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Personal Injury Lawyer New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia - Our Partners

Our Partners:

At Locks Law Firm, our partners are dedicated to the practice, to their clients, and to helping injured people achieve justice. They founded the law firm on the philosophy that individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Each and every personal injury lawyer at our firm is willing to take on the negligent parties responsible for your injuries. We are outspoken advocates for victims of asbestos exposure, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, auto accidents, and medical malpractice. We are able to provide you with access to a level of representation previously available only to large corporations.

Each personal injury lawyer at the Locks Law Firm has extensive courtroom experience. We thoroughly investigate and develop each case we handle and present it in the most organized and effective manner to insurance adjustors, opposing attorneys, and jurors. Our personal injury attorneys are assisted by a team of more than one hundred professionals with backgrounds in insurance, law enforcement, engineering, accident reconstruction, economic assessment, and investigation. Contact a Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey personal injury lawyer today to schedule a free consultation.

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Gene Locks

The Locks Law Firm was founded by Gene Locks, who established the Firm in Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey after more than 40 years of practice. Since then, the firm has grown into a prominent national environmental, personal injury, consumer-oriented, and complex litigation law firm.

Gene was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and is the product of the Philadelphia public school system. He has dedicated his life to representing the people of Philadelphia and beyond, who have been used and abused by the legal system. He obtains justice for the working people of the world and focuses his work exclusively on helping individuals, not corporations, obtain justice through the legal system. He is an innovator, creator, and a pioneer. Gene Locks is a true people's lawyer.

Gene was a pioneer in asbestos personal injury litigation, having handled such cases and obtaining precedential verdicts in decisions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Virginia, since 1974. Asbestos litigation has since become the largest mass tort in the United States. Gene and the personal injury attorneys at Locks Law Firm have represented in excess of 16,000 personal injury victims in more than 20 different states. Gene is co-counsel and acts in a pro hac vice capacity in both federal and state courts across the country. Gene has tried hundreds of these complex product liability matters. He has participated directly and as amicus in numerous appeals resulting in precedent-setting opinions in many states that have become landmark decisions on a wide spectrum of issues.

Thanks to his litigation experience, negotiating reputation and his ability to persevere and sustain lengthy litigation, Gene was appointed by the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York to the Management Committee of the Agent Orange Litigation, MDL 381. He directed the liability and medical aspects of the Agent Orange cases and was co-chair of the negotiating committee which, at the time, resulted in the largest class action settlement of a personal injury class of victims.

After negotiating the Agent Orange settlement, Gene became involved in other major toxic tort litigation primarily involving environmental and occupational exposure to hazardous substances. This led, in the early 1990s, to his being named as lead counsel in the nationally coordinated asbestos cases. He ultimately became class counsel in a case in which an innovative and creative solution to many major asbestos litigation problems was developed. The principles developed and negotiated have become a model for recent national asbestos resolutions.

Gene served as co-lead counsel in the Asbestos Personal Injury Litigation, MDL 875 in Philadelphia for many years. He became the Chairman and Director of the Board of UNR Industries, Inc. and director of Celotex Corporation and Raytech Corporation, reorganized multi-million dollar former asbestos companies which have paid millions of dollars in benefits to hundreds of thousands of asbestos victims. Gene was chief negotiator representing victims in almost all the 20th century bankruptcy re-organizations. Gene and the attorneys of Locks Law Firm have also represented numerous school districts and other entities across the nation in property damage cases arising from asbestos exposure.

In the late 1990s, Gene and Locks Law Firm attorneys filed class actions in the Diet Drug (Fen-Phen@) Litigation in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Gene was co-lead negotiator in that litigation which culminated in a 3.75 billion dollar settlement of those claims (in Brown v. American Home Products Corp, MDL 1203).

Gene, a former quarterback in college and high school, is a man who plays to win. He chooses to represent those with just positions who deserve to win against the abuses created by large global companies. Nationally and internationally, he and the firm fight to right the injustices of corporate misbehavior by helping individuals to obtain their fair day in court. A born leader, Gene is known for creating winning teams that bring people justice.

Practice Areas: Asbestos Exposure, Toxic Torts, Dangerous Pharmaceuticals, Product Liability, Environmental Litigation, and Professional Negligence

Admitted to Practice:
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, District of Columbia as well as many federal courts in the United States

Education:

Columbia University School of Law, J.D.
Princeton University, B.A.

Professional Affiliations:

American Association for Justice

Board Affiliations & Appointments:
Lead counsel in numerous major national litigation matters and either chairman or member of numerous Chapter 11 reorganization committees involving large manufacturing companies and lead or class counsel in major national class action proceedings.

