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Suzanne E. Smith

Attorney

Suzanne is a member of the bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and an expert in e-discovery. Her career has focused primarily on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. Suzanne was born and raised in rural Western Pennsylvania, the daughter of a blue-collar airline employee and a registered nurse.  The values she grew up with serve her every day as an attorney.
 
“I see my dad reflected in the client who wasn't warned of the risks of his diabetes medication.  I see the kids with mental health issues my mom cared for as real people, not just a “growth strategy” in a business plan of big drug companies that put profits over human lives.”
 
Before joining Porter & Malouf in 2021, Suzanne founded and operated a boutique e-Discovery consulting firm specializing in forensic linguistic investigation. For nearly 15 years, Suzanne worked behind the scenes of mass tort litigation, transforming legal teams and trial attorneys into formidable “Davids” against a steady parade of corporate “Goliaths,” reveling in the thrill of finding and turning over case-winning evidence to legal teams.
 
Very rarely, however, did she have an opportunity to meet and interact with the people at the heart of these cases. Thus, awoke a long-dormant desire to work face-to-face with the real people who are hurt by these defective products: to be "on the front lines" with them rather than as supporting cast for the attorneys who represent them. 
 
So, after time spent supporting lawyers in the biggest mass torts of the decade, Suzanne determined that the next stage of her professional evolution was to actually be the attorney litigating- side-by-side with plaintiffs—fighting, on the field, rather than from the sidelines. 
 
She has found that place at Porter & Malouf, working with a team that shares her professional values, a team that cares deeply about the real people hurt by corporate greed and complete disregard of duty and responsibility.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

  • Multidistrict Litigation

  • Product Liability Law

  • Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation

AWARDS / RECOGNITION

  • Public Interest Scholar

  • Mary Emory Legal Scholar

  • Bar Certified Law Clerk for the Santa Clara County Office of the Public Defender

EDUCATION

  • Santa Clara University School of Law, Juris Doctorate

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  • The American University, Washington D.C., Bachelor of Arts

  • International Studies, with concentrations in US-Soviet Security Relations and US Foreign Policy

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Pennsylvania, 2020

  • United States District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 2020

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