Willis A. Siegfried is a Member of the firm and has served in various firm management positions, including Attorney in Charge of Administration and Operations, a member of the firm's Executive Committee and Vice Chairman of the Litigation Division.

Mr. Siegfried is a member of the Litigation Division.  He has trial and appellate experience in several federal and state courts involving a wide range of issues including defense of products liability claims, complex commercial disputes, defense of employment discrimination and other employment related matters, defense of antitrust claims and defamation matters.

A major portion of Mr. Siegfried's trial practice during the past 20 years has consisted of the defense of products liability cases involving pharmaceuticals, chemical exposure toxic tort claims, asbestos and industrial machinery.  As lead counsel representing chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers, Mr. Siegfried has had responsibility for all phases of such litigation through trials and appeals.  As a result, he has extensive experience in evaluating product liability defect and failure to warn claims, working with a variety of medical and scientific experts, and handling all other aspects of claim litigation or settlement negotiation.  A significant aspect of this work has included coordination of such litigation on a national basis for a major chemical and pharmacuetical manufacturer.  In a case of first impression, Mr. Siegfried secured a jury verdict for the firm's client and successfully argued before the Maryland Court of Appeals for the adoption of the sophisticated purchaser defense in strict liability cases.  He has published articles and spoken to various organizations on several aspects of product liability litigation.

Mr. Siegfried is a member of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations and serves as a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Procedural Rules Committee.  He previously served on a special committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association to evaluate the tort litigation system.  Mr. Siegfried has served as a member and president of the school board in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Siegfried has been recognized by his peers for several years as one of Pennsylvania's Super Lawyers^®, ranking among the top five percent of attorneys practicing in the state.  He also holds an AV^® rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Education:
J.D., Pennsylvania State University - The Dickinson School of Law, 1969
B.S., Northwestern University, 1966

Admissions:
Pennsylvania; All Pennsylvania state courts; U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania; U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Sixth and Seventh Circuits; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. Supreme Court

Membership Affiliations:
Pennsylvania Bar Association; Allegheny County Bar Association