NANCY HERSH RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

Nancy Hersh will receive the 2010 San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor recognizes the breadth and depth of Ms. Hersh’s career as a personal injury trial lawyer.

Nancy Hersh and Amy Eskin named 2009 Super Lawyers by Law & Politics Magazine

Mark Burton named 2009 Northern California Rising Star by Law & Politics Magazine

Hersh & Hersh Attorney Charles Kelly Named Finalist for Top Consumer Lawyer Award

September 2, 2008

Hersh & Hersh is pleased to announce that trial attorney, Charles Kelly, has been nominated as a finalist for Consumer Attorney of the Year for 2007-2008 by the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). The nomination recognizes Mr. Kelly's legal work that resulted in protecting consumers nationally from a defective crib.

Mr. Kelly represented the parents of Liam Johns, a nine-month old infant who tragically died due to a defect in a crib manufactured by Simplicity. In the Johns case, Mr. Kelly established that Simplicity knew for several years prior to the tragedy, that the crib had a design defect that allowed the drop-side to detach from the frame creating a dangerous gap into which an infant could fall and become entrapped. The case led to the largest crib recall in the nation's history.

"This tragic loss and the sorrow my clients suffered was senseless and avoidable. I am gratified to have had the opportunity to help them through an exceedingly difficult time and to have protected other infants and children "this is why I practice law," reflects Mr. Kelly. "I am humbled that this work merits the recognition of my peers."

"We are vastly proud of Chip's work in this case and the fact that it has protected children and families throughout the country from greater loss and tragedy," noted Nancy Hersh, a founding partner of the firm.

The Consumer Attorney of the Year Award recognizes legal work that achieved a significant result and meets several key factors relating to consumer impact and legal skill. The finalists will be honored and the top pick announced at the CAOC annual dinner in November 2008.

About Hersh & Hersh

The law firm of Hersh & Hersh was founded in 1970 and is located in San Francisco, California. The firm's trial lawyers represent clients locally and nationally advocating on behalf of individuals and their families, in small and large cases, class actions and multi district litigations. Hersh & Hersh has significant experience and groundbreaking results in among others, personal injury, products liability, medical device and drug litigations.

Law & Politics Magazine Names Nancy Hersh and Amy Eskin as Northern California Super Lawyers for 2007

July 2007

Law & Politics Magazine named Hersh & Hersh attorneys Nancy Hersh and Amy Eskin as Northern California Super Lawyers for 2007, recognizing their contributions to protecting individuals from dangerous products.

For the third year in a row, the magazine named Nancy Hersh as one of the leading attorneys in the areas of Personal Injury Plaintiffs: General and Products, as well as Class Action/Mass Torts. Super Lawyers 2007 cites her work "on the cutting edge of products liability and mass tort cases throughout her career." In addition, the magazine notes that Ms. Hersh was " one of four plaintiffs' lawyers who negotiated and settled a drug case against Eli Lilly for 8,000 plaintiffs for $690 million."

Amy Eskin also joined the list of 2007 Super Lawyers for Northern California in the areas of Personal Injury Plaintiffs: General and Product. In particular, Super Lawyers 2007 recognized Ms. Eskin's efforts to represent "individuals who have been injured by corporations who market dangerous drugs and devices and who value profits more than consumer safety," including her work recovering over $100 million for clients injured by the drug combination Fen-Phen.

The annual Super Lawyer guide, which is co-sponsored by San Francisco Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine,  uses a rigorous selection process to choose the attorneys listed in its annual guide.  It begins by sending a survey to established attorneys actively practicing in Northern California, and then narrows its list of candidates through a independent research and a Blue Ribbon Panel of peers in their practice area. 

Lawdragon Recognizes Hersh & Hersh; Selects Nancy Hersh for its Guide of 500 Leading Plaintiffs Lawyers and Amy Eskin for its Lawdragon 3000 Guide.

January, 2007

Lawdragon, one of the fastest-growing legal communities in the world, named Nancy Hersh to its Lawdragon 500 guide of Leading Plaintiffs' Lawyers in the U.S., and Amy Eskin to its Lawdragon 3000 Guide.

