Thomas M. Goutman, Attorney

Mr. Goutman is a partner in and former chair of the Litigation Department.  He enjoys a national reputation in the defense of corporations in product liability, toxic tort and class actions, as well as the representation of plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation.  He has been at the forefront of making new law and testing new legal theories on behalf of his clients.  Mr. Goutman's notable accomplishments include the first successful medical monitoring jury trial, one of the first successful stigma property damage jury trials, and one of the first successful attacks on junk science in toxic tort litigation.  Over the years, he has successfully defended manufacturers of chemicals, drugs, medical devices, industrial equipment, household products, and motor vehicles in high stakes, complex cases involving serious injury or death. He has also defended corporations in national class actions involving claims brought under consumer protection, insurance and antitrust statutes.

In addition to his busy trial practice, Mr. Goutman is actively involved in the Defense Research Institute, where he is chair of the Mass Tort Subcommittee.  He has also published extensively on many subjects, including mass torts, class actions, medical monitoring, Daubert challenges, trial tactics, and has submitted briefs amicus curiae in a number of landmark cases. Mr. Goutman has been invited to lecture on the areas of products liability, toxic torts, and trial advocacy by many organizations including The American Bar Association, The Defense Research Institute, The Georgetown University Mass Tort Institute, The Chemical Manufacturer's Association, The Institute for Law and Science, and the Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

Mr. Goutman received his B.A. from George Washington University in 1976 and his J.D. in 1979 from Georgetown University Law School. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel and American Board of Trial Advocates.  In 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, he was selected in a survey of his peers as a Pennsylvania "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics magazine.  Mr. Goutman has been AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system.