Co-Lead Class Counsel
Diet Drug Class Action
Brown, et al. v. American Home Products Corporation
Civil Action No. 99-20593, 1999 - Present
Co-Lead Class Counsel
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York Diet Drug Consolidated Litigation.
Co-Lead Class Counsel
Asbestos Victims Class Action
Georgine, et  al. v. Amchem Products, et al
Civil Action No.93-CV-0215, 1992 - 1997
Co-Liaison Counsel
Multi-District Litigation No. 875, In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), 1991 - Present
Member
Agent Orange Plaintiffs' Management Committee
Co-Chairman
Negotiating and Causation Sub-Committees, 1983-1987
Chairman and Lead Negotiator
Official Creditors Committee of Asbestos-Related Plaintiffs
Chairman and/or Lead Negotiator of the following reorganized companies:
MANVILLE Chapter 11 Proceeding, a successfully reorganized public company, in New York, New York Bankruptcy Court, 1982 - 1988
UNR INDUSTRIES, INC.
Chapter 11 Proceedings, a successfully reorganized public company,  in Chicago, Illinois Bankruptcy Court,1982 - 1989
THE CELOTEX CORPORATION
Chapter 11 Proceeding, a successfully reorganized company, in Tampa, Florida Bankruptcy Court, 1990 - 1997
EAGLE-PICHER INDUSTRIES, INC., a successfully reorganized public company, in Cincinnati, Ohio Bankruptcy Court, 1991 - 1996
RAYTECH INDUSTRIES, INC., a successfully reorganized public company, in Connecticut Bankruptcy Court, 2001.

Numerous Lead Counsel roles in various state court coordinated case management complex litigation matters.

Business Activities:

Chairman, UNR Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ), 1991 - 1999
Director, UNR Industries, Inc., 1989 - 2002
Director, Celotex Corporation, 1997 - 2001
Chairman, APEX Teletech Resources, Inc., 1996 - 1997
President, Locks Investments, Ltd., 1990 - Present
Director, Raytech Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ), 2001 - Present

Personal Activities:

Chairman, Board of Managers - The Philadelphia Foundation, one of the largest community foundation in a U.S. city, 1999 – Present,
Board of Managers - The Philadelphia Liberty Medal, 2005
Advisory Board Chairman (Nominee) - Fund for Children - 2006
Trustee and Chairman, Asbestos Victims Special Fund Trust, 1988 -  1996
Board Member - Oceanside Five Condominium Association - 2006, 2007

Certifications and Awards:

Pennsylvania Association for Justice Stalwart Award

Common Name Misspellings: lock, locs, loks, loucks.lachs

Contact Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey personal injury lawyer Gene Locks and our other attorneys today to schedule a case consultation.

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Michael B. Leh

Michael B. Leh, Esquire, is the Managing Partner of the Philadelphia Office of the Locks Law Firm.

Mr. Leh has specialized in complex torts and environmental law, with an emphasis on asbestos, pharmaceutical and environmental litigation since his career began in 1985. He is a member of the Bars of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and has tried cases in state and federal courts in several other states, including New York, Maryland and Kentucky.

His verdicts in Coyne v. Celotex Corp., et al., and McCoubrey v. Celotex Corp., et al., two asbestos cases tried together in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland, were the largest verdicts in the United States in 1988. He has obtained numerous other seven-figure verdicts.

Mr. Leh has successfully tried and settled mesotheliomas and other asbestos cases since 1985.

Mr. Leh, along with partner Jonathan Miller, has been representing the victims of a gasoline spill in ongoing litigation in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania since 2000. This litigation involves twenty-six separate lawsuits alleging personal injuries resulting from exposure to benzene and other constituents of a plume of gasoline caused by leaking underground storage tanks, as well as a medical monitoring class action and property damage claims. This litigation has been resolved wih some defendants and continues against others.

He is currently representing plaintiffs alleging personal injuries caused by occupational exposure to benzene-containing products in twenty separate lawsuits pending in numerous states. He has successfully settled several such cases in the last few years.

He also represents victims in lead paint poisoning, pharmaceutical cases and various product defects.

He has written and spoken on various topics related to complex personal injury and environmental cases and has been featured in a number of national publications.

An opening statement of Mr. Leh's is featured in a textbook on the Art of Trial. Most recently, he has spoken at several national conferences and seminars on various topics related to benzene litigation, including product identification, case selection and ethical issues.

Practice Areas: Toxic Torts, Asbestos Exposure, Dangerous Pharmaceuticals, Chemical Exposure, Environmental Litigation, Complex Personal Injury.

Admitted to Practice:
Pennsylvania (1985), New Jersey (1985), US District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, US District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, US District Court, New Jersey, US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts Temple University, 1979 (cum laude).
Juris Doctor, Temple University School of Law, 1985.

Professional Affiliations:

American Association for Justice
American Bar Association
Pensylvania Bar Association
Pennsylvania Association for Justice
Philadelphia Association for Justice

Common Name Misspellings: lee, lah, lih, le, lay.

If you are a New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey resident and are in need of personal injury lawyer, contact the Locks Law Firm.

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Andrew P. Bell primarily litigates consumer fraud, mass torts, products liability, qui tam and fair labor standard act (FLSA) cases as class or collective actions and as individual actions. Mr. Bell also handles other areas of litigation, including personal injury, asbestos personal injury and property damage, medical malpractice, premises liability, trademark, and civil rights matters. Mr. Bell has argued before both federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the country. Mr. Bell is a partner and has been at Locks Law Firm since 1996.

