Overview
Jan Dodd is a nationally recognized trial lawyer known for her courtroom representation of clients in product liability, mass torts, and toxic exposures. In a career spanning more than 25 years, she has tried lawsuits throughout the country in both state and federal courts including Arizona, California, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and New York. She has won verdicts in product liability and mass tort cases, as well as suits involving premises liability for violent crimes. In addition, Jan has successfully argued appeals in the Seventh and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals as well as the state appellate courts of California, Illinois, and Missouri.
Jan seeks practical, rational outcomes for her clients. Clients often call upon Jan to enter a case as trial counsel shortly before trial. Outside of the courtroom, Jan excels in early case investigation and assessment, and she brings a trial-tested perspective to the development of legal theories, the factual story of the case, and the coordination of defense strategy. She also counsels clients in litigation risk mitigation including review of warnings and labels and internal company practices. Jan is also enlisted to help coordinate national dockets and formulate key defense strategies.
Jan’s advocacy skills have been repeatedly recognized. The National Law Journal selected Jan's trial verdict in defense of an over-the-counter cold medicine, In re PPA, as one of the top 10 defense verdicts in the country. The American Lawyer featured Jan as one of the top lawyers in the country under the age of 45. And, for more than a decade, Jan has been recognized in Chambers USA in the area of national product liability. She is described by clients as "a talented trial lawyer," "efficient and effective," and a "star products liability defense lawyer."
Raised in Missouri, Jan began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward D. Robertson Jr., former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. After clerking, she honed her trial skills in courtrooms in Southern Illinois “judicial hellhole” counties Madison and St. Clair, as well as in St. Louis, where she was also appointed a special state's attorney general of Missouri to pursue claims on behalf of the state against tobacco companies.
Before her legal career, Jan worked briefly as a television news reporter. Her background in broadcast journalism, coupled with her passion for trial advocacy, informs her ability to transform her clients’ cases into compelling stories that resonate with a jury.