Walter Swayze III

Shareholder

215.636.4343
215.972.8016 (fax)
pswayze@smsm.com
1818 Market Street, Suite 2600
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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Walter "Pete" Swayze is the Managing Shareholder of the Philadelphia office of Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney. Mr. Swayze's practice, while focusing on the defense of products liability and complex litigation matters involving catastrophic injuries, also includes extensive experience handling appellate matters including arguing cases in the Pennsylvania Superior Court, The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Swayze has prepared complex transportation, construction, civil rights, and professional liability matters for trial. He has participated in more than ten jury trials tried to verdict in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in both state and federal courts. He has experience in the preparation and presentation of corporate designates, engineers, doctors, licensed professionals of all disciplines, and experts for deposition. Further, Mr. Swayze is experienced in complex trial motion practice and the preparation of case dispositive motions in courts throughout the United States.

Mr. Swayze joined Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney in February, 2000 as a shareholder. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Swayze was a shareholder and Chairman of the Drug and Medical Device Practice Group for a large Philadelphia-based regional law firm.

Mr. Swayze is a prominent member of the defense bar in Philadelphia. He was appointed lead defense counsel in the Philadelphia latex glove allergy litigation; he now serves as defense liaison counsel in two pharmaceutical products liability matters involving branded and generic prescription drugs pending in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. At the national level, Mr. Swayze has served as National Coordinating Counsel for two OTC drug product companies, participating and managing the clients' cases on a nationwide basis, and now serves as local counsel on numerous coordinated defense efforts. Further, he has been asked to address both industry and insurers on issues presented in various types of litigation. Mr. Swayze has spoken at practice group meetings at national conferences, such as those organized by the Defense Research Institute, and has also addressed insurance companies on substantive issues of the law as well as effective claims handling under the purview of the relationship between the insurance company and its lawyers.

Mr. Swayze lives in Media, Pennsylvania with his wife, Joanne, two sons, Hunter and Jake, and a daughter, Katelyn.

EDUCATION

University of Richmond, B.S., 1986
New Jersey Police Academy, Cape May County
Widener University School of Law, J.D., 1990, cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS

New Jersey
Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, Colorado
U.S. District Court, New Jersey
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit 
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS

Co-Author

  • Editor, LexisNexis Practice Guide:  Pennsylvania Personal Injury Litigation (2012 Edition, LexisNexis Matthew Bender).
  • "Demons In The Inbox: Employer Protection From The Plague Of Inappropriate E-Mails," Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney's Employment Law Newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 1 (Winter 2007).

Speaker

  • The Dispute Resolution Institute's 15th Annual Personal Injury Potpourri, “Joinder, Contribution, Cross-Claims and Indemnity,” Philadelphia, PA (April 16, 2013).
  • "Product Liability Law Review and Update," co-presenter, The Legal Intelligencer's In-House Counsel Seminar, Philadelphia, PA (October 17, 2012).
  • The Dispute Resolution Institute's 2nd Annual Philadelphia Mass Tort Symposium (December 8, 2011).
  • "The Un-Generic Problems with Generics: Coming Supreme Court Decisions, Preemption & More," Mass Torts Judicial Forum with Hon. Marina Corodemus (Ret.), HB Litigation Conferences, Philadelphia, PA (June 27, 2011). 
  • "Substantive Pennsylvania Jurisprudential Issues in Mass Tort Cases," Dispute Resolution Institute's Mass Tort Symposium, Philadelphia, PA (December 7, 2010).
  • "Don't Settle for Less: Maximizing Your Personal Injury Settlement -- the Defense Perspective," Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Philadelphia, PA (October 22, 2010).
  • "Risk Managing Your Clinical Trial Process against Liability Claims," 2010 Annual Meeting, Drug Information Association (DIA), Washington, D.C. (June 13 - 17, 2010).
  • "Hammer Time! Revisiting the 'Hammer' Letter," Crittenden Insurance Coverage Forum, Philadelphia, PA (October 1-2, 2009).
  • "Litigation Minefields." Annual International Convention, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Philadelphia, PA (June 19-22, 2005).

PUBLISHED APPELLATE OPINIONS

Polski v. Quigley Corporation, 538 F.3d 836 (8th Cir. 2008).
Whitson v. Safeskin, 313 F.Supp.2d 473 (M.D. Pa. 2004).
Morgan v. Gay, 466 F.3d 276 (3d Cir. 2006).

PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Council on Litigation Management
Defense Research Institute
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel
Philadelphia Bar Association

OTHER HONORS

Selected for inclusion in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list (no more than 5% of lawyers in the state are selected), nominated and selected by peers in the legal community  (2011-2013)

American Jurisprudence Award in Product Liability, 1989

Practice Areas

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