Ms Janet Hickson > Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
ONE MONTGOMERY TOWER, SUITE 2700
120 KEARNY STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4505
CALIFORNIA
United States

Work Department

General Liability Litigation

Position

Partner

Career

Janet’s practice focuses on product liability litigation. She has significant experience representing the manufacturers and distributors of automobiles, motorcycles, food products, consumer products, industrial equipment and medical and orthopedic devices. She has also represented entertainment companies and amusement park venues, in addition to handling a range of commercial litigation matters.

Janet has successfully defended and tried cases of all sizes, including catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. She has also overseen national and regional defense counsel programs implemented to manage repetitive litigation involving design, manufacture and warnings defect claims.

Janet has considerable experience acting as national counsel for her clients. She regularly advises clients on a variety of discovery issues and strategic planning for case portfolios.

Memberships

  • Defense Research Institute
  • Product Liability Advisory Council
  • State Bar of California

Education

  • J.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 1998
  • B.A., University of California, Irvine, 1994 (Criminology; Law & Society)

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport

Drawing upon a ‘superior depth of knowledge’ within the auto industry, both in terms of emerging liability theories and products/emerging technologies, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP‘s California-centered practice is well-positioned to represent automotive companies across a wide range of product liability, class actions and consumer fraud claims. Displaying ‘a willingness to invest in client relationships’, the team has established longstanding relationships with high-profile manufacturers, including Volvo, Kia and Honda, regularly picking up work in some major national class action disputes. The team has also effectively moved with the market and has deep knowledge of the ever increasing technological advances in the sector, including as it relates to highly autonomous vehicles. Consequently it is very adept at dealing with expert witnesses and at explaining complex scientific/technological issues with clarity to juries. As part of her broad product liability expertise, Orange County-based Janet Hickson often handles work in the auto space and has achieved successes for clients in dispositive motions as well as at a final trial stage. Dividing his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Frank Kelly  has had considerable success over the years in the Californian courts, as well as further afield across a range of high-stakes product liability matters, including in the defense of automotive manufacturers accused of causing catastrophic injury and wrongful death. In San Francisco, Amir Nassihi  has developed deep expertise handling class action matters throughout the litigation continuum and along with Hickson and Kansas City-based trial lawyer Robert Adams , heads up the overarching automotive and machinery litigation team.