PRACTICES
OVERVIEW
Michelle Coburn is a litigator with more than 30 years of experience. She represents construction companies, product manufacturers, premises owners and trucking companies in the defense of large personal injury matters. She also has experience representing tavern owners in liquor liability and has extensive experience defending general negligence claims for insurance companies.
Michelle’s approach toward litigation is early assessment and aggressive representation. Early case assessment and strategizing allows Michelle and her clients to collectively decide the best course of action for each matter. She will aggressively pursue all avenues of investigation and discovery to develop defenses and ultimately successfully resolve each matter through settlement, mediation, arbitration or trial.
Michelle has served as both lead and associate trial counsel in jury and non-jury trials and has handled more than 175 arbitrations in federal and state court.
Recognition and Involvement
Recognition & Involvement
Michelle was recognized on the Best Lawyers in America® 2025 listing for her work in Product Liability Litigation.
Credentials
Bar and Court Admissions
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Education
Rutgers University School of Law, JD, 1991, summa cum laude
Trenton State College, BS, 1988
News & Insights
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a property insurance company for claims of coverage and bad faith under the “hidden decay”/collapse coverage on the policy
- Negotiated the dismissal of an action, without cost to the client-manufacturer, of a flammable fabrics matter involving burns to a child
- Negotiated successful resolution of a dram shop action involving the death of a pedestrian with an alleged blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit following a significant investigation into the laboratory and science behind the blood alcohol content
- Obtained a successful verdict in the defense of a large convenience store against allegations that a store manager sexually assaulted a young boy during a frisk for shoplifting
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of international clothing manufacturer in a flammable fabrics case in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- Negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of national shoe and boot manufacturer defending electric hazard rated work boots when decedent stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted