Sedney, James E.

From Firestone tires to ephedra to Enron, Mark Herrmann has defended many of the leading cases of our generation. He has defended multidistrict litigation and hundreds of class actions filed throughout the federal system and in most of the state court systems. His experience embraces claims for product liability, securities fraud, consumer fraud, false advertising, and many other alleged violations of state and federal statutory and common law. Mark's trial experience ranges from individual eviction and employment discrimination matters to the Dow Corning Tax Litigation, in which he defended the tax treatment of all costs incurred defending breast implant claims.

Mark has literally "written the book" on state court consolidations (Statewide Coordinated Proceedings: State Court Analogues to the Federal MDL Process). He has also written nearly 100 articles on legal topics that have appeared in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to the Tulane Law Review. He cohosts the Drug and Device Law Blog, the most widely read product liability blog on the Internet, at http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com. The ABA Journal selected the Drug and Device Law Blog as one of the "top 100" legal blogs of 2008. From 1997 through 2007, Mark taught "Complex Litigation" as an adjunct professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He has lectured internationally on issues related to complex and high-profile litigation, and he is a frequent commentator on legal issues for the broadcast and print media. He has been quoted as a legal authority by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and regional publications across the country. His television appearances include CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and C-SPAN.

Remarkably, despite having practiced law and engaged in scholarship at an elite level for more than 25 years, Mark is perhaps best known for a romp in the park. His blunt, but whimsical, book — The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law — became an instant cult classic among law students and law firm associates. It was a finalist for a PMA Benjamin Franklin Award in 2007 (as an outstanding independently published book in the genre of "Careers") and is among ABA Publishing's best-selling books of all time.

Mark is an elected member of The American Law Institute, where he serves on the Members Consultative Group for the Principles of the Law of Aggregate Litigation. He is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the editorial board of Product Liability Law 360. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California and has chaired the Federal Courts and Appellate Courts Committees of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association. He also has served on the Boards of Directors of Cleveland Reads (Chair, 2005 and 2006) and the Urban Community School (Executive Committee, 2005-2007). He is listed in assorted collections of leading lawyers, including, for example, Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, and Illinois "Super Lawyers."