Zelle LLP

Zelle Hofmann has a long history in products liability. For nearly twenty years, our firm has been engaged in a broad range of medical products and pharmaceutical claims on both a national and international basis. Our role has varied from getting involved with claims concerning certain products early on, thereby significantly reducing or eliminating exposure for manufacturers, to serving as national counsel, coordinating litigation and resolution strategy, developing and training defense teams for litigation spanning various jurisdictions where a strong local presence would be advantageous, overseeing jury studies, and retaining and working in a coordinated way with regulatory counsel. Our experience also includes assembling panels of top medical specialists, coordinating the response to Congressional inquiries and front page headlines, working with high level executives to help them respond to media and shareholder inquiries and working with attorneys in foreign jurisdictions to prepare both themselves and experts for trial. In addition to representing manufacturers, we have also represented claimants, giving us a helpful perspective in understanding how to favorably handle and resolve claims for a defendant.

Given our ability to resolve many claims without litigation or publicity, we are unable to disclose with specificity many of the products with which we have had involvement. Some we can disclose generally include breast implants, hip implants, antiarrythmic drugs, spinal implants, defibrillators, and inhalers. We also have experience in dealing with issues surrounding clinical trials and their termination before completion.

The firm is equally experienced outside the realm of medical and pharmaceutical products. Our attorneys have handled a broad spectrum of product liability coverage actions, such as defective PVC plumbing pipe, cement railroad ties, and oil pipeline claims. The firm has managed bodily injury and asbestos-in-building coverage disputes under primary and excess property and liability policies as well as reinsurance contracts. Zelle Hofmann attorneys have tried and arbitrated numerous cases, conducted ADR under the Wellington Agreement, and have negotiated various settlements from interim agreements to buyouts. Issues have included trigger, scope, allocation, the number and application of deductibles, appropriate exhaustion, "other insurance" issues, specific product exclusions, late notice, failure to cooperate, misrepresentation, expected or intended, defense obligations, obligations of a captive, effect of self-insured retentions, quota share arrangements, and many others.

Our Commitment

Zelle Hofmann serves global and increasingly diverse clients, who gain from the varied perspectives, creativity, innovation and energy created by a diverse and inclusive workforce. The firm is committed to maintaining an environment in which its lawyers and staff are valued for their unique backgrounds, personal characteristics, and thinking and working styles. We are committed to achieving diversity through recruiting, nurturing trust and open discussions that promote inclusiveness, and experimenting with ways to enable our attorneys to achieve work/life balance while fully contributing to serving our clients.

Diversity Committee

Zelle Hofmann’s Diversity Committee includes attorneys from each of the firm’s five offices. The Committee strives to provide top-level accountability for the results of the firm’s diversity efforts. Patricia St. Peter, Senior Partner and former Managing Partner of the firm's Minneapolis office, leads the Committee as the firm’s Diversity Coordinator. Catherine Colinvaux, Senior Partner in the firm's Boston office and Pat's predecessor on the Committee, has been instrumental in creating a strong foundation for diversity in the firm. The Committee has implemented many important and creative programs, including creating the Zealous Women website, adopting a broad and flexible alternative work policy, and initiating a policy to allow associates to obtain billable credit for significant non-billable contributions to the firm, including work on diversity initiatives, pro bono matters and business development.

Awareness Breeds Action

We recognize that nurturing a culture of diversity in our firm is more than policy statements and written goals. It requires continuous effort, focus and action to build awareness of the value that diversity brings to our firm and our clients.

Zelle Hofmann is a strong supporter of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and has given generous donations to its Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program, which helps law students meet financial needs and exposes them to a group of leaders in the profession who can help to mentor and guide their early entry into the profession. The firm is also a significant sponsor of law scholarships through the San Francisco Bar Foundation for African American students. In addition, Zelle Hofmann has made a substantial financial commitment to pipeline programs and affinity bars. The firm’s cy pres awards will benefit the Urban League and United Negro College Fund.

The firm encourages its attorneys to participate in community events and locally and nationally based professional organizations. Our partners and associates are active in the Chinese Bar Association, Dallas Women’s Lawyers Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Women in Law Empowerment Forum, China International Economic Law Society, Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Women Antitrust Plaintiffs’ Attorneys, South Asian Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association’s Diversity Committee, Federal Bar Association Minnesota Chapter’s Diversity Committee, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, National LGBT Bar Association, ABA-TIPS Diversity Section, Mexican-American Bar Association of Texas, Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, and Quorum (Twin Cities GLBTA Chamber of Commerce).

Recently, the firm launched its own Affinity Group whose purpose is to raise awareness, both internally and within our communities, as to the value diverse viewpoints and perspectives bring to the legal profession. The Affinity Group also seeks to facilitate our attorneys' involvement with the communities we live in, by identifying pro bono opportunities and providing a supportive forum in which our lawyers can develop their pro bono efforts and other community initiatives. Through these activities, the Affinity Group helps to sustain an environment that is inclusive and supportive, which fosters both personal and professional success.

Zelle Hofmann also works with its clients to encourage diversity when practical. As an example, the firm successfully petitioned a San Francisco Superior Court administering a class action antitrust settlement to authorize the distribution of $40 million to more than 100 non-profit organizations in California, including the California Women's Law Center, Asian Law Caucus, Inc., and several California-based United Way organizations. This distribution was part of a $96 million settlement that was approved by the state court in San Francisco, California in 2008, and became final earlier this year. For additional information regarding this case and the overall settlement, please click here.

Zelle Hofmann's Diversity Outreach Plan

Zelle Hofmann recently launched a new Diversity Outreach Plan to guide the firm’s participation in diversity scholarship, pipeline and affinity group initiatives and programs. Each element of this plan is intended either to encourage and facilitate diverse students in choosing law as a profession or to support and recognize the contributions and interests of the diverse professionals among us.  This plan testifies to the firm’s meaningful, ongoing support of efforts to increase diversity in the practice of law. For additional information about the firm's Diversity Outreach Plan, please click here. 

Supporting Other Diverse Businesses

Consistent with our Diversity Commitment, the firm is active in identifying and expanding opportunities for businesses owned by minorities. The firm maintains a list of highly qualified minority owned and operated vendors (consultants, accountants, court reporters, etc.) to utilize on its cases.

If you have additional questions related to Zelle Hofmann's diversity efforts, please feel free to contact our Diversity Coordinator, Patricia St. Peter at [email protected].