Amy Eskin, Partner

Amy has been a partner at Hersh & Hersh since 1992.   Committed to being a tenacious, highly accessible, personal advocate for her clients, she has successfully tried or resolved numerous cases on their behalf.  Amy has a wide range of experience in the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device cases, other products liability cases such as defective ladders, and medical negligence cases.  In addition, she has written and argued numerous appeals concerning issues of importance in personal injury litigation, including the applicable statute of limitations and bystander liability for emotional distress.

• Since 1999, Amy has devoted a substantial amount of her efforts to achieving compensation for firm clients who have been injured by the diet drug combination known as Fen-Phen.  She has extensive experience in the handling of these cases, particularly those cases involving the deadly disease known as primary pulmonary hypertension associated with Fen-Phen.  She has represented the firm¹s clients in courts around the country.

• Current faculty member of the University of San Francisco School of Law’s Intensive Advocacy Program since 1992. Previously on the faculty of Stanford University’s Advocacy Skills Workshop.

• Author of a large number of articles in legal periodicals. Served on the Board of Editors for Medical Legal Aspects of Breast Implants. Editor and consulting Contributor for Bancroft Whitney’s California Civil Practice Guide, Torts, Volume 2, Chapter 23, “Products Liability.”

• Member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, the Association for Trial Lawyers of America, and Consumer Attorneys of America.

• Admitted to California bar in 1987. Also admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court, the Northern District Court of the United States District Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Claims.

Education

• Juris doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law (1986)
  Awards: American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law

• Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Berkeley (1981)
  Major: Rhetoric

Personal Statement

In the summer of 1976, when I was twelve years old, I watched the Watergate hearings on television and Barbara Jordan and others eloquently declare that the cornerstone of our system of justice is the right of individuals to be protected from abuses of power.  Since that time, I have wanted to be an attorney who protects and preserves the rights of the underrepresented.  I believe that speaking out on behalf of citizens and consumers against corporate misconduct brings social change and corporate accountability.  This commitment led me to the practice of law. 

I began working at Hersh & Hersh in 1981 as a paralegal assisting with the prosecution of cases on behalf of individuals who had suffered terrible injuries as a consequence of their exposure to a defective drug.  I learned first hand the disregard of corporations for consumer safety.  The firm¹s dedication to excellence, its compassion for our clients and its commitment to each client as an individual was a perfect fit for me.  I never left.  I went to law school, clerked at the firm while still a student, joined full time as an associate after graduation, and became a partner in 1992. 

Our work has allowed me to develop expertise in the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, where I have seen how manufacturers value profits over people. I have been enriched and am inspired every day by the courage and integrity of our clients.  I love trying cases and fighting the good fight on behalf of our clients in the courtroom in order to obtain justice for consumers who have been injured