Technology-savvy and trial-tested product liability counsel
Jeff Spoerk is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer who advises and defends product manufacturers on a wide variety of product liability and toxic tort matters. He has served as national or regional trial counsel in more than 25 state and federal courts in cases involving trucks, automobiles, aircraft engines, motorcycles, fire apparatus, trailers, aerial devices, cranes, forklifts, presses, farm equipment, electrical equipment, food processing equipment, compressors, paper-making equipment, building construction, gas equipment, chemical plants, chemicals, dioxins and lead paint.
An experienced chemical engineer, Jeff is conversant with a range of technical issues involving mechanics, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, accident reconstruction and other engineering sciences. He brings this knowledge and deep familiarity with his clients’ businesses and business objectives to the legal counsel and advocacy he provides.
Experience in Action
- Defending manufacturers in product liability and toxic tort litigation.
- Advising manufacturers on proactive risk avoidance, including business planning, safety reviews, product design, product warnings and product recalls.
Successes
- Trial counsel in multi-thousand plaintiff dioxin exposure case.
- Lead trial counsel in semi-trailer underride case.
- Lead trial counsel in construction forklift case.
- Lead trial counsel in Florida case involving SUV and trailer crash. Obtained voluntary dismissal after one day.
- Defended paint manufacturer in first-of-its-kind lead paint trial in Wisconsin.
- Trial counsel in Nevada case involving a failure of chemical equipment in a gold processing facility.
- Lead trial counsel for multi-plaintiff hearing loss claims.
Capabilities
Professional Recognitions
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America® (2012-present: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated
Professional & Civic Activities
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, law clerk, 1987–1988
- Wisconsin State Bar, member
- American Bar Association, member
- Defense Research Institute, member
- SAE Work Truck Safety Committee, member
News & Insights
Education
- Northwestern University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1987)
- Northwestern University Law Review (Editorial Board, 1986 –1987)
- Order of the Coif
- Northwestern University (B.S., highest distinction, 1984)
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- 1984 Harry McCormick Award: Top Chemical Engineering Graduate
- Practical experience with Kodak as project engineer; production engineer in a chemical plant
Bar Admissions
- Wisconsin
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 2011
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1992
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1989