These guides identify the "nation's most trusted attorneys in the courtroom, chiefly representing individuals, whether in solo or class claims of essentially any nature, toxic tort to aviation, securities class action to employment." Lawdragon's reporters and editorial staff compile their lists based on their own research, phone calls with thousands of legal professionals, and votes collected through their online ballots. For more on how Lawdragon chooses attorneys, see their methodology.

Law & Politics Magazine Names Nancy Hersh One of Northern California's Super Lawyers for General Plaintiff Personal Injury; Recognizes Hersh's Groundbreaking Role in Advocating for Women's Health

August, 2006

For the second year in a row, San Francisco attorney Nancy Hersh has been recognized in "Northern California Super Lawyers 2006: A Guide to Outstanding Attorneys in Northern California" as one of the leading attorneys in the field of Plaintiff Personal Injury: General, and as a leading advocate for women's health law. 

In particular, Super Lawyers 2006 recognized Hersh's extensive and groundbreaking work on behalf of women's health: "Treading into previously unexplored territory -- medical injury specifically affecting women -- she's worked to unearth the injurious effects of the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), the dangers of silicone breast implants and the damage done by the diet drug fen-phen, each of which led to cases that created an enormous wave of mass torts. " 

Throughout her career, Hersh has consistently charted new territory and battled gender discrimination; she was among only 20 women in a class of 220 at Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, was the first female president of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, was one of the first women admitted to the American Board of Trial Advocates, and was one of the first women to enter the male-dominated fields of pharmaceutical and medical device mass tort litigation. As a mother of three daughters, Hersh remains fully committed to identifying and correcting products harmful to women's health, both for them and for the countless number of women who are harmed by faulty medical products and pharmaceuticals.

The guide, which is co-sponsored by San Francisco Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine,  uses a rigorous selection process to choose the attorneys listed in its annual guide.  It begins by sending a survey to 46,000 established attorneys actively practicing in the San Francisco Bay area, and then narrows its list of candidates through a Blue Ribbon Panel review and independent research. 

Nancy Hersh & Charles Kelly Discuss How Product Liability Cases Protect Consumers on AmericanLife Television Network's Heartbeat of America on May 23, 2006, at 9 am EST

May, 2006

Nancy Hersh and Charles Kelly appeared on the AmericanLife Television Network's program, Heartbeat of America, to receive an award in recognition of Hersh & Hersh's long history of protecting and advocating for the rights of individuals. They discussed how Hersh & Hersh evaluates product liability cases, the firm's strong commitment to clients, and how Hersh & Hersh's work functions as an essential tool for protecting consumers. 

View videos clips:

• Hersh & Hersh's History of Protecting Consumers
  
• Hersh & Hersh's Three Goals for Pursuing Defective Product Cases
  
• Protecting Consumers from Injuries Caused by Defective Products
  
• Process for Taking on New Cases
  

"Where Are They Now: The Attorney," Lincoln Log: Abraham Lincoln High School of San Francisco Alumni Association Newsletter

April, 2007
By Nancy Hersh F62

I was born and raised in San Francisco, and still live and work here. I graduated from Lincoln in the spring of 1963, from UC Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa in 1967 and from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley in 1970. I lived in London for a year after law school and the Bar where I met my Irish husband, Joe Boyle. We have three girls. The oldest graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. The next is about to graduate from Barnard, Columbia University. The third just started at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. So, we have an empty nest but we are using our time well. I am still best friends with my Lincoln buddy, Michael Daigian F61. Mike has become a famous floral designer in San Francisco, creating designs for the chic restaurants and hotels in the City. He and his wife, Dana Iscoff, who graduated from Lowell, live in the City and we spend a lot of time together now that their children are in college, too. I am also friendly with Rich Francoz F62 who is a cardiologist practicing in the City.

My favorite teacher at Lincoln was Marie Shelley. She taught us French so well that I was able to test out of the language requirement at the University of California. We had a great times going to French restaurants and speaking only French in the classroom. The French all came back when my children attended French American School where they received a bilingual education through the 8th grade. So, not only was Miss Shelley my favorite teacher but what I learned from her came in very handy later!

