Valerie E. Ross

Partner

Valerie E. Ross manages product liability litigation, primarily for toxic tort matters arising out of exposure to asbestos.

Valerie Ross

Valerie E. Ross manages product liability litigation, primarily for toxic tort matters arising out of exposure to asbestos. She oversees every component, from high-level strategy to the collection and analysis of related research. Valerie has extensive experience working with medical experts, medical historians, memory experts and company witnesses, and she has litigated in state and federal courts across the country.

In addition to her comprehensive product liability and toxic tort experience, Valerie is well-versed in insurance, environmental and professional responsibility litigation. Her strong interpersonal and translational skills allow her to effectively communicate and manage the complex circumstances of each case, ensuring that clients are positioned to achieve the best possible outcome. 

Client Work

  • Acting as national counsel to a major buildings material manufacturer and an automotive parts supplier that are subject to thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits. In these roles, Valerie manages attorneys across the country and develops the overall strategy for the approach to all cases. She defends depositions of current and former corporate executives, manages discovery, implements overall defense strategy, and participates at trials.
  • Helping try cases to defense verdicts in California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Delaware, and assisting at other trials that settled pre-verdict in New York, Washington, California, Louisiana and Arkansas.
  • Environmental litigation and regulatory matters involving the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Clean Water Act. Valerie assisted clients with cost-recovery matters as well as compliance and environmental insurance issues.
  • Representing an insurance company in handling potential bad faith insurance claims and settlements.

Previous Work

  • Hon. Ralph K. Winter Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Clerk (1991-1992)

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Publications

  • Full-Time to Part-Time to Termination: What Does COBRA Require?” Benefits Law Journal (1999)

Presentations

  • “Inside the Courtroom: Video Analysis and Reactions from the Attorneys Involved in an Asbestos Trial,” Webinar (Aug. 26, 2020)
  • “Trial Lawyer Panel,” Defense Asbestos Litigation Seminar 2018, Nashville, Tenn. (Jun. 28, 2018)

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

  • Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Board of Directors

Professional Activities

Valerie supervises associates representing clients pro bono in court matters such as child custody disputes.

    • Bar & Court Admissions
      • District of Columbia Bar
      • New York Bar
      • US District Court, District of Columbia
      • US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
      • US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
    • Education
      University of Chicago Law School, JD, with honors; University of Chicago Law Review, Comment Editor, 1991
      Michigan State University, BS, with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa, 1988

    Perspectives