Jessie Zeigler spotlight1. Tell us about your practice.

I have the honor or chairing our Products Liability & Torts Practice Group. My practice is science-based and includes defending product manufacturers, defending mass tort litigation, and handling environmental matters for corporate and municipal clients. I use the science behind the products to defend against claims that they were defective or otherwise caused harm. In the environmental world, I apply risk-based decision-making matrices to work through the environmental science involved in environmental matters such as remediations, due diligence, and toxic tort litigation.

2. What is an interesting trend happening right now related to your field of practice?

Products have gotten smarter, which means there is a lot of data that is contained within them. The friction between privacy rights and the data in smart products such as medical devices, watches/fitness trackers, self-driving/automated vehicles, and drones is going to play a significant role in future litigation… not only litigation involving the product itself, but litigation that may involve the user of the product but that is wholly unrelated to the function of the product.

3. Why did you choose to pursue a career in the legal field?

My love of justice and using the law to solve complex problems led me to law school. And while a career in engineering did not appeal to me, I have been able to use scientific understanding to help my clients in all manner of legal matters.