Ann Marie Walsh

Ann Walsh has vast experience as a trial attorney. For more than 30 years, Ann has practiced in the trial area focusing on product liability and commercial litigation. She regularly represents clients in a variety of commercial disputes, including breach of contract, contract termination and warranty disputes and has been extensively involved in contract drafting and negotiations. Ann has also defended motions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunction.

Ann also has defended major manufacturers of a broad variety of products, including:

• Automotive
• Agricultural
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Construction
• Consumer
• Pharmaceutical
• Food and beverage
• Electrical
• Mining
• Recreational
• Chemical
• Industrial

She has counseled manufacturers with respect to product liability prevention, regulatory compliance and recalls as well as product warnings and labels. In addition, she has participated in numerous root cause analyses investigating the cause of failures in a variety of industries. Ann has been involved in representing and counseling pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers throughout the country in cases involving drug packaging, adverse experience reporting requirements and warnings.

Ann's experience includes trials, alternative dispute resolutions and appeals in a large number of jurisdictions where she acts as lead trial counsel. To date, Ann has handled cases in more than 45 states. She has also acted as national, regional and local counsel in nationwide litigation.

Ann is Co-Chair of the Firm's Pro Bono Committee and handles and supervises a variety of pro bono projects and cases. Ann was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind Kane Legal Clinic.

Ann's representative experience includes:

• Extensive contract drafting and contract negotiation in the automotive industry, ‎‎including supply contracts, product investigations, root cause analyses, etc. ‎
• Product liability counsel for a major manufacturer and distributor of plumbing ‎and ‎HVAC products, ‎including copper tube, valves, fittings, plastic products and ‎‎other components
• National counsel with one other attorney for major automotive parts supplier in ‎‎cases involving complex ‎mechanical and electrical products and often ‎‎catastrophic injuries or death. Lead attorney for all cases ‎in half of the country. ‎‎Developed database and program for an efficient approach to written ‎discovery, ‎‎expert testimony, legal issues and key trial issues
• Lead trial attorney on behalf of a variety of product manufacturers resulting in ‎‎defense verdicts or ‎nominal settlements, including trials involving issues of ‎‎crashworthiness, airbag design, sensor ‎technology, unwanted acceleration, ‎‎vehicle handling, pharmaceutical warnings, and contaminated food ‎and ‎‎beverage
• Represented a parts supplier in a breach of contract suit relating to ‎manufacturer's ‎early termination of a ‎supply contract and defended against a ‎motion for a ‎temporary restraining order
• Prosecuted and defended warranty claims arising from products in a variety of ‎‎industries
• National counsel for a mining company in its silicosis litigation and supervised ‎the ‎development and ‎publishing of cutting-edge scientific work for use in the ‎‎defense of the litigation
• Product liability counseling to major food processing equipment company, ‎‎consumer goods retailer and ‎automotive parts supplier manufacturers, including ‎‎product liability prevention and regulatory ‎compliance
• Conducted recalls on behalf of manufacturers, retailers and distributors
• Regional counsel for product manufacturer in its asbestos litigation
• Handled several matters involving marine products, including engines, ‎intermodal ‎tank containers, ‎transmissions, cargo slings, etc. in both domestic ‎and ‎international applications
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a consumer product manufacturer for ‎‎plaintiff's failure to ‎properly preserve the evidence. Summary judgment affirmed ‎‎on appeal and established the law in ‎Wisconsin on spoliation of evidence in a ‎‎product liability case
• Represented a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer in a case involving ‎‎catastrophic injuries and developed ‎a manufacturer identification defense
• Handled appeals in numerous states after defense verdicts or summary ‎judgments for ‎our client