Jan Dodd Email & Phone Number

Kansas City, Missouri, Us

Tampa, Fl, Us

Jan Dodd is a nationally recognized trial lawyer known for her courtroom representation of clients in product liability, mass torts and toxic exposures. In a career spanning more than 25 years, Jan seeks practical, rational outcomes for her clients. Often, clients call upon Jan to enter a case as trial counsel shortly before trial. Outside of the courtroom, Jan excels in early case investigation and assessment, and she brings a trial tested perspective to the development of legal theories, the factual story of the case and the coordination of defense strategy. She also counsels clients in litigation risk mitigation including review of warnings and labels and internal company practices. Jan is frequently enlisted to help coordinate national dockets and formulate key defense strategies.Jan's advocacy skills have been repeatedly recognized. The National Law Journal selected Jan's trial verdict in defense of an over-the-counter cold medicine, In re PPA as one of the top 10 defense verdicts in the country. The American Lawyer featured Jan as one of the top lawyers in the country under the age of 45. And, for more than a decade, Jan has been recognized in Chambers USA in the area of national product liability. She is described by clients as a "talented trial lawyer," efficient and effective" and a "star product liability defense lawyer".Before her legal career, Jan worked briefly as a television news reporter. Her background in broadcast journalism, coupled with her passion for trial advocacy informs her ability to transform her clients' cases into compelling stories that resonate with a jury.

Global, Gb

Jan Dodd has tried lawsuits throughout the country in both state and federal courts including New York, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arizona and California. She has won verdicts in product liability and mass tort cases, as well as suits involving premises liability for violent crimes. In addition, Ms. Dodd has successfully argued appeals in the Seventh and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals as well as the state appellate courts of California, Missouri and Illinois. Ms. Dodd began her legal career as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Edward "Chip" Robertson, Jr., former Chief Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court. After clerking, she honed her trial skills in courtrooms in the City of St. Louis and Madison and St. Clair County, Illinois. In 1998 she was appointed a Special Missouri State's Attorney General to pursue claims on behalf of the state against tobacco companies. After practicing 12 years in St. Louis, Ms. Dodd relocated to Los Angeles, California where she continues to represent clients in high stakes litigation.

While at Kaye Scholer, Ms Dodd focused on defending the medical products industry including pharmaceuticals, over the counter medicines and medical devices. She is a veteran of several mass tort litigations including Rezulin, PPA and Seroquel. Her work in Rezulin included the strategy and execution of the Daubert motion attacking plaintiff's silent liver injury theory. At the multi-day evidentiary hearing held in the MDL proceedings, Ms. Dodd cross examined the plaintiffs key cell biology/hepatology expert dispelling the notion that Rezulin caused liver cells to suffer apoptosis - or cell death by suicide. In PPA, Ms. Dodd was lead trial counsel in the first two PPA cases tried in the US. At trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, the plaintiffs alleged they suffered hemorraghic strokes after taking ordinary doses of Tavist D and Triaminicin. After four and a half months of trial, the jury returned defense verdicts in both cases. Ms. Dodd's work on behalf of clients in the products liability arena was cited in 2007 when she was selected as one of the country's top litigators under the age of 45 in American Lawyer's Litigation's Rising Stars.

St Louis, Missouri, Us

After completing a judicial clerkship at the Missouri Supreme Court, Ms Dodd began the private practice of law at SPvG. She honed her skills as a product litigator, representing manufacturers of heavy equipment, consumer products, asbestos, industrial chemicals and medical products. Licensed to practice in both Missouri and Illinois, Ms Dodd routinely appeared in state and federal courts throughout Missouri and Southern Illinois including the Southern District of Illinois, Madison and St. Clair counties. She distinguished herself as a trial lawyer and ultimately defended her clients throughout the Midwest region. In 1995 she was elevated to Partner, and at the time, was the third woman to achieve partnership status in the history of the firm.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Law

B.J., B.A., With Honors, Journalism, Political Science