Erin Pauley

Erin M. Pauley

Partner
Erin Pauley is a partner in the Litigation Department of Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office, where she defends manufacturers and national retailers in high-stakes products liability and mass torts litigation across the country. Her clients primarily include pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers as well as major food and drug retailers facing personal injury and product liability claims. Erin brings a proactive, strategic approach to every engagement—coordinating multi-jurisdictional defense efforts, building consensus among defense teams, and driving litigation strategy with a focus on achieving favorable outcomes while minimizing business disruption for her clients.

A seasoned courtroom advocate, Erin has tried cases to verdict as first chair trial counsel in both jury and bench trials, taken and defended high-risk depositions in complex product liability matters, and argued significant trial and appellate motions in state and federal courts nationwide. She has secured unanimous defense verdicts in talcum powder mesothelioma litigation and prosthetic device product liability cases, and has managed the coordinated national defense of large-scale litigation involving over a thousand individual litigants. In tandem with her litigation experience, Erin serves as resolution counsel in large multi-district (MDL) proceedings, where has negotiated and secured the dismissal of thousands of filed cases—helping clients navigate the scale and complexity of nationwide mass tort dockets and achieve finality and closure.

Recognized as a Law360 Product Liability Rising Star in 2024—one of only five attorneys selected nationwide in the product liability category—Erin is known for her ability to manage complex, multi-party litigation with precision and deliver results-oriented advocacy at every stage.

Credentials

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D., editor of the Loyola University Chicago International Law Review
  • Indiana University-Bloomington, B.A.

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • Illinois

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
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