On the Pulse...Profile of Our Health Care Liability Department

Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin has been providing defense representation in the area of healthcare liability for over 40 years. Presently, the members of our Healthcare Liability Department are handling over 2,000 medical malpractice cases firmwide. Additionally, our Healthcare Department has a thriving health law practice, handling matters from data breach and HIPAA violations to shepherding large insurance companies in gaining approval for Managed Care Organizations.

The attorneys in our department have handled virtually every type of medical malpractice claim, ranging from emergency department and OB-GYN claims to long-term care cases and dental malpractice cases. One of our members tried the first cardiac transplant case in Pennsylvania to a defense verdict. Attorneys in the department have handled credentialing and licensing issues and have dealt with investigations involving government agencies.

One of the major strengths of our department is our ability to handle matters in a multitude of venues and in six states. The firm's offices throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Delaware, Ohio and New York enable us to provide coverage throughout these states.

In addition to traditional medical malpractice defense areas, our firm has specialized groups to deal with defense of claims in advanced medical technology, biosciences, pharmaceutical and human services cases. Within our department is a specialized group for each of these disciplines. We have partnered with insurance companies and corporations who are on the cutting edge of these issues.

Some examples of our depth include our practice in New Jersey. In our Cherry Hill and Roseland offices, we have a total of seven senior trial lawyers. Combined, these lawyers have a total of 240 years of experience in defending healthcare liability claims.

It is without doubt that our attorneys in Pennsylvania are the "strongest bench among any firms who do healthcare liability practice work." This description was coined by several of our carriers.

With the combined established expertise of our healthcare liability attorneys and our health law attorneys, our Healthcare Liability Department is poised to respond to all of the legal needs of healthcare providers. Clearly, based on this expertise, our department is the most accomplished of any healthcare practice group in the states which we serve. We have a balanced blend of experienced senior trial lawyers, junior trial lawyers, senior associates and paralegals who work together to provide the best results for our clients.

As part of our service to our clients, we frequently make ourselves available to give lectures, seminars or other presentations on issues of mutual concern. We strongly believe that our practice group affords clients a unique blend of dedication, geographical coverage and cost effectiveness in the field of healthcare legal work. Kevin FitzPatrick, assistant director of the department, and I welcome the opportunity to answer questions regarding any area of our healthcare practice work and, of course, are honored to serve our clients and provide the best legal representation available.

*Kate is Director of the firm's Healthcare Liability Department. She works in our King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, office and can be reached at (610) 354-8255 or ksmcgrath@mdwcg.com.

Defense Digest, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2010