Andrew A. Chirls

save Website

Fineman Krekstein & Harris

Experience: 43 years

Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of the United States and 2 others

Super Lawyer, Service Award and 9 others

Awards 11

Experience 43y

Online & Web 6

Biography Submit listing

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.

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

Pennsylvania

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Supreme Court of the United States

United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Professional Experience

2009 - Current

Fineman Krekstein & Harris

Attorney

1989 - 2009

Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen

Partner

2005

Philadelphia Bar Association

Chancellor

1988

U.S. District Court in New Jersey

Clerk

Education

1981

University of California, Berkeley School of Law

J.D. (1981)

1977

University of Pennsylvania

B.A. (1977) | Design of the Environment (Architecture)

Honors: Cum Laude

Awards

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Super Lawyer

Super Lawyers

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Service Award

Lambda Legal Defense

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Social Justice Award

Jewish Social Policy Action Network (“JSPAN”)

Special Recognition Award for pro bono service

Human Rights Campaign

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Community Service Award

Gay and Lesbian Professional Network of Philadelphia

Service Award

Equality Advocates Pennsylvania

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Award for pursuit of civil rights

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund

year - Andrew A. Chirls

Professional in Human Relations Award

Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations

year - Andrew A. Chirls

International Human Rights Award

International Human Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association

Michael Greenberg Community Service Award

Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP)

Andrew A. Chirls

AV Preeminent Rating

Martindale-Hubbell

Contacts

Philadelphia Office Ten Penn Center 1801 Market Street, Suite 1100 Philadelphia PA 19103 Telephone: (215) 893-9300

Cherry Hill Office 20 Brace Rd Ste 350 Cherry Hill NJ 08034 Telephone: (856) 795-1118

Submit listing

Andrew A. Chirls Fineman Krekstein & Harris

Experience: 43 years

Website: Open

Phone: (215) 893-9300

Location: USA

write message

Languages

English: Spoken, Written

Websites

Fineman Krekstein & Harris

Fineman Krekstein & Harris Blog

Socials

Facebook

Twitter

Justia Profile