Biography
Sandra Giannone Ezell is a trial lawyer who devotes her seemingly boundless energy to representing corporations in courtrooms all over the country, often in her role as national trial counsel. She primarily focuses on product liability defense as well as handling commercial matters of all sizes.
Sandra routinely defends wrongful death and catastrophic injury product liability cases. In more than 20 years of managing and trying cases she has handled product matters in various arenas including automotive, general transportation, construction, tobacco, child products, medical device, trucking, toxic tort, recreational products, food products, household products and power tools. She has leveraged her work in child injury cases into forming the firm's Children and Product Liability Group. She also handles the litigation aspects of various commercial disputes including contract disputes, class actions, franchisor representation, dealer/vendor termination and other commercial matters.
She takes on cases irrespective of their size or exposure from filing through verdict, or just on the eve of trial, and represents her clients in one-time or pattern litigation, with cost-effective result-oriented strategies. Her energy and enthusiasm for getting the job done drives the results clients seek.
Sandra is a trial lawyer who manages both an office and a demanding trial practice. She also works to improve the legal profession through her local and national commitment to diversity in the legal profession. Through her efforts, and in partnership with local corporate counsel, Sandra created "Diversity in the River City." This program is designed to enrich Richmond's legal professionals. She also writes a frequent column exploring and celebrating the efforts of in-house counsel to create and execute diversity initiatives within their legal provider programs. She has been retained by companies as a consultant on matters of diversity and inclusion.
Follow me on www.courtroomdivas.com and www.totsntorts.com!
Education
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The University of Michigan Law School,
J.D.,
1990
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University of Michigan,
1987
with high honors
Bar Admissions
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Virginia, 1998
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Illinois, 1990
Court Admissions
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U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2010
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U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 2006
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U.S. Supreme Court, 2006
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U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia, 2006
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U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 2005
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U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, 2001
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U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1991
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U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1990
Memberships and Affiliations
Product Liability Advisory Council
International Association of Defense Counsel
Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity
Defense Research Institute,
Diversity Committee
Product Liability Committee
Trial Tactics Committee
Drug and Medical Device Committee
Women in the Law Committee
American Bar Association
Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
National Association of Women Lawyers
Metropolitan Richmond Women's Bar Association
Virginia Bar Association
Virginia Women Attorneys Association
International Franchise Association
Virginia Manufacturers Association
Distinctions
Leading Individual in Litigation, 2010-2011
Chambers and Partners for Products Liability
Named to The Legal 500 United States, 2008-2011
Influential Women of Virginia Award, 2010
Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Women at the Top Award, 2010
Virginia American Business Women's Association
The Burton Award for Legal Achievement, Distinguished Legal Writing Award, 2008
The Burton Foundation
Classes and Seminars Taught
Law Firm Strategic Issues and New Staffing and Business Models, 19th Annual Marketing Partner Forum, (Co-Chair, Roundtable Facilitator and Panel Moderator), January 18-20, 2012
Stopping the Timer Before the Bomb Goes Off: Crisis Prevention Through Effective Risk Identification and Evaluation, DRI Product Liability Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana (Speaker), April 2011
Law Department Management and Diversity: What Makes a Good In-House Group "Great" vs. "Good," DRI Products Liability Panel Counsel Presentation, (Panel Member), April 7, 2010
Taking the Lead: Rules for Effective Leadership, In-House Diversity Presentation, January 12, 2010
Bluebooking or Business Development: Which Skill to Master? Practical Marketing and Networking Pointers, Diversity in the River City 2009: Building A Bridge to Richmond's Future, Richmond, Virginia, (Speaker), July 2009
Calculating Diversity Return on Investment, DRI Diversity for Success Seminar (Speaker), June 2009
Yikes! My First Second Chair Trial Experience Is Approaching: What Should I Expect and What Does the First Chair Trial Attorney Expect From Me?, DRI Young Lawyers Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada (Speaker), June 2009
Voir Dire Panel, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, October 31, 2008
