(May 17, 2012, Philadelphia, PA) – Reed Smith today announced the addition of a second Dechert Big Pharma litigator to its Philadelphia office this month, as counsel James M. Beck joined the firm’s newest partner Stephen J. McConnell in its Life Sciences Health Industry Group (LSHI).

Mr. Beck is a personal injury and product liability litigator and co-host of Drug and Device Law Blog (www.druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com), which the ABA has chosen for its "Blawg 100" every year since 2008. The DDLaw Blog focuses on the many legal issues encountered in the defense of prescription drug and medical device product liability litigation – from preemption to pleading. Mr. Beck is also a frequent speaker on product liability issues.

"Jim is a highly experienced, well regarded product liability attorney with a significant influence on the profession through his popular blog," said Mike Scott, a partner in the firm's Life Sciences Group in Philadelphia. "His accomplishments as a legal writer are exceeded only by his outstanding record of successes as a litigator and his encyclopedic knowledge of product liability matters."

Mr. Beck has handled the development of legal defenses, master briefs, and dispositive motions in a number of recent, high stakes mass torts. In a high-profile orthopedic bone screw matter, he concluded 182 cases with summary judgments and prevailed in every appeal.

"I couldn’t be happier to join Reed Smith, a firm I’ve long admired," said Mr. Beck. "I am looking forward to working with its outstanding Life Sciences group and also expanding my horizons to other complex litigation and mass torts. The firm's focus on relationships and its exceptional client service are legendary and that firm/client team approach to complicated litigation is essential for success."

Mr. Beck is a 17-year member of the Product Liability Advisory Committee (PLAC) and has served on the organization’s case selection committee since 1997. He has authored over 50 amicus curiae briefs on product liability issues for the organization. In 2011, Mr. Beck was awarded PLAC’s John P. Raleigh Award, its highest member honor, in recognition of his contributions to the law of product liability. He was only the eighth recipient of the Raleigh award in PLAC’s almost 30-year history.

Mr. Beck has also prepared amicus briefs for the American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Medical Association and several of its state affiliates, the Anti-Defamation League, the Business Roundtable, the Pennsylvania Defense Research Institute, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Washington Legal Foundation. He has chaired the Publications Subcommittee of the Mass Torts Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association since 2002, earning recognition as the Committee’s Outstanding Subcommittee Chair in 2003-04, 2006-07, and 2008-09.

In 2005 Mr. Beck was elected to the American Law Institute, where he has been active in Members Consultative Groups for the Principles of the Law of Aggregate Litigation and Restatement Third of Torts, Economic Harm projects.

A 1982 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Mr. Beck co-authors the Drug and Medical Device Product Liability Handbook, published in the Law Journal Press in 2004 and updated biannually. He also wrote the seminal article, "FDA, Off-Label Use and Informed Consent: Debunking Myths and Misconceptions," for the Food and Drug Law Journal in 1998. This article, the first major treatment of off-label use of prescription medical products, was cited twice by the Supreme Court of the United States. It has also been followed by over a dozen other appellate court opinions.

"The Philadelphia office will benefit greatly from the synergies of having Jim and Steve MCConnel under one roof," said Ajay Raju, Reed Smith’s Philadelphia Managing Partner. "Their reunion gives us a formidable one-two punch in pharma product and device defense, further expanding and enhancing what has always been one of our strongest groups."

Reed Smith’s Life Sciences Health Industry Group comprises more than 250 professionals across diverse practice areas addressing and solving the problems of businesses operating in the health care, pharma, medical device and biotech sectors. The group currently represents 11 of the 12 largest global pharmaceutical manufacturers and 19 of the 20 world’s leading medical device manufacturers.

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with nearly 1,700 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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