Mr. Bell has tried or settled asbestos-related and other personal injury actions resulting in recoveries of millions of dollars for the firm’s clients. Mr. Bell was the lead attorney from the New York office in the New York State "fen/phen" diet drug litigation, in which the firm was co-lead counsel. Mr. Bell and co-counsel brought and settled an FCRA class action against a tenant screening credit agency in which $1.9 million was recovered on behalf of New York City tenants.

Practice Areas:
Consumer Fraud
Mass Torts
Product Liability
Wage and Hour Disputes
Qui Tam
Class Actions
Admitted to Practice:
New York (1993)
Connecticut (1992)
United States Supreme Court (2006)
Second Circuit Court of Appeals (2005)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1993)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (1993)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York (2006)
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut (2007)
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Boston University, 1988 (magna cum laude)
Juris Doctor, Columbia Law School, 1992
Professional Affiliations:
National Association of Consumer Advocates
American Association for Justice
Federal Bar Council
American Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Association of the Bar for the City of New York
Nassau County Bar Association.

Common Name Misspellings: bel, belle, beel, bele

Contact Locks Law Firm, serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and communities throughout the nation, to consult with a personal injury attorney.

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Karl Friedrichs

Karl Friedrichs joined the Locks Law Firm in 2001 and has experience in both commercial and personal injury matters. As a partner in the Cherry Hill, New Jersey office, Mr. Friedrichs has been involved in many of the firm's practice areas.  He has briefed and argued complex issues, including disputes involving insurance coverage, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), police liability, and federal jurisdictional requirements.  He routinely appears in courts throughout the State of New Jersey.

Mr. Friedrichs' pro bono work includes his voluntary participation in the Trial Lawyer's Care program, assisting families of victims from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in obtaining damages from the Federal Victim's Compensation Fund.

Mr. Friedrichs has lectured to his peers on a variety of topics including "Medical Records and the New HIPAA Laws" (NJAJ, formerly ATLA-NJ, Boardwalk Seminar, Atlantic City 2005) and "Skills and Methods" (ICLE Seminar, Maple Shade 2004 and 2005).  He has also conducted seminars in the community on automobile insurance coverage issues and nursing home resident rights.  Mr. Friedrichs is the co-author of a book entitled New Jersey Motor Vehicle Law and Practice Forms, published by Thomson West.

Practice Areas:
Motor Vehicle Negligence
Premises Liability
Asbestos Exposure
Medical Malpractice
Nursing Home Abuse
Dangerous Pharmaceuticals
Workplace Injuries
Admitted to Practice:
New Jersey (1996)
Pennsylvania (1996)
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (1997)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (2004)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1997)
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers University, 1993
Juris Doctor, Widener University School of Law, 1996
Professional Affiliations:
American Association for Justice
Association of Trial Lawyers – New Jersey
Camden County Bar Association
Burlington County Bar Association
Board Affiliations and Appointments:
Trial Attorneys New Jersey, Member-Board of Trustees

Common Name Misspellings: friedrich, friedrick, friedricks, freidrichs, fredrichs,

Contact a personal injury attorney at Locks Firm in New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania to schedule a consultation

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Michael A. Galpern

Michael A. Galpern has tried many bench and jury trials.  In addition to drafting numerous briefs before the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the New Jersey Appellate Division, Mr. Galpern briefed and argued Kiss vs. Jacob, 138 NJ 278 (1994), a landmark ruling of the New Jersey Supreme Court establishing allocation of damages in multi-defendant cases. On behalf of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America – New Jersey, Mr. Galpern wrote the Amicus brief in Laidlow v Harington Machinery Company, 170 N.J. 602 (2002), another landmark ruling which allows workers who are injured as a result of their employers' deliberate acts to seek legal action against those employers.

Prior to becoming a member of the Locks Law Firm, Mr. Galpern served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jerome B. Simandle, U.S. District Court, Camden, New Jersey, from 1988 to 1989; he also presently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Rutgers School of Law, where he has taught since 1998.

Mr. Galpern has been an invited lecturer on numerous occasions, speaking on subjects related to civil litigation and complex torts. He has lectured on a variety of topics, including how to handle medical malpractice cases, how to sue HMOs for medical malpractice, and how to conduct direct and cross-examination of witnesses.

Practice Areas: Product Liability, Toxic Torts, Class Actions, Employment Discrimination, Medical Malpractice

Admitted to Practice: Pennsylvania, New Jersey

Education:

Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers University, 1985
Juris Doctor, Rutgers Law School, 1988

Professional Affiliations:

Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Key Person Committee
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
Philadelphia Bar Association
Camden County Bar Association
New Jersey State Bar Association

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Association of Trial Lawyers of America – New Jersey, Board of Governors

Common Name Misspellings: alpern,galpen, galpin, gallpern

If you have been a victim of another's negligence, contact Locks Law Firm in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to schedule a consultation with a personal injury lawyer.

