Meghan R. McMeel

Partner ( San Francisco )

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Litigator Meghan McMeel handles complex commercial disputes in a range of areas, including product liability, mass torts, and toxic torts. A skilled trial lawyer and tenacious negotiator, she serves industrial and manufacturing clients facing potentially catastrophic issues, delivering creative solutions, and long-term strategies for their most pressing legal challenges.

Meghan has extensive experience advising manufacturers on product liability issues, successfully defending their products, and reporting to government agencies. She has represented multiple large corporations at trial, filing preliminary injunctions and evidentiary motions, preparing witnesses, and arguing motions. She handles litigation for multiple product manufacturers, including day-to-day litigation, mediation, expert preparation, discovery issues, motion practice, and settlement negotiations.

Meghan also has experience handling patent, commercial litigation, and white collar criminal defense matters, including internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, and debarment proceedings. She advises, investigates, and litigates Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases.

Clients value Meghan’s proactive approach to problem-solving. She anticipates issues that might arise inside or outside the courtroom and advises her clients on how to address the broader business issues surrounding litigation. Because she serves multi-national and global businesses, Meghan maintains a national presence and is admitted to practice in multiple states.

Although she’s a tireless advocate, Meghan also believes in the power and value of good-faith negotiation.

Experience

Representative Engagements

  • Drafted Consumer Product Safety Commission Reports and Health Canada Reports for clients involved in voluntary recalls, including worldwide coordination with other reporting agencies and review of relevant documents and data for production to the agencies.
  • Represented client in employment-related mediation involving particularly sensitive public relations issues in a discrete manner resulting in a prompt multi-termed resolution.
  • Represents clients in product liability and mass tort litigation at a national level, including advising and implementing strategic initiatives.
  • Successfully challenged the admissibility of experts and expert testimony on behalf of a client involved in novel, and potentially mass tort, litigation, successfully shutting down future claims.
  • Represented clients as trial counsel in federal court, including drafting and arguing substantive motions, participating in mandatory settlement conferences, and preparing pre-trial filings.
  • Argued and won a contested summary judgment motion in Los Angeles, California, in asbestos litigation.

Credentials

Education

DePaul University College of Law, J.D., 2012, CALI Supreme Court Litigation and Trial Advocacy
DePaul University, B.A., Political Science, French, 2006, with honors

Bar Admissions

California
Oregon
Washington
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington 

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association
Civil Rights and Social Justice Section, Chairperson
Thurgood Marshall Award (2019)
Tort Trial and Insurance Section
Toxic Torts and Environmental Law General Committee, Co-Chair (2017-2021)
Queens’ Bench
Bar Association of San Francisco
State Bar of California
Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (2020-2023)

Teaching Appointments

Adjunct Professor of Law, University of California – Hastings College of the Law

Honors & Awards

Northern California Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters’ Northern California Super Lawyers (2021)

Publications & Presentations

“The Role of Courts in Managing New Theories of Remedies: The Debates on Medical Financing, Social Inflation, Phantom Damages, and Other Emerging Trends,” (co-panelist) Law & Economics Center (LEC) Civil Justice Fest (November 16, 2020)
“Kik Ruling Is a Step Toward Securities Law Clarity for Crypto,” (co-author) Law360 Commentary (November 13, 2020)
“Social Inflation, Punitive Damages, and U.S. Litigation Trends: Where are claims and verdicts headed?,” (co-panelist) Lloyd’s Market Association (September 22, 2020)
“Social Inflation, Punitive Damages, and U.S. Litigation Trends: Where are claims and verdicts headed?,” (co-panelist) Lloyd’s Market Association (June 8, 2020)
“Sponsors, Influencers & Career Engineering for Legal Counsel," (panelist) Women, Diversity & Change, The Women in Law Summit Series, Chicago, IL (June 6, 2019)
“Sponsors, Influencers & Career Engineering,” (co-panelist) The Women Diversity and Change Summit, San Francisco, CA (November 7, 2018)
“Recent Developments in Toxic Tort & Environmental Law,” (co-author) American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Chapters in 2015, 2016, and 2017 editions regarding household duty claims in the context of asbestos liability and talc litigation
“Potential Regulatory, Environmental, and Litigation Issues with Alternative Power Generation,” (moderator) American Bar Association, Toxic Tort & Environmental Law Committee, Phoenix, AZ (April 6, 2018)
“Understanding and Protecting Privilege,” (co-presenter) CLE Presentation, San Francisco, CA (Jan. 16, 2018)
“Construction Defects,” (contributor) DRI CLE Presentation, San Francisco, CA (Nov. 2014)
“Cloud Computing — Professional Conduct and Ethical Implications,” (co-presenter) CLE Presentation, Chicago, IL (Sept. 12, 2013)

Community Service

Equal Rights Advocates, Steering Committee (2018-2020)
The Raphael House
The Volunteer Center, Board Member (2015-2016)