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- hope.freiwald@dechert.com
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Philadelphia OfficeCira Centre, 2929 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America 19104-2808
Hope S. Freiwald is a trial lawyer at Dechert LLP, whose practice includes a broad range of product liability, toxic tort, consumer class action and commercial cases. Ms. Freiwald has served as trial and coordinating defense counsel, and has led expert development teams, for numerous companies faced with complex, multi-jurisdictional and coordinated litigation, typically involving scientific and public health issues.
Ms. Freiwald currently represents a major manufacturer of baby food in litigation alleging that its products cause neurodevelopmental harms. She has previously led numerous expert development teams, including in defense of one of the leading manufacturers of opioid medicines.
Ms. Freiwald’s clients span a wide range of industries from food and beverage, to pharmaceutical and medical device. She currently represents a manufacturer of baby food in multi-district and state court litigation alleging that their foods cause autism and ADHD, as well as another food and beverage company whose products are alleged to cause diabetes. She previously led Dechert’s expert development team in defense of the leading manufacturers of opioid medicines. She has served as coordinating defense counsel in multi-district litigation involving testosterone replacement therapy and also represented the largest on-line retailer of nutritional supplements in product liability litigation arising out of a recalled ingredient. Previously, she has served as trial or coordinating counsel in litigation involving antipsychotics, COX-2 inhibitors, statins, blood factor concentrates, contact lens solution, acne medication, cardiac pacemakers and latex gloves. In addition, she has worked on behalf of manufacturers of consumer products ranging from airbags to fire safety equipment.
Ms. Freiwald also represents clients in internal investigations and advises companies on assessing and managing product-related risks. She has helped clients understand and develop strategies for reducing risk related to food additives, asbestos and silica exposure, ground water contamination, athletic gear, luxury boats and electronics.
Ms. Freiwald also has an active pro bono practice. She successfully represented the widow of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty with an unlawfully purchased handgun, obtaining not just monetary compensation but also changes in the defendant seller's employee training and customer screening practices. She also co-authored an amicus curiae brief that was cited by the Obama administration before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Hobby Lobby case.
She has been highlighted as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation since 2013 for her general commercial and product liability practices and as a “Life Sciences Star” by LMG Life Sciences since 2012. Ms. Freiwald also has been noted for her work in mass tort, class action and product liability litigation by US News and Best Lawyers in America, which in 2013 named her “Lawyer of the Year” in Philadelphia for defendants in product liability litigation. In 2025, Ms. Freiwald was ranked by Chambers USA in Band 1 for Litigation: Product Liability, where she is praised for having “excellent judgment” and bringing a “common sense perspective to cases.” Ms. Freiwald is a graduate of Brown University (magna cum laude) and Columbia Law School. Before joining Dechert, she clerked for the Honorable Jan E. DuBois (E.D.P.A.).
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- Columbia Law School, J.D., 1990
- Brown University, A.B., 1986, magna cum laude
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- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
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- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Honorable Jan E. DuBois