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Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C.
Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C.
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Attorneys

James R. Hankle

Shareholder and Director

Mr. Hankle is a Shareholder and Director of the firm, Chair of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice area and Co-Chair of the Privacy and Cyber Security practice area.

Mr. Hankle was approved by the FBI for membership in its InfraGard Program, after passing the FBI’s Background Records Check. Mr. Hankle’s practice is concentrated solely in the areas of litigation and privacy and cyber security law. Mr. Hankle represents clients in complex litigation before federal and state courts, federal and state agencies, and international commercial arbitration panels. Mr. Hankle represents national companies and local corporations in the defense of commercial transaction claims, intellectual property claims, mass toxic tort claims and product liability claims. For example, in 2010, Mr. Hankle picked a jury in the defense of an isocyanate toxic tort, fraud and conspiracy case filed nine years before involving 1,400 plaintiffs and estimated to be one of the largest civil law suits ever tried in the state of Alabama and, in 2018, successfully defended a $124 million international franchise arbitration claim, winning a counterclaim award. Mr. Hankle has also won multi-million dollar verdicts for personal injury and corporate clients, including a $7 million dollar jury verdict in 2018 on a crossclaim in a complex oil and gas class action case. In addition, Mr. Hankle has an extensive practice in the criminal defense arena, with a strong emphasis in the area of corporate white collar crime. Currently, Mr. Hankle is lead defense counsel for a national prescription drug distributor against public nuisance and related tort and statutory claims asserted in what is considered one of the most complex constellation of cases ever filed in a multi-district litigation matter, consolidated for pretrial proceedings and trial in In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, No. 1:17-MD-2804 (N.D. Ohio), as well as in analogous state court actions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and New York.

Representative Services

  • Litigation
  • Privacy and Cyber Security

Education

  • J.D., Cleveland-Marshall Law School, 1981
  • Georgetown University Law School’s eDiscovery Training Academy, 2011
  • eDiscovery and Evidence Training Institute, 2012
  • Georgetown University Law School’s Cybersecurity Law Institute, 2013
  • GIAC Law of Data Security & Investigations certified by the SANS Institute, 2019

Professional & Community Activities

  • Electronic Discovery Special Master, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • Member, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County (by invitation only)
  • Founding Member, Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, International Association of Defense Counsel (by invitation only)
  • Member, Defense Research Institute
  • Member, Texas Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists (by invitation only)
  • Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
  • Former Member, Board of Directors of the Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce (four terms)
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Contact Info

  • jrh@sgkpc.com
  • Phone: 412-258-6712
  • Fax: 412-261-6221
  • LinkedIn
  • vCard
  • Download PDF

Practice Areas

  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Privacy and Cyber Security
  • Technology Transactions

Bar Admission

  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Tax Court
All Attorneys
 

Contact Info

  • jrh@sgkpc.com
  • Phone: 412-258-6712
  • Fax: 412-261-6221
  • LinkedIn
  • vCard
  • Download PDF

Practice Areas

  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Privacy and Cyber Security
  • Technology Transactions

Bar Admission

  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Tax Court
All Attorneys

James R. Hankle

Shareholder and Director

Mr. Hankle is a Shareholder and Director of the firm, Chair of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice area and Co-Chair of the Privacy and Cyber Security practice area.

Mr. Hankle was approved by the FBI for membership in its InfraGard Program, after passing the FBI’s Background Records Check. Mr. Hankle’s practice is concentrated solely in the areas of litigation and privacy and cyber security law. Mr. Hankle represents clients in complex litigation before federal and state courts, federal and state agencies, and international commercial arbitration panels. Mr. Hankle represents national companies and local corporations in the defense of commercial transaction claims, intellectual property claims, mass toxic tort claims and product liability claims. For example, in 2010, Mr. Hankle picked a jury in the defense of an isocyanate toxic tort, fraud and conspiracy case filed nine years before involving 1,400 plaintiffs and estimated to be one of the largest civil law suits ever tried in the state of Alabama and, in 2018, successfully defended a $124 million international franchise arbitration claim, winning a counterclaim award. Mr. Hankle has also won multi-million dollar verdicts for personal injury and corporate clients, including a $7 million dollar jury verdict in 2018 on a crossclaim in a complex oil and gas class action case. In addition, Mr. Hankle has an extensive practice in the criminal defense arena, with a strong emphasis in the area of corporate white collar crime. Currently, Mr. Hankle is lead defense counsel for a national prescription drug distributor against public nuisance and related tort and statutory claims asserted in what is considered one of the most complex constellation of cases ever filed in a multi-district litigation matter, consolidated for pretrial proceedings and trial in In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, No. 1:17-MD-2804 (N.D. Ohio), as well as in analogous state court actions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and New York.

Representative Services

  • Litigation
  • Privacy and Cyber Security

Education

  • J.D., Cleveland-Marshall Law School, 1981
  • Georgetown University Law School’s eDiscovery Training Academy, 2011
  • eDiscovery and Evidence Training Institute, 2012
  • Georgetown University Law School’s Cybersecurity Law Institute, 2013
  • GIAC Law of Data Security & Investigations certified by the SANS Institute, 2019

Professional & Community Activities

  • Electronic Discovery Special Master, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • Member, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County (by invitation only)
  • Founding Member, Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, International Association of Defense Counsel (by invitation only)
  • Member, Defense Research Institute
  • Member, Texas Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists (by invitation only)
  • Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
  • Former Member, Board of Directors of the Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce (four terms)

Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C.

535 Smithfield Street, Ste. 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15222 USA

Phone: 412-355-0200

Fax: 412-261-6221

Email and Employment Opportunities:
sgk@sgkpc.com

 

Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C.

535 Smithfield Street, Ste. 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15222 USA

Phone: 412-355-0200

Fax: 412-261-6221

Email and Employment Opportunities:
sgk@sgkpc.com

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