Overview

Jessica Davidson is a litigation partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Jessica, who was recently named a Distinguished Advisor of Product Liability by Financier Worldwide, is a widely recognized leader on product-related matters. She has been responsible for national case coordination, strategy, expert development and legal briefing in numerous federal and state court coordinated proceedings involving consumer products, prescription pharmaceutical products, medical devices and industrial products. She also has extensive class action and appellate experience in state and federal courts around the country.

In addition, Jessica has been involved in several major federal legislative efforts and has written extensively on class action and tort reform issues. She speaks frequently at seminars and symposia on litigation-related issues, including numerous appearances before industry groups, defense counsel and tort reform organizations, judicial conferences and other legal education forums. 

Prior to private practice, Jessica worked for former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. From 1999–2000, she worked at the Federal Trade Commission as a staff attorney in the Office of General Counsel, focusing on appellate litigation.

Jessica has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and recognized in Financier Worldwide’s Power Players series as a Distinguished Advisor of Product Liability (including in its 2024 edition). She has also been named to The Best Lawyers in America and honored multiple times as a Client Service All-Star by The BTI Consulting Group. In 2013, Law360 selected Jessica as a member of its Product Liability Editorial Board.

More

Thought Leadership

Publications

“Early Returns: 60 Days of New Fed. R. Evid. 702 in Product Liability Litigation,” Bloomberg Law, February 26, 2024

“Reducing the Risk of ‘Greenwashing’ Litigation and Defending Actions That Are Filed,” Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, October 10, 2023

“Managing and Resolving Commercial Disputes 2023: Protecting Chief Executives From Harassing Depositions,” Financier Worldwide, 2023

“What One Firm’s Filings Reveal About Labeling Class Actions,” Law360, March 11, 2021

“The State Of Consumer Class Actions Amid COVID-19,” Law360, December 2, 2020

“Selling More Lawsuits, Buying More Trouble,” U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, January 2020

Memberships & Affiliations

Member, The American Law Institute

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • New York
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland

Education

  • Georgetown University Law CenterJ.D.magna cum laude1996

    Order of the Coif

    Georgetown Metropolitan Club Award for Academic Excellence

  • Columbia UniversityM.S.1991
  • Columbia UniversityB.A.magna cum laude1988
    Phi Beta Kappa