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Thomas L. Gowen

With more than 30 years experience in civil litigation, Thomas Gowen is a partner in the Locks Law Firm.  His practice is concentrated primarily in the areas of complex personal injury and civil litigation.  He has represented clients in a wide range of claims, including product liability, traumatic brain injury, and medical malpractice and achieved the first million dollar verdict in Montgomery County Pennsylvania history in a case involving an accident on an amusement park ride.  In addition to personal injury representation, Mr. Gowen handles commercial and estate claims.  He has handled many cases involving traumatic brain injury, carbon monoxide poisoning, medical malpractice, product liability, sports injuries and toxic exposures.  His product liability cases have involved design defect claims on trampolines, cornpickers, automobiles, medical devices, extruders, injection molders, saws, scaffolds, ladders, lawnmowers, propane tanks and other products.  He has also worked on cases involving international terrorism and fraternity hazing.  He has briefed and argued cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  

He has lectured at the NJAJ (formerly ATLA-NJ) Convention, the NJAJ (formerly ATLA-NJ) annual meeting, the Belli Seminar and various other legal education seminars. He has published legal articles in Am Jur Trials, the Practicing Law Institute's A Guide for Legal Assistants, The Barrister, The Pennsylvania Law Journal Reporter, and other journals. His articles have addressed the failure to diagnose child abuse, traumatic brain injury, liability for sports injuries and product liability among other topics. He was a co-author of the “Philadelphia Head Injury Questionnaire”, used to help in screening subtle traumatic brain injury symptoms. Mr. Gowen is a member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.

Mr. Gowen is also a past chairman of the Comcast US Indoor Tennis Tournament on the ATP Tour, a founder of and counsel to the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center, a state arbitrator for the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, and past president of the National Junior Tennis League of Philadelphia.

Practice Areas: Complex Personal Injury, Civil Litigation

Admitted to Practice:

Pennsylvania Supreme Court 1977
Eastern District of Pennsylvania 1977
Third Circuit Court of Appeals 2002
District of Columbia Court of Appeals 2002
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 2006

Education:

Haverford College
Villanova University School of Law

Professional Affiliations:

National College of Advocacy – Faculty Member and Fellow
Montgomery Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Committee – Past Chairman
American Association for Justice
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Pennsylvania Association for Justice

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Pennsylvania Association for Justice – Board of Governors
Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education-Counsel and Board of Directors

Certifications and Awards:

Fellow of the National College of Advocacy

Common Name Misspellings: gowan, gauen, gowin, goen, gown, gallon

Locks Law Firm represents individuals from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and throughout the country.  Contact a personal injury lawyer with our firm to schedule a consultation to discuss your claim.

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Steven P. Knowlton

Steven P. Knowlton is a partner in the New York and New Jersey offices of the Locks Law Firm.  As a former intensive care and emergency room nurse, Mr. Knowlton brings particular expertise to the areas of pharmaceutical, product liability, toxic exposure, and medical malpractice litigation, providing experienced representation in both the individual plaintiff and class action settings.

Working with our firm's own James Pettit, Mr. Knowlton was part of the trial team in the Vadino v. American Home Products diet drug class action proceedings in New Jersey.  He also served as counsel on the only silicone breast implant case to reach the trial stage in that state.

Mr. Knowlton lectures frequently to physicians and allied health care providers on medicolegal issues and has authored a book chapter on legal issues in long-term care. He is also the peer-reviewed author of a featured legal column in Advances in Skin and Wound Care. Additionally, Mr. Knowlton is a speaker and presenter at numerous bar and professional association functions.

Practice Areas: Dangerous Pharmaceuticals, Toxic Torts, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability

Admitted to Practice: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Eastern and Southern District Courts of New York, District Court of New Jersey

Education:

Associate in Applied Science, College of Staten Island, City University of New York (Nursing, cum laude)
Bachelor of Arts, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Juris Doctor, The New York Law School (cum laude)

Professional Affiliations:

New York State Bar Association
American Trial Lawyers Association
New York State Trial Lawyers Association

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Chairman – Village of Nyack Zoning Board of Appeals

Common Name Misspellings: knolton, nowlton, nolton, knowlten

Contact the Locks Law Firm at our offices in Pennsylvania, New York, or New Jersey to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer regarding your claim.

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David Douglas Langfitt

Areas of Practice: Complex Commercial Litigation, Securities, Mass Tort, Patent and Copyright

Professional Experience: David Langfitt is a partner in the Locks Law Firm. He has litigated and tried to verdicts and judgments a wide variety of complex commercial cases involving the federal securities laws, professional liability, and infringement of patents and copyrights.

Prior to a recent victory in a patent case, Mr. Langfitt litigated multiple civil cases brought by or on behalf of 551 plaintiffs, many of whom were injured or killed in the February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Since 2001, Mr. Langfitt has been counsel to the Receiver of Bentley Financial Services, a financial services company that once operated as a Ponzi scheme. In May and June 2006, Mr. Langfitt tried to a jury a lawsuit against a bank and brokerage firm for aiding and conspiring with the Ponzi scheme. Mr. Langfitt obtained a $32.7 million verdict against the bank and the brokerage firm, which was the highest jury verdict in Pennsylvania for 2006.