I was very fortunate to have been able to practice law with my father, LeRoy Hersh (a Lowell graduate in 1938!) until his death in 2003. We practiced together doing trial work for 32 years and were law partners. The law has been very good to me and has allowed me to pursue my passions...helping people and requiring accountability from big corporations like drug and medical device manufacturers which market products that cause serious injury to consumers. I have been trying cases since I started in practice in 1971 and have received numerous awards and special recognition. When I started to practice, there were almost no women practitioners and no women trial lawyers. I became the first woman president of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association and, to show how new integrating the trial bar was, about 5 or 6 men quit the organization in protest when I was elected, purely because I was a woman. I taught law school at Hastings for 16 years during which time the class changed from few to no women to more than half women. It is a different world today. I run a law firm which has 10 lawyers and 15 support staff.

In my practice, I have been privileged to represent many people who have suffered at the hands of drug and medical device manufacturers. We have been on the cutting edge of this kind of litigation and I tried breast implant case against Dow Corning, handled and settled the first diet drug case against Wyeth, represented many people who had defective hip prostheses against Sulzer and late last year I was one of 4 plaintiffs lawyers who negotiated and settled a drug case against Eli Lilly for 8000 plaintiffs in the amount of $690,000,000.00! Many of my cases have resulted in getting these dangerous products off the market. It has been great earning a living doing what I believe in and something that has benefited the public.

My other great passion is horses. My husband and I operate a horse import and sales business from our farm in West Marin on Nicasio Valley Road. It is called Edgewood for anyone who loves horses and would like to visit. Our children showed horses competitively for many years in what is called Hunters and Jumpers and we have continued in that milieu with our sales business. We also have goats, chickens, potbelly pigs, and ponies on our farm. Never mind the dogs and cats!

So, life is good and my memories of Lincoln are great. After all, my experience and education at Lincoln set the stage and provided the bases for my future education and professional life. Thank you, Lincoln.

Nancy Hersh Recognized as One of 2006's Attorneys of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine

March, 2006

California Lawyer magazine recognized Nancy Hersh with a 2006 CLAY (California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year) Award for her work in Personal Injury law.  The magazine lauded her for Hersh & Hersh's instrumental role in bringing about a $690 million settlement from Eli Lilly for claims relating to side effects from its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. According to Jerold S. Parker, co-counsel in the litigation and a partner at Parker & Waichman in New York, "Hersh is one of the rare ones...She was extremely instrumental in making the settlement happen as quickly as it did." Hersh & Hersh, which served as co-chair of the science and discovery committees, represented 430 individual cases in the coordinated litigation, and was the first firm to file a Zyprexa-related suit. 

Nancy Hersh is one of a select group of 47 exceptional attorneys representing 35 accomplishments in 18 legal practice areas that California Lawyer recognized this year. For the past ten years, California Lawyer has awarded CLAY awards to  ".... attorneys who made new law, set new policy, continued their exceptional work, or changed the course of national events." Read full article in California Lawyer.

Law & Politics Magazine Names Nancy Hersh One of Northern California's Super Lawyers for General Plaintiff Personal Injury

August, 2005

In a guide co-sponsored by San Francisco Magazine, Law & Politics Magazine included San Francisco attorney Nancy Hersh in their "Northern California Super Lawyers 2005: A Guide to Outstanding Attorneys in Northern California," listing her as one of the leading attorneys in the field of Plaintiff Personal Injury: General . 

Law & Politics uses a rigorous selection process to choose the attorneys listed in its annual guide.  It begins by sending a survey to 46,000 established attorneys actively practicing in the San Francisco Bay area, and then narrows its list of candidates through a Blue Ribbon Panel review and independent research. View complete description of selection process.

San Francisco Attorney Nancy Hersh Named One of California's Top 50 Women Litigators by Daily Journal Again

July 6, 2004

The following is a copy of the Daily Journal article:

Mentor: LeRoy Hersh(1920-2003), her recently deceased father and firm co-founder. "He taught me to be gutsy, not to be intimidated or afraid of anybody and to trust myself."

