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Michelle is a member of Reed Smith’s Commercial Litigation Group.  She has experience with large-scale and complex litigation in the areas of securities, product liability, and intellectual property. Her clients include global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and publicly traded financial services and energy companies. She is experienced in all aspects of litigation, with significant law and motion practice in both state and federal courts.

Representative Matters

• Successfully represented former Chairman of a bank that was subsidiary to a national mortgage company in securities class action litigation involving SEC risk disclosures with respect to the bank’s mortgage holdings.

• Obtained summary judgment rulings on multiple cases in California, Wisconsin, Texas and Nevada state and federal courts based on the defense of federal preemption in favor of leading medical device manufacturer in a product liability cases.

• Member of trial team representing world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in product liability litigation.

Publications

• Co-author, “Bi-Annual Update Regarding Pharmaceutical Drug and Medical Device Federal Preemption: The Supreme Court Speaks in Riegel v. Medtronic,” Reed Smith’s Product Liability Update (February 2008)
• Co-author, “Bi-Annual Update Regarding Pharmaceutical Drug and Prescription Device Federal Preemption: Breaking Developments from the Supreme Court and More,” Reed Smith’s Product Liability Update (October 2007)
• Co-author, “The Effect of Preemption on Pharmaceutical Advertising,” American Conference Institute’s Fifth Annual In-House Counsel & Regulatory Forum on Advertising Law for the Pharmaceutical Industry (January 23-24, 2007)
• Co-author, “Bi-Annual Update Regarding Pharmaceutical Drug and Medical Device Federal Preemption,” Reed Smith’s Product Liability Update (March 2007)
• Co-author, “Comprehensive Update on the Federal Preemption Defense,” American Conference Institute’s 11th Annual Conference, Drug and Medical Device Litigation (December 13-15, 2006)
• Co-author, “Bi-Annual Update Regarding Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Federal Preemption,” Reed Smith’s Product Liability Update (September 2006)
• Co-author, "Federal Preemption in Medical Device Cases: Does It Still Apply if the Product Has Been Recalled or Voluntarily Recalled From the Market?" Drug, Device and Biotech, International Association of Defense Counsel (July 2004)

Experience

Legal Education

Undergraduate Education

Professional Admissions / Qualifications

• California