Mr. Langfitt has extensive experience litigating disputes involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and claims arising under the federal securities laws. He has successfully litigated cases involving commercial contracts, merger agreements, agreements arising under the Investment Advisors Act, and insurance contracts. In the last three years, Mr. Langfitt litigated claims in the bankruptcy context on behalf of creditors challenging a pre packaged bankruptcy plan. He has also brought claims on behalf of creditors in bankruptcy adversary proceedings alleging, among other things, fraudulent transfer, breach of fiduciary duty, and substantive consolidation.

Early in his career, Mr. Langfitt was appointed habeas corpus counsel for former death row inmate Clifford Smith and succeeded in overturning Mr. Smith's first degree murder conviction before the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The published opinion is cited as Smith v. Horn 120 F.3d 400 (3d Cir. 1997). Mr. Langfitt later defended Mr. Smith in his retrial for first degree murder in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, where Mr. Smith succeeded in avoiding the death penalty. Mr. Langfitt is co author of Ineffective of Assistance of Counsel in Death Penalty Cases, published in September 2000 in Litigation, the magazine of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association.

Professional Associations: Mr. Langfitt currently a member of the Corporate Executive Board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is the former Chair of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the largest public mural program in the United States that has produced approximately 3,000 public murals throughout Philadelphia County, and remains a member of the Executive Committee of the Program. He is vice president of Ralston Center, an institution focusing on the needs of the elderly poor in Philadelphia. Mr. Langfitt also serves on the Board of Directors of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research.

Admitted to Practice: Mr. Langfitt is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and the Eastern District of Michigan, the District Court of Rhode Island, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Education: Mr. Langfitt graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He received a M.Sc. in Economic History from The London School of Economics in 1980 and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1992, where he served as an Editor of the Annual Survey of American Law.

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Jerry A. Lindheim

Jerry A. Lindheim is a Partner in the Locks Law Firm.  He received his Bachelor's degree in biology from Temple University Magna Cum Laude) in 1983.  After graduating from college, Mr. Lindheim worked for several years for local unions as a medical auditor.  In this capacity, he evaluated the medical records and hospitalization and the reasonableness of costs and billing.  Thereafter, Mr. Lindheim entered Temple University School of Law, where he was a member of the I. Herman Moot Court Honor Society for trial advocacy and participated in the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA).  He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law in 1988.

Mr. Lindheim is licensed and admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, State of New Jersey and U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Mr. Lindheim has also been authorized to practice in several other state and federal jurisdictions.

In his two decades of litigation, he has served as trial counsel in over one hundred (100) jury and non-jury trials and arbitration matters.  He has represented numerous plaintiffs in medical malpractice litigation, as well as in product liability claims, defective machinery, pharmaceutical/medication errors, automobile accidents, premises liability claims, nursing home litigation, civil rights claims, as well as insurance coverage disputes associated with automobile, health, property and commercial homeowner's policies.

He has also volunteered where he has taught students at local high schools on topics of civil practice and procedure.  Mr. Lindheim has lectured on topics of evidence deposition trial and courtroom practice for the Courts and his peers.

Practice Areas:
Medical Negligence, Nursing home negligence, product liability, dangerous pharmaceuticals, medication errors, motor vehicle accidents, recreation and sporting accidents, premises liability, claims against governmental entities, insurance coverage disputes.

Admitted to Practice:

Pennsylvania (1988)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1989)
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania (2005)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1992)
New Jersey (1988); U.S. District, District of New Jersey (1988)
United States Court of Federal Claims (1994)

Education:

Drexel University, 1979 (Phi Etasigma - Honor Society)
Temple University, Bachelor of Science, biology, 1983
(Magnum Cum Laude)
Temple University School of Law, 1988
(I. Herman Mott Court Society, Tau Epsilon Rho)

Professional Affiliations:

American Association of Justice
Pennsylvania Association of Justice
Philadelphia Bar Association
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
Lawyer Referral Information Service (LRIS)

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Co-chair Tort Litigation Section
Arbitration Panelist - Philadelphia County

Common Name Misspellings: linheim, lindhime, lindhiem, lyndheim, lindbaum

Contact Locks Law Firm – serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and communities nationwide – to schedule a consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

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Jonathan W. Miller

APPELLATE PRACTICE

Jonathan Miller is a partner who specializes in appellate practice and complex litigation. He has written and argued appellate briefs in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey appellate courts as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has participated in appeals that changed the law. His most recent and most significant victory was as an amicus curiae on behalf of the New Jersey Association for Justice in Nicastro v. McIntyre Machinery America, Ltd., 201 N.J. 48, 987 A.2d 575 (2010), in which the New Jersey Supreme Court adopted his argument that the realities of globalization should be considered in applying the stream of commerce theory of personal jurisdiction. The Nicastro case is now before the United States Supreme Court, where Mr. Miller is the lead author of an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the American Association for Justice.

