Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC

On a national, regional and local basis, Eckert Seamans has defended lawsuits arising from exposure to numerous substances, including:

• Prescription and over-the-counter medications;
• Asbestos;
• Benzene;
• Silica;
• Isocyanates;
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
• Organic solvents;
• Formaldehyde;
• Pesticides;
• Contaminated groundwater.

These lawsuits have involved diverse circumstances of exposure and a wide variety of medical conditions and diseases, including restrictive and obstructive lung diseases, occupational asthma, muscle disorders, strokes, cancers of various types, dermatological problems, neurological dysfunctions, reproductive and genetic disorders, and claims of immune system suppression/alteration, disease phobia and the alleged need for medical monitoring.

In the course of defending thousands of mass tort claims, Eckert Seamans’ lawyers have served as (i) national coordinator for the defense of claims involving medications, chemical products, and asbestos-containing products, (ii) lead trial counsel in single and multiple-plaintiff cases, and (iii) joint defense counsel for multiple defendants. The firm's lead counsel experience has encompassed cases tried to verdict and appeals in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

In support of the firm's litigation practice, Eckert Seamans developed a unique Litigation Management Online^SM case management center (LMO^SM). The LMO^SM mission is to support in-house and outside counsel in the coordination and defense of mass tort claims and other large volume litigation matters. The LMO^SM staff is organized into functional groups that include complaint processing, discovery, resource management and claims processing. Through the use of advanced technology, including proprietary Lotus Notes-based electronic case management systems, the LMO^SM staff provides an efficient and cost-effective operation to support all aspects of the litigation process.

The firm's background and experience in this practice area give rise to significant efficiencies, such as:

• Minimization of the "learning curve" involved in handling any new matter;
• Prompt development of effective defense strategies;
• Access to the firm's significant collection of legal authorities relating to exposure, causation and liability issues commonly encountered in this type of litigation;
• Early identification and retention of appropriate experts to deal with medical, toxicological, industrial hygiene, warnings and other issues;
• Earliest possible evaluation of the merits of a claim to facilitate implementation of the client's defense strategy and the ultimate disposition of the case.

At Eckert Seamans, we consider ourselves to be part of our clients' teams and help answer the daily challenges confronting them.

Our policy is simple: Eckert Seamans values the breadth of perspective and experience that comes with a diverse complement of lawyers and staff. We are a firm with national and international clients and a practice which takes our lawyers into cities and courts across this country and abroad. A diverse workforce not only provides a better understanding of the communities and business environments in which we and our clients operate, but also makes our firm a better place to work. Diversity is, and will continue to be, important to our success.

We actively and continuously examine our policies and practices in order to strengthen those that promote inclusiveness. We work to establish “best practices” in the area of diversity just as we do in all areas of our business. As part of our efforts we also look to best practices developed at other businesses that we can apply at Eckert Seamans.

Eckert Seamans is committed to developing and maintaining a diverse workforce of lawyers and staff. We will continue to work hard to make our workforce reflective of the communities which we serve.

In order to meet our goals, our firm has established a Diversity Committee, which includes lawyers (both members and associates) from a variety of offices and practice groups. The Diversity Committee also includes a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, leading members of our practice groups and managing partners at our offices. The Diversity Committee is charged with coordinating recruitment and retention of female and minority attorneys as well as the development and implementation of policies which foster diversity at all levels of the firm. It works closely with the firm’s Hiring, Associate and Executive Committees.