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Derek T. Braslow

Derek T. Braslow

Derek T. Braslow is a partner of Pogust Braslow & Millrood, LLC and has dedicated his career to seeking justice on behalf of individuals and families who have been injured by a defective product, dangerous pharmaceutical drug or medical device.

Derek Braslow is known for his compassion to clients and his passion in pursuing justice. He has been a leader in the legal field, notable for being one of the first attorneys to file suit on behalf of families who lost a child, spouse or parent to suicide as a result of psychotropic medication and one of the first to file a suit against investigators, sponsors and institutional review boards for conducting unethical human clinical trials. He has not only represented clients injured by drugs and medical devices but has represented doctors and consumers against insurers, employees wrongfully withheld wages or discriminated against by their employers and those harmed by consumer fraud. Recognized by his peers and clients as a skilled and dedicated attorney, Derek has been voted by his colleagues as a Rising Star and SuperLawyer in the area of Pharmaceutical and Mass Tort litigation in each of the last four years.

Derek has served in numerous Court-appointed leadership positions in other pharmaceutical litigations. Most recently, he was appointed by Hon. Madeline Cox Arleo as Co-Liaison Counsel in In re Zimmer Durom Hip Cup Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2158. In addition, he was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re Levaquin, Atlantic County, NJ, and in the past, has served in a similar capacity in In re Paxil Suicide Litigation, Phila. CCP.

A sought-after speaker at conferences sponsored by the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, and the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, Derek has lectured on issues ranging from federal preemption of drug products, antidepressants and suicide, antibiotics and tendon ruptures, clinical trials, bioethics and pharmaceutical litigation and policy. Most recently, as co-chair of AAJ’s Zimmer Nexgen Knee Litigation Group, he was a featured speaker on the Zimmer Nexgen Knee litigation at AAJ’s annual conference. In addition, Derek has testified before the FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drug Advisory Committee regarding the risk of suicide and antidepressants and has counseled many clients who have themselves testified before the FDA’s subcommittees regarding the deadly risks of ADHD drugs and antidepressants for children and adolescents. Derek was also featured in an interview in the documentary “We’ll Take Care of You” which premiered at the Flint International Film Festival in May 2007 and has been quoted in numerous articles on the issues of health care reform and the risks of psychotropic medication.

Derek has argued several notable cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the New Jersey Supreme Court, involving insurance coverage and federal preemption of pharmaceutical drugs, including, Colaccico v. GSK, et al. (3d Cir. 2008); 401 Fourth St. v. Investors Ins. Group, (Pa. 2005); Information Spectrum v. The Hartford, (N.J. 2004); and Sylvania Gardens v. Hartford Ins. Co., (3d Cir. 2001).

Derek is a 1993 graduate of University of Pennsylvania and 1996 graduate of Temple University School of Law. While at Temple, he clerked for the Hon. Norma L. Shapiro in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and served as co-chair of Temple’s Women’s Law Caucus. Derek also led Temple’s National Trial Team to a regional championship and was awarded the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association Award for Trial Advocacy.

Derek is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, and has been admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Unites States Supreme Court.

Derek is also a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Employment Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, New Jersey Association for Justice and the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. He currently serves as an executive committee member for the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, a board member of Ablechild.org, and is an active member of the Temple Law Alumni Association, Golden Slipper Club & Charities, Public Citizen and Public Justice, and the Philadelphia branch of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Derek is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and currently resides in suburban Philadelphia. In his spare time, Derek coaches his daughters’ soccer, basketball and softball teams.

Articles by Derek T. Braslow