Andrew A. Chirls
Fineman Krekstein & Harris
Andrew Chirls has tried a broad variety of business and tort cases. A graduate of the University of California (Boalt Hall) School of Law, he served as a clerk for the U.S. District Court in New Jersey for a year and then spent 25 years litigating at Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen, where he was a partner from 1989 to 2009. He was Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2005.
Class actions and mass torts: Mr. Chirls is known for his practice in class actions and multi-district litigation, both as an advocate and a neutral. He was appointed in 2013 by the United States District Court in Philadelphia to oversee and resolve discovery disputes in the Zoloft Birth Defects national multi-district litigation. He serves by appointment of the Court as Common Benefit Fund Administrator in the Avandia multi-district litigation. Mr. Chirls has been class counsel in a number of securities cases, and represented the AHP Settlement Trust, which administered a $4.3 billion class settlement from the marketing of the diet drug Fen Phen.
Business litigation: Mr. Chirls has also tried contract cases arising from mergers, acquisitions and dissolutions. He is recognized as an authority in the field of property rights and condemnation law, involving the constitutional rights of property owners when governments and utility companies take property for public projects.
Attorney discipline: Mr. Chirls represents and consults with lawyers on attorney discipline and professional ethics matters.
Torts: He was the first lawyer to represent a plaintiff in an AIDS/HIV discrimination case before a jury in Pennsylvania, and was lead defense counsel in a class action involving exposure to toxic metals at a dialysis clinic.
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law
- J.D. (1981)
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- University of Pennsylvania
- B.A. (1977) | Design of the Environment (Architecture)
- Honors: Cum Laude
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- Attorney
- Fineman Krekstein & Harris
- - Current
- Partner
- Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen
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- Chancellor
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- Clerk
- U.S. District Court in New Jersey
- The Law of Eminent Domain
- American Bar Association Real Estate Section, Eminent Domain Division
- Super Lawyer
- Super Lawyers
- Service Award
- Lambda Legal Defense
- Social Justice Award
- Jewish Social Policy Action Network (“JSPAN”)
- Special Recognition Award for pro bono service
- Human Rights Campaign
- Community Service Award
- Gay and Lesbian Professional Network of Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania State Bar # 35422
- Member
- Current
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- Academy of Court
- Appointed Masters
- Current
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- American Law Institute
- Member
- Current
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- American Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- Activities: Real Estate and Trusts Section; Litigation Section
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- Pennsylvania
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- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
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- Supreme Court of the United States
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- United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit
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- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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- Real Estate Law
- Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
- Litigation
- Commercial Litigation/Business Disputes
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- English: Spoken, Written