Beck Recognized for Contributions to LCJ and Civil Litigation Reform

LCJ’s Founders Award was presented to Jim Beck in recognition of his profound contributions to the development and advancement of LCJ’s advocacy initiatives. Jim’s clear thinking, persuasive writing, and expert editing have shaped and refined numerous LCJ’s proposals for FRCP amendments, most recently those concerning third-party litigation funding disclosure, privacy and cyber security, expert evidence admissibility, and MDL management.

The Founders Award was presented to Jim by LCJ President Molly Craig and LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl at LCJ’s May 8 annual dinner, held in conjunction with our Spring Membership Meeting.

Jim Beck practices law with Reed Smith in Philadelphia, handling complex personal injury and product liability litigation as a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Health Industry, Product Liability, and Appellate groups. Jim oversees the development of legal defenses, master briefs, and dispositive motions in numerous multidistrict litigation matters and other mass torts. He also drafts appellate briefs in significant product liability and related matters.

Jim founded and co-hosts the widely followed and award-winning Drug & Device Law blog, in which he often addresses procedural rules issues and discusses LCJ’s proposals and positions.

Jim is also a dedicated member of the Product Liability Advisory Committee (PLAC), for whom he has written over 70 amicus briefs on product liability issues. Jim wrote PLAC’s successful amicus brief in the ground-breaking Tincher v Omega Flex decision in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned 35 years of product liability precedent. Following Tincher, he organized the “Tincher Group” of defense counsel, which has produced scholarship and suggested post-Tincher jury instructions in order to preserve the principles adopted in Tincher. PLAC has awarded Jim its highest honor, the John P. Raleigh Award.

Jim has prepared amicus briefs for many other organizations as well, including AdvaMed, the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association and several state affiliates, the Business Roundtable, the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Washington Legal Foundation. Jim edited the newsletter of the ABA’s Mass Torts Litigation Committee for almost two decades, winning multiple ABA awards.

Jim earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from Princeton University.

In 2022, Jim earned LCJ’s “Outstanding Contributor” award.

The LCJ Founders Award recognizes outstanding dedication and contributions to the promotion of excellence and fairness in the civil justice system. Prior recipients of this award include John Jablonski, Robert Levy, Bob Owen, Tom Allman, Andy Trask, Brittany Schultz, Lee Mickus, Mary Massaron, Scott Partridge, Alan Rothman, and Jeffrey McKenna.