Ms Kimberly Branscome > Dechert LLP > Los Angeles, United States > Lawyer Profile
Dechert LLP Offices
US BANK TOWER
633 WEST 5TH STREET, 37TH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES, CA 90071-2013
CALIFORNIA
United States
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Ms Kimberly Branscome
Work Department
Product Liability and Mass Torts
Position
Partner
Career
Kimberly Branscome acts as trial counsel in complex litigation, advising on product and professional liability, environmental and toxic tort and securities matters. Ms. Branscome advises clients from a broad range of sectors, including the pharmaceutical, consumer products, oil & gas and automotive industries.
Ms. Branscome has served as lead trial counsel in product liability litigation for a major multinational corporation, securing victories for the client in high-profile jury trials regarding allegations of asbestos contamination in that company’s talcum powder products.
In addition, Ms. Branscome has served as lead counsel for a product manufacturer in a multi-district litigation involving hearing loss claims by service members related to a product sold to the military.
Ms. Branscome has also served as trial counsel for one of the world’s largest automakers in litigation regarding its vehicle’s ignition switches, in which she secured victories for the client in the second federal bellwether trial and the first state bellwether trial. She also served as trial counsel for a global oil & gas company in litigation arising out of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Memberships
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Law360’s 2019 Trials Editorial Advisory Board
Education
- Vanderbilt University, B.E., Biomedical Engineering & Chemical Engineering, 2004, magna cum laude
- Harvard Law School, J.D., 2007, Executive Editor, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
Drawing upon a strong pool of experienced and up-and-coming talent on the East and West coasts, in particular, Dechert LLP is able to handle a wide variety and volume of defense matters for many leading pharma and medical devices clients, particularly in the context of large-scale MDLs/class actions. The firm regularly takes the lead role in such aggregated mandates, formulating core strategy decisions and regularly securing key victories through persuasive motions, as well as in litigation before juries. Mark Cheffo is regularly at the forefront of the highest-profile mandates handled by the firm, a reflection of the esteem with which he is held by clients as a result of his expertise through the litigation process, including at a motions stage – where he has briefed and conducted numerous Daubert/Frye challenges. Lauded as a ‘strong practitioner with excellent strategic smarts’, Los Angeles-based partner Kimberly Branscome is a key exemplar of the firm’s trial expertise, in particular, as well as its visibility throughout California. The vastly experienced Sheila L. Birnbaum has amassed many successes at trial and motions stage throughout her long career and has had involvement in many key medical devices/pharmaceutical product liability matters, including as it relates to opioid medication, breast implants and mesh products. Cheffo, Branscome and Birnbaum co-head the team that also includes Paul LaFata, who has developed niche expertise in relation to the co-ordination of multi-jurisdictional elements of major product liability MDLs and class actions and Rachel Passaretti-Wu, who as well as her versatile core pharma and toxic tort litigation offering, is also adept at assisting clients with appropriate crisis management-related responses. All named practitioners are based out New York, unless otherwise stated.
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
Primarily centred out of New York but also gaining traction on the West Coast, exemplified by the work of Los Angeles based Kimberly Branscome, Dechert LLP regularly handles high-profile toxic tort-related class actions and MDLs, both in the environmental space, as well as in cases involving harm caused by pharma products. In these matters the team, which includes many accomplished trial lawyers, regularly acts as national counsel, coordinating and presenting the key arguments and motions to the courts. Douglas Fleming has a strong grounding in environmental toxic torts and is a key member of the team alongside Rachel Passaretti-Wu defending Saint-Gobain in high-profile civil litigation and regulatory matters relating to alleged damage caused by exposure to forever chemicals in drinking water. An expert in toxic torts, Sheila L. Birnbaum has deep expertise in the space and co-heads the overarching product liability and mass torts team alongside Branscome and Mark Cheffo . All named practitioners are based in New York, unless otherwise noted.
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
(Next Generation Partners)Kimberly Branscome – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Lawyer Rankings
- Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices United States > Dispute resolution
- Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort United States > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Real estate > Real estate finance
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Finance > Fintech
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution > International litigation
- Tax > International tax
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- Antitrust > Merger control
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: global offerings
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)
- International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation