Shelby K. Riney

Member

Shelby is a skilled litigator who focuses her practice on product liability prevention and defense, as well as commercial litigation matters.  She serves as national coordinating and trial counsel for a roadside safety product manufacturer in product liability litigation throughout the United States.  She also has significant experience defending pharmaceutical and medical device clients in complex litigation and at trial, and product manufacturers in consumer fraud class actions. Shelby has extensive experience preparing company witnesses and experts for deposition and trial, and developing strategy to exclude and/or limit testimony of opposing party’s expert witnesses, particularly on issues relating to causation.

Prior to joining the firm, Shelby was a litigation associate at two international law firms. As an associate in the complex commercial litigation group she played a key role in developing and implementing trial strategy to significantly limit testimony of plaintiff’s medical causation expert, which resulted in the client winning a directed verdict, performed a lead role in drafting appellate briefs in connection with mass tort pharmaceutical proceedings in Complex Litigation Center of Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, and advised private investment companies about product liability risk exposure in connection with potential multimillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions. As an associate in the product liability and mass torts group, Shelby was an integral member of trial teams defending international pharmaceutical companies, obtained summary judgment on behalf of academic medical center in medical malpractice action, and counseled global companies about litigation holds, e-discovery issues, and the potential ramifications of spoliation.

Shelby received her bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from University of Redlands, where she was on the Dean’s List every semester. Shelby earned her law degree, with distinction, from University of Iowa College of Law. Shelby was a merit scholar and the senior articles editor of the Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems Law Journal.

Experience

News

Cozen O'Connor Promotes 27 to Membership

May 01, 2019

Cozen O'Connor is pleased to recognize 27 attorneys with the promotion to member: Dylan Alper, Philip J. Berens, Alison Weintraub Berson, Evan Berquist, Alexandra Campau, Alissa K. Christopher, Matthew D. Clyde, Rachel Collins Clarke, Michael A. Corgan, Matthew L. Elkin, Nicole M. Ellis, Alex H. Hayden, David S. Huard, Haryle Kaldis, David Kirchblum, Matthew Evan Lewitz, Jesse Ryan Loffler, Samantha L. Mazo, Lindsey A. Miller, Jeffrey M. Monhait, Jonathan Nase, Jacqueline Promislo, Shelby K. Riney, Kelly Shinn, Terri A. Sutton, Daniel P. Thiel, and Laura Zulick.

Publications

Just In: New Jersey Supreme Court Adopts Daubert Factors For Assessing The Reliability Of Expert Testimony [Products Liability Prevention & Defense Blog]

September 24, 2018

On August 1, the Supreme Court of New Jersey issued a seminal ruling elucidating the state’s standard for admission of expert testimony in civil litigation.  In a unanimous decision, the Court adopted the Daubert factors for assessing the reliability of expert testimony, and reaffirmed the trial...

FDA Basics for the Drug and Medical Device Lawyer

March 20, 2016

Shelby Riney, counsel in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, authored Chapter 6: Post Approval Commitments in "FDA Basics for the Drug and Medical Device Lawyer."

Strategies for in-house counsel to maximize coordination of multidisciplinary products liability litigation

August 12, 2015

Shelby Riney, of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation department, published, "Strategies for in-house counsel to maximize coordination of multidisciplinary products liability litigation."

District Court Denies Takeda's Motion for a New Trial

January 28, 2015

Shelby Riney, of the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, authored, "District Court Denies Takeda's Motion for a New Trial," for the ABA Section of Litigation, Products Liability, News & Developments.

Spoliation in Complex Litigation: Lessons Learned

November 20, 2014

Shelby Riney, of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation department, and Kara McCall published, "Spoliation in Complex Litigation: Lessons Learned," for ABA's The Women of the Section.

Education

  • University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., with distinction, 2008
  • University of Redlands, B.A., 2004
  • Illinois
  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Pennsylvania

American Bar Association

Defense Research Institute

Philadelphia Bar Association