Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Julie L. Hussey has joined the firm’s San Diego office as a partner in the Product Liability practice. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Hussey was a partner with DLA Piper in its San Diego office. Hussey is the fourth partner to join Perkins Coie’s San Diego office this year, following the additions of Tom Millikan, Joe Reid and Laura Zagar in February.

“Perkins Coie is delighted to welcome Julie to the firm’s growing presence in San Diego,” said Matthew Bernstein, Office Managing Partner of Perkins Coie’s San Diego office. “Julie’s pharmaceutical litigation practice complements the work of our patent litigators in San Diego and her counsel to manufacturers of consumer healthcare products in labeling and unfair competition issues supports the efforts of the attorneys in Perkins Coie’s food and beverage practice and food litigation practices in California. We are tremendously happy that Julie has joined our firm.”

A trial attorney noted for her achievements in class action, mass tort and complex litigation, Hussey serves as national counsel in the defense of global pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers, and food and beverage companies. Hussey has extensive experience defending clients against high-exposure claims involving product liability, consumer fraud, unfair competition, false and misleading advertisement, “All Natural” labelling, and toxic torts. She has managed sophisticated litigation related to injury and damage claims against manufacturers of dietary supplements, tires, paint, automotive and aviation products. In addition, she has represented clients in higher education and telecommunications facing fraud and other consumer-based allegations. In her practice, Hussey typically handles cases entailing multiple jurisdictions, high-volume claims, expert-driven testimony and the need for efficient case management using electronic discovery and other legal technology tools.

“Julie brings significant pharmaceutical and medical device product liability experience to Perkins Coie,” said Bruce Campbell, chair of Perkins Coie’s Product Liability practice. “Her substantive experience in drug and medical device, food and beverage, toxic tort and class action litigation matters immediately deepens and broadens the scope of our existing high level of counsel and client service that is expected from Perkins Coie and the product liability practice. Julie is a wonderful asset to Perkins Coie’s deep bench of litigators and we welcome her to the firm.”

Hussey earned her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law where she was the lead articles writer for The Journal of the Legal Profession and received her undergraduate degree from the Mississippi University for Women. She is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute and the Food and Drug Law Institute. In addition to her legal work, Hussey was a project manager volunteer for the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Legal Assistance program and a Hurricane Katrina Legal Volunteer for the Mississippi Center for Justice.

www.perkinscoie.com