CASEY GERRY PARTNERS RECOGNIZED IN SUPER LAWYERS

Annual Ranking Also Names Robert J. Francavilla One of “Top 50” San Diego Attorneys

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – All five Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield, LLP, partners — Gayle M. Blatt, David S. Casey Jr., Robert J. Francavilla, Thomas D. Penfield and Frederick Schenk — have been selected for inclusion in San Diego Super Lawyers 2008, an annual publication which provides comprehensive listings for consumers of legal services. Additionally, Francavilla was named one of the “Top  50 Attorneys” in San Diego by the same magazine.

“We are all honored to be recognized in this prestigious publication, which spotlights a very small percentage of San Diego’s attorneys,” said David S. Casey, the firm’s senior partner. “More than 11,000 attorneys were invited to nominate the best local lawyers they’ve observed in action,” he explained. “This is important recognition which reaffirms our status as one of the region’s leading plaintiffs’ law firms.”

Each year Super Lawyers magazine, which first appeared in 1991, identifies the top five percent of attorneys in select states and cities throughout the country – the attorneys selected for the ranking are chosen by their peers through extensive polling, peer evaluations and independent research.  Prior to final selection, each candidate is fully reviewed by the publication’s research staff as well.

Meeting all of the magazine’s stringent criteria, all five Casey Gerry partners have considerable expertise in various aspects of consumer law.

Gayle M. Blatt, a longtime University City resident, is past president of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD), an organization of trial lawyers whose focus is to preserve and protect the legal rights of consumers, and is a two-time recipient of the organization’s  “Outstanding Trial Lawyer” award. Earning numerous multi-million dollar results for her clients, she concentrates her practice on personal injury, pharmaceutical and product liability litigation.

A past president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), David Casey Jr. gained national recognition for his work to organize a moratorium on civil lawsuits related to the events of Sept. 11.  A third generation attorney, he specializes in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, He has earned numerous professional awards and obtained successful verdicts and settlements for dozens of well-known cases throughout his three decade career.

Concentrating on all aspects of serious personal injury and wrongful death, Carmel Valley resident Robert J. Francavilla has attained multi-million dollar results in highway design, automobile accident and premises liability cases. A past president of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, he has also been honored with its “Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award” on four occasions. Francavilla is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

With significant experience in personal injury, products liability, class actions and civil litigation, Thomas D. Penfield was the recipient of the Environmental Lawyer of the Year Award from the Sierra Club’s San Diego Chapter. Prior to joining Casey Gerry, he worked as a supervising trial lawyer with the Defenders Program of San Diego, and as a Professor of Law at the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law, where he still teaches as an adjunct professor. He is president elect of the Bar Association of North San Diego County.

A partner with Casey Gerry for two decades, Frederick Schenk specializes in asbestos litigation, products and premises liability. He is a past president of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, sits on the board of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is past president of the Civil Justice Foundation. In addition, he served on the board of directors of the 22nd District Agricultural Association (Del Mar Fair), and was president of the of the board of directors for the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.

About Super Lawyers

In addition to San Diego, Super Lawyers magazine is published in various U.S. cities and states, and can be found in all 50 states. With an objective is to create a comprehensive list that is useful to consumers of legal services, its listings range from small town lawyers in boutique firms to big city attorneys at large corporate law offices, as well as legal aid attorneys, prosecutors and in-house counsel.  For more information, visit www.superlawyers.com.

About Casey Gerry

Celebrating more than 60 years in San Diego, Casey Gerry was established in 1947, and is the oldest plaintiffs’ law firm in San Diego.  The firm’s 11 attorneys practice in numerous areas, including asbestos, personal injury, product liability and pharmaceutical litigation.

Located at 110 Laurel St. in the Banker’s Hill neighborhood of San Diego, the firm recently completed an extensive $3 million renovation of its longtime offices. The firm also has a satellite office in Solana Beach, Calif.