Carolyn Collins
Partner

Practice Areas

Experience

Emphasis in asbestos, pharmaceutical and medical device, and other product liability and medical issue-oriented litigation. Ms. Collins has experience defending companies sued in mass tort contexts, as well as substantial experience managing litigation and general litigation, jury trial, and appellate experience.

Representative Engagements

• Work with forensic accounting and economist experts in scrutiny of catastrophic business and property loss claims.
• Involved in national asbestos litigation defense for several Fortune 500 companies. Defends locally or on a regional basis various asbestos defendants sued on "low dose" or other non-traditional theories of liability. Extensive experience working with scientific and medical experts.
• Counseled and litigated numerous matters under Proposition 65 (California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act) 
• Coordinated a team responsible for handling over 3,000 California asbestos cases for a defendant which acquired, by merger, interests of an asbestos manufacturer.
• Representation of medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers in product litigation involving a range of products, including orthopedic implants; member of Western U.S. regional counsel team for major pharmaceutical manufacturer in diptheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) litigation.
• Managed the court-appointed defense liaison function of law firm coordinating the joint discovery of thousands of Northern California asbestos cases. Responsibilities included implementing general orders governing hundreds of defendants and plaintiffs, close interaction with the trial courts, and extensive trial preparation and trial of medical issues.
• Representation of insurance carriers in coverage, bad faith, declaratory relief and related matters; hotels and other premises liability defendants; chemical and equipment manufacturers.

Publications

• “Avoiding Sophisticated User Doctrine In Calif.”, Product Liability Law 360, Guest Column, March 1, 2010. Co-Author, Kell Kress

Languages

Spanish

Admissions

Carolyn is admitted to practice in California.

Education

University of San Francisco School of Law, J.D.
University of California, Berkeley, B.A.

Affiliations

Defense Research Institute
Bar Association of San Francisco
International Association of Defense Counsel
University of San Francisco Board of Governors, Member