Another case stopped the retroactive application of law that barred claims of increased risk and fear of asbestos-related cancer. See Cleveland v. Johns-Manville Corp., 547 Pa. 402, 690 A.2d 1146 (1997). Another addressed the novel issue in New Jersey of apportionment of damages for lung cancer between asbestos exposure and cigarette smoking. See Dafler v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 259 N.J. Super. 17, 611 A.2d 136 (App. Div. 1992), affirmed, 132 N.J. 96, 622 A.2d 1305 (1993) (per curiam). He submitted amicus curiae briefs on the issues of set-offs in strict liability verdicts, see Baker v. AC&S, Inc., 562 Pa. 290, 755 A.2d 664 (2000), and of costs on behalf of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice in the landmark Paoli Railroad Yard PCB Litigation cases. See In re: Paoli Railroad Yard PCB Litigation, 221 F.3d 449, 465-66 & n.8 (3rd Cir. 2000). He was in charge of appellate briefing and argument on the issue of forum non conveniens on behalf of all United Kingdom residents who filed suit in New Jersey state court for injuries caused by Vioxx. See In re Vioxx Litigation, 395 N.J. Super. 358, 928 A.2d 935 (App. Div.), certif. denied, 193 N.J. 221, 936 A.2d 968 (2007).

He was Chief of Appeals in the Defender Association of Philadelphia prior to joining Locks Law Firm. As an assistant public defender, one of his cases established Pennsylvania law on the withdrawal of guilty pleas. See Com. v. Forbes, 450 Pa. 185, 299 A.2d 268 (1973). Another won a complicated question of federal-state immunity, see Com. v. Fattizzo, 223 Pa. Super. 378, 299 A.2d 22 (1972).

COMPLEX LITIGATION
Mr. Miller has extensive experience in complex litigation of all types, including class actions. In Hazleton, PA, service stations leaked gasoline from their underground storage tanks, polluting a residential area, sickening or killing over a dozen of the neighbors and lowering the value of 400 homes. From 2000 to 2010, he was the partner in charge of day to day prosecution of the Hazleton environmental lawsuits involving 1100 neighbors as plaintiffs against four major oil companies and over a dozen additional defendants. He has previously litigated asbestos property damage and personal injury cases in Denver, Chicago, New York and Kentucky, in addition to medical device and breach of contract cases in Philadelphia. He litigated over a thousand criminal cases as an assistant public defender where, in addition to being Chief of Appeals, he was Chief of Motions and Juvenile and an assistant federal defender.

He has participated in major asbestos bankruptcies. In a rare honor, he was accepted in the Celotex bankruptcy as an expert witness on the subject of asbestos property damage. He has participated in ground-breaking asbestos class action and bankruptcy settlements, including Amchem, Diet Drugs, and Celotex.

Practice Areas:
Toxic Torts, Complex Litigation, Class Actions, Trial Practice, Appellate Practice

Admitted to Practice:
Pennsylvania (1970); U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1971); U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1972); U.S. Supreme Court (1986); U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania (1986); New Jersey (1987); U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (1986); U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit (1988); New York Supreme Court, Third Department (1997)

Education:

Bachelor of Arts, Yale University, 1967 (cum laude)
Juris Doctor, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1970 (law review, cum laude, Order of the Coif)

Professional Affiliations:

American Association for Justice
Pennsylvania Association for Justice
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Assistant Public Defender – Philadelphia; Head – Appeals, Juvenile, and Motions Departments
He was a member and chairman of the Haddonfield, NJ, zoning board.

Common Name Misspellings: jonathon, jonothan, jonathn, milla, mille, millar, milller

Contact a personal injury lawyer at our New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania offices Locks Law Firm to discuss the details of your claim.

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James J. Pettit, Esq.

James J. Pettit, has been a partner in the firm since 1989 and is the Managing Partner of the New Jersey office. He has tried numerous bench and jury trials in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, both in federal and state courts and has obtained five (5) verdicts in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).

Mr. Pettit manages all operations in the State of New Jersey for Locks Law Firm. He has handled complex litigation in pharmaceutical litigation and other product liability, mass torts and class actions.

Practice Areas

Pharmaceutical/Medical Devices  Litigation
(Accutane®, YAZ®, Yasmin®, Ocella, Trasylol, Kugel Mesh, Medtronic leads, Vioxx, Fen-Phen, Fosamax, Digitek®, Fentanyl Pain Patch, and ACTOS)
Defective Motor Vehicles
Toyota Sudden Unintended Acceleration
(Airbags, seatbacks, seatbelts, rollovers, unsafe interiors, steering fluid)
Workplace Injuries
(Chemical exposures, explosions, falls)
Traumatic Brain Injury
Class Actions
(Digitek®, Fen-Phen, Mercury, Medical Monitoring, Kiddie Kollege)
Asbestos
Qui Tam Whistleblower Litigation
Equipment Financing: Banks and leasing companies frequently exploit mid-size and small companies which need equipment ranging from photocopiers to tractors and everything in between, but they cannot afford to (or choose not to) purchase the equipment outright. The banks and lessors avoid insurance regulations in the way they force lessee companies to insure the leased equipment. They charge fees and add clauses to agreements that similarly violate the law. Frequently they charge interest in violaton of the Usury Statute. The lessee companies have legal remedies and have the right to sue the banks and leasing companies over these illegal practices.

