Profile: Sara J Gourley

Product Liability

Biography: Product Liability

Sara J Gourley is a litigation partner in Sidley's Chicago office and a member of the firm's executive committee. Ms Gourley has substantial experience in pharmaceutical, medical device, and blood products liability litigation. Her practice is concentrated in the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device defence, especially multi-jurisdictional coordination and defence of class actions. She is national counsel for a producer of blood products in AIDS and Hepatitis C litigation, national counsel for a major pharmaceutical company defending a widely used prescription drug, and represents numerous manufacturers in multidistrict and related state litigation and class actions. In addition to appearing in this publication, Ms Gourley is ranked as a leading lawyer nationally in Products Liability by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business - The Client's Guide (2006).

Ms Gourley is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and a member of DRI's drug and medical device steering committee. She also serves on the Illinois State Bar Association's 'bench raising the Bar' committee. Ms Gourley speaks frequently on topics relating to the defence of product liability claims. Recent presentations include: 'Approaches to Causation in Mass Torts', and 'Transnational Product Liability Problems'.