Sheila Doyle Kelley specializes in product liability, toxic tort, consumer fraud, and warranty litigation.  She was a partner with Bronson Bronson & McKinnon, then a large San Francisco based law firm, and a founding partner of Preuss Walker & Shanagher, a San Francisco-based product liability boutique that recently merged with and became the San Francisco office of Drinker, Biddle & Reath.

Sheila has spent the last 18 years litigating a wide variety of cases in state and federal courts throughout California.  The products she has defended include automobiles and their components, drugs and medical devices, forklifts and other material handling equipment, boats, roof coatings, power tools, cranes, monorails, elevators, escalators, motorcycles, and many household products.  Ms. Kelley is a graduate of the IADC trial practice clinic and has participated in the trials of both product liability and consumer warranty matters.  She also worked with the California Supreme Court as an extern to the late Justice Stanley Mosk.

Currently, Sheila acts as National Coordinating Counsel and/or National Support Counsel for auto manufacturers and distributors in friction asbestos litigation.

Admissions:

California Bar, 1985
California and United States District Court, Northern District, 1985
United States District Court, Central District of California, 1987

Education:

Santa Clara University, B.A. 1980
University of San Francisco School of Law, J.D. 1985

Professional Associations & Memberships:

American Bar Association

Section on Tort and Insurance Practice
Automobile Law and Products Committee

Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
The Defense Research Institute, Inc.

Committee on Products Liability

State Bar of California,

Litigation Section

Publications:

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 28 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 354 (1993)

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 29 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 352 (1994)

Author, “Evolving Defenses to, and Cost Effective Handling of, Consumer Warranty Actions,” The Defense Research Institute, Inc., February 10-11, 1994.

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 30 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 523 (1995)

Co-author, “Substantive and Evidentiary Trends,” The Defense Research Institute, Inc., (1995).

Co-author, “Evidence in Trial Practice in California,” National Business Institute, Inc. (1995).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 31 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 383 (1996).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 32 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 499 (1997).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 33 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 605 (1998)

Co-author, “Trying the Airbag Case: The Defense Perspective,” American Bar Association, (1998).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,” 34 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 573 (1999)

Co-author, “Air Bag Update: Overview of The Regulations and Proposed Regulations—Where We Stand,” American Bar Association, (1999).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law, 35 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 553 (Winter 2000).

Contributing author, “Products, General Liability and Consumer Law: Annual Survey of Tort and Insurance Law,”37 Tort & Insurance Law Journal 601 (Winter 2002).

Contributing author, “Recent Developments in Products, General Liability and Consumer Law,” 38 Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal 625 (Winter 2003).

Speaking Engagements

“Product Liability Law in California,” University of San Francisco School of Business, San Francisco, 1988

“Product Liability – Recent Developments,” University of San Francisco School of Business, San Francisco, 1989

“Product Liability of Manufacturers,” University of San Francisco School of Business, San Francisco, 1990

“Current Developments in Product Liability Law,” University of San Francisco School of Business, San Francisco, 1991

“Product Liability Issues for Business Executives,” University of San Francisco School of Business, 1992

“Product Liability Issues for Product Manufacturers,” University of San Francisco School of Business, 1993

“Evolving Defenses to, and Cost Effective Handling of, Consumer Warranty Actions,” Defense Research Institute, Inc., Products Liability Seminar, February 10-11, 1994

“Handling Product Liability Cases,” Continuing Education of the Bar,
May-June, 1994

“Evidence in Trial Practice in California,” National Business Institute, Inc., March 24, 1995

“Trying the Airbag Case: The Defense Perspective,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, April 2, 1998

“Air Bag Update: Overview of the Regulations and Proposed Regulations—Where We Stand,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, April 8, 1999

“Lemon Law Update: Survey of Recent State & Federal ‘Lemon Law’ Decisions,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, March 23, 2002

“Friction Asbestos: The Defense Perspective,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, March 20, 2003