Laura Ashley Martin is a member of the firm’s Product Liability, Fire and Life Sciences, Construction, Commercial and Corporate, and General Litigation practice groups.  She has years of experience in both the private and public sectors.  Prior to entering private practice, Laura Ashley clerked in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the federal court system.  Her expertise in federal practice has been put to test by courts across the country where she has successfully won dispositive motions in complex product liability and commercial matters.  Laura Ashley specializes in assisting foreign product manufactures sued in the United States by resolving the matters early on via motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction.  Her other area of practice lies in the construction field

Laura Ashley is sensitive to the need to control both costs and potential liability exposure as early as possible in litigation.  For clients that are subject to the court’s jurisdiction, her practice focuses on learning the intricacies of the product involved and the medical science behind the injuries alleged in order to work with field-leading experts to successfully resolve the cases prior to trial.  Even when the injuries are catastrophic, Laura Ashley can convince the court to resolve the case on the merits via targeted motion practice.  She has successfully won numerous Daubert and summary judgment motions that have been upheld by the appellate courts, including the Second Circuit.  Her product liability experience is extensive and includes products such as tools, bicycles, radios, and batteries winches in the consumer product realm to surgical instruments, joint implants, oral care products, and hair color in the life sciences to cheese and soft drinks in the food sciences to go-karts and golf cars in the automotive field to fall protection devices and boom lifts in the construction industry.  She also has significant experience defending asbestos cases, with a specialty in engine gaskets, and developed a line of cross-examination deposition questions to identify alternative sources of exposure that is now an industry standard.  In a related vein, Laura Ashley also maintains a niche practice in veterinary malpractice defense.

Laura Ashley’s represents clients on complex construction matters.  She drafts complex construction agreements including general contractor and subcontractor contracts for multi-million dollar public work projects.  Her particular focus is on the indemnification and insurance provisions so that clients are as protected as possible while appropriately passing the risk and expense to the next lower level contractor. She also assists construction clients on the local level by acting as general counsel and handling all commercial and litigation needs.  She also has experience in filing liens, moving to foreclose on liens, and defending against improper liens.

On the defense side, Laura Ashley has her OSHA-10 certification so she knows the safety measures required for a construction site.  That knowledge is put to use in her Labor Law practice where she defends owners and general contractors in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.  Laura Ashley personally visits the accident locations as soon as possible to investigate the accident and interview witnesses.  This sets the tone for how the cases are handled from the start with a personal and in-depth approach that sets the case up for trial.  Her clients include a national airline and numerous national contractors. Laura Ashley also has extensive experience in asbestos litigation.

Laura Ashley strives to go beyond just representing clients in litigation and no matter the question or challenge posed she will find a solution that is both cost-effective and time sensitive.  She is also the co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Empowerment and Success Committee.

Laura Ashley was on the editorial board for the Penn State International Law Review at Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law.  She also competed in Vienna, Austria at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court competition.  She was awarded the Order of Barristers for her oral advocacy skills and those who know her, will agree that she never shies away from a good debate.  She interned for the Pennsylvania Attorney General and Army J.A.G. and clerked in the Pennsylvania state court system.

When not working, Laura Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters.  The family enjoys the Adirondacks and the swimming, boating, skiing and general respite that it offers.