Certification

Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney in 1996 and re-certified in 2004 and 2009.

Education

Temple University 1973
Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) 1980

Licenses

California 1980
Pennsylvania 1982
New Jersey 1983

Trials

Defective Seatback
Obtained $2.1 million jury verdict in Mercer County, New Jersey against DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
Class Action
Co-lead trial counsel in statewide class action jury trial against Wyeth involving Fen-Phen (Diet Drug Litigation) which lasted over two months in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Asbestos
Dozens of jury verdicts in federal and state court in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, including verdicts of $5 million punitive damages, $1 million compensatory, $1.6 million compensatory, $1.3 million compensatory and $1.2 million compensatory.
Defective Airplane Compartment
Won a $300,000 jury verdict against Boeing in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, arising out of a defectively designed flight attendant compartment.

Settlements

Settled complex asbestos product liability cases totaling millions of dollars.
Settled complex pharmaceutical product liability cases totaling millions of dollars (confidential amounts).
Settled motor vehicle product liability cases involving unsafe interiors and rollovers resulting in death (confidential amounts).
Settled silicosis, workplace explosion, workplace fall and other complex occupational torts, motor vehicle, hotel accident, and store fall accident cases.

Complex Litigation Positions Held

Court-appointed Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel, Kiddie Kollege mercury contamination class action.
Mr. Pettit was appointed Liaison Counsel by the New Jersey Mass Tort Judge for all Phenylpropanolamine ("PPA") litigation in New Jersey.
Court-appointed to federal MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in In Re Digitek® litigation
Selected by fellow plaintiffs' counsel as co-lead trial counsel in Vadino v. American Home Products class action diet drug jury trial in New Jersey.
Co-chair of statewide Propulsed Discovery Committee in New Jersey.
Conducted foreign discovery in France under the Hague Convention in Fen-Phen litigation.

Appellate Work

Mr Pettit has briefed and argued many cases to the appellate courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Pettit’s appeal issues involved complex issues of medical monitoring , the right to file a second lawsuit arising out of the same toxic exposure, the jurisdiction of federal courts, the defense of punitive damages awards, forum non conveniens, corporate indemnity and foreign discovery under the Hague Convention.

Memberships

American Association for Justice
New Jersey Association for Justice
New Jersey State Bar Association
Legislative Coordinator, Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section (2008)
Secretary, Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section, NJ State Bar Association (2010)
Delegate, General Council (2008)
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers
Camden County Bar Association

State Bar Positions

2010 – Chair, Products Liability & Toxic Tort Section
2009-2010 – Council Delegate

Recent Lectures/Seminars

May 15, 2008 - with NJSBA – Products Liability overview
April 2, 2009 - with NJSBA – Law on Product Warnings and Choice of Law
April 27, 2009 - with NJSBA – Use of Technology in the Courtroom
May 14, 2009 - with NJSBA – Mass Torts (with Judges Higbee, McCormick and Happas)
May 25, 2010 - with NJSBA – Mass Torts - Ethics, Liens and Strategies
April 2010 – Camden County Bar Association - Trial Technology
April 2011 – New Jersey Association for Justice - Mass Torts
April 2011 – New Jersey Association for Justice - Depositions
June 2011 – Camden County Bar Association - Electronic Discovery & Social Networks

Board Affiliations and Appointments

Chair of the Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association 2010-2011
2011 NJ Association for Justice (NJAJ), appointed Member, Civil Practice Committee

James Pettit Articles

March 2011 – New Jersey Law Journal - Medical Monitoring
August 2011 – New Jersey Lawyer Magazine - Medical Monitoring

Common Name Misspellings: petit, petite, petit, pettitt

A personal injury lawyer at our New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey office can review the details of your claim and help you determine the best course of action to settle your dispute.  Contact Locks Law Firm to schedule a consultation.

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Janet C. Walsh

Hailing from Limerick City, Ireland, Janet concentrates her practice in complex product liability plaintiff representation, including asbestos litigation and also represents plaintiffs in actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act for failure to pay overtime.

As a member of the Locks Law Firm team since 1996, Ms. Walsh has been instrumental in the revival of the Irish Lawyers Association (now the Irish American Bar Association of New York). She currently serves as the organization’s treasurer after serving as its president from 2001 to 2002. Ms. Walsh also assists Irish individuals and corporate entities in matters of American law.

Practice Areas:
Product Liability
Toxic Torts
Asbestos Litigation
Dangerous Pharmaceuticals
Employment Law
Admitted to Practice:
New York (1995)
Roll of Solicitors, Republic of Ireland (1995)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1995)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (1996)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York (2008)
U.S. Supreme Court (2003)
Education:
Bachelor of Civil Law, Law Faculty at University College Dublin, Ireland, 1991
Law Society of Ireland, 1994
Professional Affiliations:
American Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
American Association for Justice (Formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
Irish American Bar Association of New York
Board Affiliations and Appointments:
Irish American Bar Association of New York – Treasurer (past president, 2001-2002)
Certifications and Awards:
Named one of the Irish Voice's 75 Most Influential Irish American Women in 2009
Law Society of Ireland Conveyancing Prize

Common Name Misspellings: welsh, wash, wals, walsch, walch, warsh

Contact Locks Law Firm, serving New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, to schedule a consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney.  If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of another's negligence, one of our lawyers can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

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Marc P. Weingarten

National Board of Trial Advocacy

Marc Weingarten became an associate with Locks Law Firm in 1978 and has been a partner since 1983. Before coming to the firm, he was a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas A. Pitt, Jr., in the Court of Common Pleas, Chester County, Pennsylvania from 1976-1978.