TIPS Automobile Law Committee's Women Drive Results in Transportation Law National Program - "The Child Plaintiff - How to Handle a Child Plaintiff Transportation Case", American Bar Association, June 4, 2008
Selling Litigation: Three Successful Litigation Rainmakers Share Their Secrets, The Hildebrandt Institute, May 21, 2008
Mars v. Venus: The Woman's Role as a First-Chair Trial Lawyer, Case-Handler and Expert Witness; With Perspectives from the Other Side of the Table, American Bar Association Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Production Liability Litigation, April 10, 2008
American Bar Association, Law Student Division: Coffee with Experience, University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, February 2008
Finding Your Niche in the Legal Profession, University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, February 2008
Wake Up and Smell the Science - Expert Testimony Equating Sleep Debt to Blood Alcohol Content May Affect Your Driver Fatigue Cases, DRI Annual Meeting, October 2007
Look Good and Save Money - Tips for In-House Counsel, Bowman and Brooke Hot Topics, September 2007
Child Injury in Automotive Litigation, DRI Strictly Automotive Seminar, September 2007
Program Moderator & Co-Chair, ABA Women in Transportation Law and the "Women Drive Results in Transportation Law Program", June 2007
Failure to Warn in Virginia: Where We are and a Path to Consider Taking Together, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, October 2006
Workshop: Lawyers: How to Help them Succeed, LSSO Conference, June 2006
Advantages in Managing Cases Involving Children Differently, Bowman and Brooke Hot Topics Client Seminar, September 2005
Cross Examination of Named Plaintiff in a Catastrophic Injury Case, Trial Advocacy In-House Seminar, September 2005
Women's Initiatives: A Unique Method to Retain Top Talent and Top Clients, ABA Annual Meeting, August 2005
Taking Depositions: An Advocates Primer, In-House Seminar, June 2005
Admissibility of Expert Testimony in Product Liability Cases in Virginia, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, 2005
Expert Preclusion: Slamming the Door Shut, In-House Seminar, 2005
Defense of Rollover Cases with a Focus on Child Restraints, Meeting of national automotive trial counsel, 2004
Multi-Focus Marketing: Understanding your Audiences, ABA Law Practice Management, 2004
A Practical Refresher on Litigating the Virginia Auto Injury Case, National Business Institute Seminar, 2004
Defense of Child Belt Geometry Cases, Meeting of national automotive trial counsel, 2003
Case presentation regarding reclined seat cases, Meeting of national automotive trial counsel, 2003
Defense Strategy in Seat Cases, Meeting of national automotive trial counsel, 2000
Published Works
"In-House Counsel Spotlight on Diversity Initiatives: GlaxoSmithKline Is Mixing Diversity and Inclusion to Produce a Global Remedy for Success," In-House Defense Quarterly, Spring 2011
"Game-Changers: Defending Products Cases with Child Plaintiffs," chapter; Product Liability Litigation: Current Law, Strategies and Best Practices, Practicing Law Institute, 2010
"Franchisors - Taking the Jury Through the Looking Glass: How to Use Your Story to Capture the Jury," DRI's The Business Suit, Dec. 29, 2010
"Use Your Story to Capture the Jury," Franchising World, Oct. 2010, at 26
"For Kraft Foods, Equal Parts Diversity and Inclusion Make a Recipe for Success," In-House Defense Quarterly, The Defense Research Institute, Summer 2010
"In-House Counsel Spotlight on Diversity Initiatives: DuPont’s Formula for Success in Diversity Modeling," In-House Defense Quarterly, The Defense Research Institute, Spring 2010
"Taking the Lead in our Firms, Careers, Communities and Cases," chapter; The Woman Advocate, 2nd. ed. (Fletman et. al.), 2010
"Diversity Turns the Key for Success at Toyota", In-House Defense Quarterly, Winter, 2010
"Game-Changers: Defending Products Cases with Child Plaintiffs," chapter; Product Liability Litigation: Current Law, Strategies and Best Practices, Practicing Law Institute, 2009
"Storytelling - The Art of Trial By Jury", Trials and Tribulations, DRI, Winter, 2009
"The Light is Shining on Capital One: In-House Counsel Spotlight on Diversity Initiatives", In-House Defense Quarterly, Winter, 2009
Like It, Love It, Gotta Have It -- Kahala's Customized Approach to Diversity, In-House Defense Quarterly, Fall 2009
"Voir Dire in Cases with Child Plaintiffs", For The Defense, April, 2009
"A Close-up Look at Steelcase Inc.'s Commitment to Diversity", In-House Defense Quarterly, Spring, 2009
"Diversity for Success Seminar Shatters Records and Raises the Bar", DRI For the Defense, August, 2008
"In-House Counsel Spotlight on Diversity Initiatives", In-House Defense Quarterly, Summer, 2008
Featured in ABA Article, "Rising to the Top," Law Practice Magazine, September, 2007
"Round up the Usual Suspects: Traditional Methods of Selecting First-Chair Trial Counsel Exclude Women", Product Liability Law & Strategy, February, 2007
"Cross Examination of Plaintiff", Trials and Tribulations, DRI, Summer, 2006
"Recent Developments in Automobile Law", Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Winter, 2006
"Recent Developments in Automobile Law (Sept. 1, 2004 - Feb. 28, 2005)", Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Automobile Committee Newsletter, Spring, 2005
"CAUTION: Warning Labels Don't Work on Kids", TDmonthly, October, 2005
"Using Biomedical Testimony in Virginia Product Liability Cases", The Virginia Bar Association News Journal, 2004