Joan P. Depfer

With more than 25 years of litigation and trial experience, Joan concentrates her practice in asbestos litigation, representing equipment and product manufacturers in the defense of asbestos claims and suits brought against them.

Prior to joining Marshall Dennehey in 2004, Joan maintained an active casualty practice with a strong focus on personal injury litigation. Over the course of her career, she has tried dozens of personal injury and consumer credit cases to verdict, and she has additionally represented numerous clients in arbitrations and mediations in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Joan works with each client to identify and implement a litigation strategy that best suits the specifics of their case. Her vast experience allows her to counsel clients on the most cost effective course of action with evaluation of early resolution.

Joan graduated cum laude from Widener University School of Law, where she was research editor for the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law. During law school, Joan worked as a real estate and corporate paralegal at a law firm in Media, Pennsylvania. Joan's legal experience actually began when she served as a frequent court witness during her years as a caseworker with Chester County Children, Youth & Family Services. As an attorney, she has drawn on her caseworker experience in handling pro bono matters.

- Widener University Delaware Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1991)
- Millersville University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1982)
- New Jersey, 1991
- Pennsylvania, 1991
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1991
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1992
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1996
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1996
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 2008
- AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell®
- American Bar Association
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- “Limited Tort Litigation – Using the Plaintiff’s Perspective to Shape the Pleadings and Discovery,” Defense Digest, Vol. 25, No. 1, March 2019
- Asbestos Case: McCloskey v. Allis-Chalmers Prods. Liab. Trust, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25372 (W.D. Pa. Mar. 14, 2011)
- Asbestos Case: Robinson v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 44982 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 7, 2013)
- Consumer Credit Case: Eaton v. Citibank (S.D.), N.A., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23617 (M.D. Pa. Mar. 15, 2010)
- Consumer Credit Case: Handley v. Chase Bank USA, NA, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102781 (D.N.J. Sept. 12, 2011), affirmed by Handley v. Chase Bank USA, NA, 2012 US. App. LEXIS 3708 (3d Cir. NJ, Feb. 24, 2012)
- Consumer Credit Case: Sankowski v. Citibank (S.D.), N.A., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 48634 (E.D. Pa. July 14, 2006)
- Consumer Credit Case: Tagayun v. Citibank, N.A., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38085 (D.N.J. June 9, 2006)
- Success in resolving 50-60 consumer credit disputes prior to trial via settlement or by way of dispositive motion.
- Second chair jury trial experience in catastrophic personal injury matters involving premises or product liability claims. These cases were ultimately resolved for significantly less than the original multi-million dollar demands.