Mr. Weingarten focuses his practice on complex personal injury litigation. He has served as trial counsel in over one hundred jury and non-jury trials. He has also represented numerous plaintiffs in medical malpractice litigation, as well as in product liability and class action claims involving asbestos, Selacryn, Bendectin®, defective pharmaceutical products, flammable fabrics, defective machinery, and more. Mr. Weingarten has served as lead counsel in numerous asbestos property damage claims, including those involving Adams-Arapahoe County Board of Education (Colorado), Baltimore County and Baltimore County Board of Education (Maryland), Anne Arundel County Board of Education and Anne Arundel County (Maryland), the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), the Chicago Board of Education (Illinois), and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  Additionally, Mr. Weingarten tried the first successful property damage claims against manufacturers of asbestos pipe and boiler insulation materials and vinyl asbestos floor tile.

Throughout his career, Mr. Weingarten has been active in donating his time to pro bono activities.   He is an accomplished lecturer and has published extensively on the subject of complex litigation with an emphasis on asbestos.  Mr. Weingarten has published thirteen articles in various journals, including a chapter in a book on Asbestos Diseases. In addition, he has given lectures at or chaired over thirty-five seminars and conferences throughout the United States, as well as in England and Wales.

Practice Areas:
Complex Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability, Asbestos Disease, Class Actions, Pharmaceutical Litigation.

Admitted to Practice:
Pennsylvania (1976), New York (1987), Kentucky (1988), United States Supreme Court (1983), United States Courts of Appeals, 3rd Circuit (1981), 2nd and 10th Circuits (1988), 6th Circuit (1996), numerous federal district courts.

Education:

Temple University, 1973 (magna cum laude)
Villanova University School of Law, 1976

Professional Affiliations:

American Inns of Court – Master
College of Master Advocates and Barristers – Senior Counsel
International Academy of Litigators – Diplomat
American Association for Justice
Pennsylvania Association for Justice
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (England)
Pan European Organization of Personal Injury Lawyers
Australian Plaintiff's Lawyers Association
South African Plaintiff's Lawyers Association
International Bar Association

Board Affiliations and Appointments:

Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association – Comptroller, Board of Directors
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association/ Pennsylvania Association for Justice – Board of Governors
Association of Trial Lawyers of America/ American Association for Justice
Student Trial Advocacy Competition – Regional Coordinator (1999, 2000)
International Practice Section – Co-chair, Vice-chair, Education Coordinator
International Relations Committee, 1999 - present
Mediator/Arbitrator for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1992-present)
Mediator/Arbitrator for the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (1978-present)
Settlement Master/ Judge Pro Tempore for the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (1992-present)
American Bar Association, Committee on Toxic and Hazardous Substances and Environmental Law – Vice-chair
Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Hearing Committee 1.07 – Member (1995 - 1997), Chairman (1997-2000)
*Senior Hearing Committee Member (2005 – present)

Certifications and Awards:

Kentucky Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Recognition Award (1992 - 1994, 1997, 2000 - 2007)
National Board of Trial Advocacy, Certified Trial Specialist (1988; re-certified – 1993, 1998, 2003)
Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® – Plaintiff Personal Injury (2005-2008)
National College of Advocacy, Advocate – 1977; Fellow – 2002
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
American Law Institute, elected to membership - 2003

Common Name Misspellings: wiengarten, wiengarden, weingarden, winegarten, winegarden

If you or a loved one has been a victim of another's negligence, contact Locks Law Firm in New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania to schedule a consultation with a personal injury lawyer.  Our experienced attorneys can help you obtain the compensation and justice you deserve.

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Andrew J. DuPont

Andrew J. DuPont is a Philadelphia native and a 2003 graduate of Temple University Law School. He began working at the Locks Law Firm as a law clerk in 2002 and joined as an attorney after admission to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey State Bars in 2003.

Since joining the firm, Andrew has represented clients from across the country in a variety of actions, including asbestos and benzene toxic tort claims. Fluent in Portuguese, Andrew also represents members of the Portuguese speaking communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Practice Areas:
Asbestos Exposure
Toxic Torts
Admitted to Practice:
Pennsylvania (2003)
New Jersey (2003)
Education:
Temple University Law School, 2003
Professional Affiliations:
Philadelphia Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association
American Bar Association
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Common Name Misspellings: dupon, dpont, dupolt, depont

A personal injury attorney at the New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey offices of Locks Law Firm can review your injury claim and help you obtain compensation for your injuries.  Contact us to schedule a consultation.

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