Reed Smith LLP

Melissa Geist leads Reed Smith LLP’s team from Princeton, overseeing coordinated national defense strategies in high-stakes medical device litigation. Geist serves as co-national coordinating and trial counsel in pelvic mesh MDL proceedings involving alleged personal injury mass tort claims and acts as national counsel in implant litigation centered on failure-to-warn allegations. Also in Princeton, Julia Lopez focuses on pharmaceutical disputes, serving as strategic counsel in an MDL arising from a product recall and related personal injury complaints, including claims involving mislabeled bottles and GLP-1 drugs alleged to cause gastrointestinal injuries. In Philadelphia, Stephen McConnell acts as lead counsel in an MDL concerning over-the-counter stomach acid medication and defends wrongful death claims alleging manufacturing defects in heart pump devices. Julie Hardin, in Houston, handles personal injury litigation arising from surgical procedures. Michael Brown retired in 2025.