscuolo, Marlton, NJ
- Associate, 1988-1989

· Superior Court of New Jersey,
- Judicial Clerk, Honorable Dominick J. Ferrelli, JSC, and Honorable Anthony P. Tunney, JSC, 1987-1988

Board Memberships

· Executive Board, Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel

Civic and Charitable Activities

· Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training 2008, Nation's Triathlon

· North Brandywine Swim League Stroke and Turn Judge, 2007, 2008

· YMCA, Central Branch, Wilmington, Delaware
- Board of Governors, 1997-2000
-- Rising Star Award, 1997
- Executive Committee, 1998-1999
- Vice President, Fund Raising, 1997-1999

· St. Stephen's Lutheran Church Building Renovation Committee, Wilmington, Delaware
- Chairperson, 1995-1997

· Children's House Montessori School
- Advisory Board, 1993-1996
- Silent Auction Chairperson, 1994-1996

· Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington County
- Board of Directors, 1989-1990

· Chairperson Personnel Committee of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

Honors and Awards

· 2004 and 2006 "Super Lawyer" in Pennsylvania for Class Actions and Mass Tort Litigation

· Rising Star Award, YMCA, Central Branch, Wilmington, Delaware

Selected Publications

· Co-Author, "Viability of the Federal Preemption Defense Post-Levine," Drug and Medical Device, For The Defense, July 2009 Profiled by Law 360, June 30, 2009

· "Split Vote by CPSC Signals That Tracking Labels Must Be Placed on Children's Products by August 14, 2009," Duane Morris Alert, May 27, 2009

· Co-author, "Can Failure-to-Warn Claims Against Generic Drug Manufacturers Be Preempted?," LJN's Product Liability Law & Strategy newsletter, June 2009

· Co-Author, "Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Lipke Exclusionary Rule in Nolan v. Weil-McLain," Duane Morris Alert, April 17, 2009

· Co-author, "What the Future Holds," The National Law Journal, March 30, 2009

· Co-author, "Wyeth v. Levine: An Attorney's Perspective," PharmExec.com, March 11, 2009

· Co-author, "Courts Are Divided on Whether Failure-to-Warn Claims Against Generic Drug Manufacturers Can Be Preempted," Genericsweb.com INNSIGHT Industry Newsletter, March 4, 2009

· Co-Author, "Courts Are Divided on Whether Failure-to-Warn Claims Against Generic Drug Manufacturers Can Be Preempted," Strictly Speaking, the newsletter of the DRI Product Liability Committee, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 25, 2009

· Co-author, "Third Circuit Weighs In on Limits of Punitive Damages Awards," Duane Morris Alert, January 5, 2009

· Co-author, "New Final Rule Clarifies FDA's View On Preemption," Product Liability Law 360 and Health Law 360, August 29, 2008

· Co-author, "N.J. Packagers Are Link in Acutrim Liability Chain," Product Liability Law 360 and Health Law 360, July 16, 2008

· Author, "Creative Exit Strategy: Limiting Damages When Co-Defendant Files for Bankruptcy," The Legal Intelligencer, June 27, 2007

· Co-Author, "MD Charged With Fraud For Failing to Disclose Drug Use Before Operating," Medical Malpractice Law & Strategy, December 1998

· Co-Author, "No Duty to Nonpatient Family Members of Therapist's Treatment of Patient," Medical Malpractice Law & Strategy, March 1999

· Co-Author, Monthly Column for Medical Malpractice Law & Strategy

Selected Speaking Engagements

· Co-chair, "LexisNexis® Women in the Legal Profession Summit: Rainmaking, Negotiating, and Collaborative Development," Philadelphia, September 25, 2007

· "Advanced Litigation Issues in E-Discovery," Web cast for FIOS, May 30, 2007

· Speaker, "Managing Discovery in the Digital Age," Counsel to Counsel program, September 27, 2006

· Panelist, "Unconventional Wisdom on Products Liability Defense," Insurance Society of Philadelphia CLE Seminar, August 11, 2006

· Chair, Mealey's E-mail Discovery & Retention Policies Conference, San Francisco, California, May 18, 2006

· Speaker, "Emails Run Amok," FIOS Electronic Discovery webcast, January 11, 2006

· Speaker, "Sales Coaching," ABA Law Practice Management Section Fall Meeting on Marketing and Technology, October 21, 2005

· "Allocating and Shifting Liability," Mealey's Asbestos Premises Liability Conference, December 2004

· Speaker, "Forum Shopping: Getting In and Out," American Conference Institute," Asbestos Litigation the Next Generation," October 22, 2001

· Speaker, "The New Face of the Litigation: Beyond the Thermal Insulation Manufacturers," Mealey's National Asbestos Litigation Conference, October 8, 2001

· Presenter, "Legal Implications of Medical Care," Pennsylvania Association of Medical Assistants, continuing education program, Ardmore, Pennsylvania, November 12, 2000

· "Malpractice Issues," Minimizing Regulatory Finds and Litigation in Long-Term Care and Assisted-Living Facilities, New Jersey Center for Health Care Education, Seminar sponsored by Duane, Morris & Heckscher LLP, September 28, 2000

· Speaker, "Trial Theme," Pennsylvania Bar Institute Product Liability Litigation Seminar, December 19, 2001

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