Seeger • Salvas LLP

Brian J. Devine

Seeger Salvas llp

455 Market Street, Suite 1530

San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 981-9260

Fax (415) 981-9266

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Brian Devine is one of the founding partners of Seeger Salvas LLP. His litigation practice focuses on complex product liability, insurance coverage and commercial matters. And his results speak themselves: In the last few years alone, he has recovered more than $20 million for the plaintiffs he represented and he has helped to guide two defendants out of financial peril by helping to negotiate global product liability settlements of $1 billion and $100 million.

 

Product Liability Litigation

Brian’s unparalleled depth of knowledge of product liability litigation stems from his years working in the medical device industry. Brian attended law school at night while working as the risk manager at Sulzer Medica, a firm based in Switzerland that made complex medical devices such as pacemakers, heart valves, and orthopedic implants. As Sulzer Medica’s Assistant General Counsel, Brian was responsible for all of the firm’s product liability cases worldwide. When the company suddenly had to recall several thousand hip and knee implants in December 2000, Brian was given lead responsibility for managing the resulting avalanche of litigation. He managed thousands of individual cases and directed attorneys in almost every state in the country. He also managed a federal Multi-District Litigation proceeding and several coordinated state court proceedings. He then took a leading role in negotiating a nationwide class-action settlement which literally saved the company from financial disaster. Brian helped guide Sulzer Medica from the brink of bankruptcy, increasing its share price by 650 percent from $2 per share to over $15 per share after the settlement was confirmed.

 

In 2002 Brian founded the law firm Seeger Salvas LLP with his partners Ken Seeger and Adam Salvas. At Seeger Salvas, Brian represents both plaintiffs and defendants in medical device and pharmaceutical product liability cases. Brian’s legal and medical knowledge combined with the unique perspective he gained while in-house makes him a formidable adversary. Brian’s skill as an advocate is best proven by his results. In the last few years alone, he has recovered more than $20 million for his clients. He has scored five victories in excess of $1 million, and his largest victory is a $3.7 million settlement on behalf of a single client.

 

Brian’s experience includes managing litigation at all stages of the lifecycle from pre-litigation through appeal. Additionally, Brian has significant experience managing coordinated actions, both in federal court and state court. In the last few years alone, Brian has participated in four federal Multi-District Litigation proceedings and several state coordinated proceedings.

 

Brian has been invited to share his unique perspective on product liability litigation with both medical device companies and groups of attorneys representing plaintiffs. He has written extensively about medical device litigation, most recently publishing two articles about medical device litigation in California’s Civil Litigation Reporter.

 

 

Insurance Coverage Litigation

 

Brian has successfully represented his clients in lawsuits against the world’s largest insurance companies, including a recent class-action victory against a nationwide HMO. Brian’s education and his experience working in the insurance industry and as the risk manager for a publicly-traded medical device company provides him with a powerful arsenal to use in insurance litigation. His undergraduate degree is in Risk Management and Insurance, and he holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate of Risk Management (ARM) professional designations. Throughout his career, he has worked for an insurance company, an insurance brokerage, and he served as the Risk Manager for a global and publicly-traded corporation. This broad base of experience provides him with the background to understand not only the technical aspects of insurance coverage, but also how insurance companies think and operate.

 

Much of Brian’s time is devoted to pro bono cases. He works with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights where he successfully represents clients seeking political asylum. His most memorable case involved a Colombian woman who had to flee her homeland after witnessing the assassination of a high-profile political leader. Brian obtained asylum for her at the Immigration Court and he successfully defended the favorable ruling before the Board of Immigration Appeals.