Highlights: Hersh, 58, currently represents a Jane Doe client over an embryo mix-up at Fertility Associates of the Bay Area that left her client fighting for custody of her son. Trial is set for August in San Francisco Superior Court. Across the bay in Alameda Superior Court, a trial is set for September against All Pro Wrestling Boot Camp and its owner on behalf of a family whose son died after a sparring session. In 1984, Hersh became the first attorney in the nation to win a case claiming that breast implants cause immune system disease when a jury awarded $1.7 million against Dow Corning Corp. in San Francisco federal court. --Eron Ben-Yehuda

July 22, 2003

The Daily Journal, a leading California legal publication, named attorney Nancy Hersh one of the top fifty women litigators in California. In a special June 30 supplement to the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journals, Daily Journal Extra, Hersh was named to an elite class of women trailblazers whose countless victories in the courtroom have put them at the top of the legal profession. Nancy Hersh is a partner in the San Francisco plaintiffs' rights law firm Hersh & Hersh, along with her father LeRoy Hersh(1920-2003) who founded the firm thirty-two years ago.

'After weeks of evaluating the many worthy candidates, the Daily Journal selected fifty women whose excellence in the courtroom represents an unmatched standard of achievement,' stated Robin Davidson, editor of the Daily Journal Extra. 'We're proud to include Nancy Hersh as one of these deserving women who exemplify success in the legal profession.'

'I'm honored to be recognized by the Daily Journal and to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the leading litigators in California,' said Nancy Hersh. 'My experiences as one of the first woman trial lawyers have made me a tougher advocate for my clients with more empathy toward those who have suffered any kind of prejudice or wrongdoing, and this has driven my success in the courtroom.'

The San Francisco Journal Extra cover story profiled fifty of the State's most respected and successful women litigators, culled from an extensive list of leading women in the legal profession. Nancy Hersh is renowned as a product liability attorney and is a passionate advocate for patients, using the law to protect their health and safety. As one of the first women personal injury trial lawyers Hersh has tackled a series of groundbreaking cases including DES litigation and the first breast implant case that established the connection between silicone and physical injuries.

Hersh is currently suing drug manufacturer Eli Lilly on behalf of numerous plaintiffs who suffered advanced diabetes as a result of taking the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. Part of Hersh's goal is to force Eli Lilly to issue prominent warnings about the risks of taking its top-selling drug. Among numerous articles, Hersh was featured in a front-page story about Zyprexa in the Wall Street Journal in April of this year. In June 2003, Hersh's civil suits against medical device manufacturer Guidant were bolstered when the company pleaded guilty to charges of withholding information about patient injuries and even deaths caused by its Ancure aortic stent graft device, and Guidant withdrew its product from the market. Hersh was quoted in daily newspapers throughout the country.

In 1979 Nancy Hersh was named the first woman President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. She was one of the first women admitted into the American Board of Trial Advocates and she taught Personal Injury Litigation at Hastings College of Law for 16 years. Hersh is also well known to the media and the public, having been interviewed on local and national news programs like ABC'S Primetime, CNN, 48 Hours, Nightline, 20/20 and Dateline NBC.

San Francisco Chronicle: "All in the Family; These Kids Went to Work with their Mom or Dad - and Stayed There"  (4/24/03)

Seeing how much their father, LeRoy Hersh, enjoyed practicing law inspired both Nancy Hersh and her sister Jill to follow him into the legal profession. Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle story.

Law & Politics Magazine Names Nancy Hersh and Amy Eskin as among Northern California's Super Lawyers for 2007.   Read More

Nancy Hersh Recognized as One of 2006's Attorneys of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine Read More

Law & Politics Magazine Names Nancy Hersh One of Northern California's Super Lawyers for General Plaintiff Personal Injury Read More

San Francisco Attorney Nancy Hersh Named One of California's 
Top 50 Women Litigators by Daily Journal Again Read More