Ira S. Lefton is a career litigator with over 38 years of experience as a partner at Reed Smith LLP, handling significant commercial litigation, products liability, and real estate matters. He has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts. Lefton also has management experience developing trial training programs and serving as the firm's Director of Pro Bono, growing its pro bono participation and profile. In addition to his legal career, he is involved in several civic and community organizations, serving on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association and providing pro bono counsel to organizations such as Amnesty International and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

1. IRA S. LEFTON
1714 Spruce Street, No. 2
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
Mobile: (267) 257-4124
iralefton@gmail.com
PROFILE:
A career litigator with extensive experience in an international law firm handling significant litigation
matters with an emphasis on commercial, products and premises liability and construction and real
estate related matters. In depth, long term experience in counseling the legal and business affairs
managers of client and community organizations. Widespread civic interests and volunteer activities.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Reed Smith LLP, a Global Law Firm with 1600 lawyers in 26 offices in the U.S. and abroad. Reed Smith
represents many of the world’s leading companies in complex litigation and other high-stakes disputes, cross-
border and strategic transactions, as well as crucial regulatory matters.
Partner - Litigation Group, Pittsburgh (1978-1986) and Philadelphia (1987-2016) offices of Reed Smith
Member: Construction Group; Commercial Litigation Group; Real Estate Litigation Group
Legal Experience:
 Litigating numerous jury and non-jury trials and hearings to conclusion in state and federal trial courts
throughout the nation and before state and federal administrative agencies in cases involving personal
injury, real estate, property damage, commercial disputes, intellectual property and contract claims.
Recent cases involve construction and residential lending; construction products, premises liability,
pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other products (including product liability claims and intellectual
property disputes), and real estate issues generally. Cases typically involve claims in excess of $1
million.
 Managing all aspects of pre-litigation investigation and analysis and all case activity leading up to trial;
preparing legal filings; conducting interviews and preparing witnesses for testifying; establishing and
managing systems and personnel (with teams of up to 6 persons or more per case) for the coordination
and analysis of documents in multi-case or complex litigation; selecting and working with expert
witnesses; taking and defending depositions.
 Presenting arguments and otherwise acting as an advocate at the appellate level before the United States
Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Federal Circuits and the Pennsylvania Superior and
Commonwealth Courts.
 Counseling clients and other attorneys to identify business/legal disputes and issues and to analyze and
resolve them, whether by litigation, negotiation or alternative dispute resolution, to achieve cost-efficient
resolution consistent with client interests and principles.
Representative Matters:
 Coordinating and supervising all aspects of dozens of high-stakes product liability lawsuits in
Philadelphia for a major pharmaceutical company, including working closely with client in house
counsel, National Defense Counsel and scores of attorneys from a half dozen Reed Smith offices and a
dozen other firms throughout the nation. Served as Reed Smith Firmwide Litigation Captain for such
cases and on Nationwide Prescriber Team to depose prescribers of the disputed medication.

2. Ira S. Lefton
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 Principal Pennsylvania counsel for the nation’s leading manufacturer of Exterior Insulation and Finish
Systems (synthetic stucco) in products liability and intellectual property litigation. Secured numerous
summary judgments (including establishing Pennsylvania precedent) for client and its regional
distributor, and achieved and enforced settlements, including favorable precedent upholding nationwide
validity of settlement of a class action certified in Tennessee state court.
 Represented a national energy company with significant Philadelphia presence and heritage in numerous
premises liability and construction related disputes. Obtained indemnification from third parties to
provide full defense and indemnification in $1 million plus exposure cases. Obtained transfer of venue
of high exposure case to less hostile jurisdiction early in the litigation.
 Represented regional bank in lender liability dispute in which unfavorable facts led to excessive demand
by plaintiffs. A two week jury trial (Bucks County Court of Common Pleas) resulted in a verdict at only
half the final demand; defeated posttrial motions for prejudgment interest.
 Represented various clients in banking and real estate industries regarding license/easement issues,
disputes over repair obligations, tenant improvement provisions and termination clauses, zoning issues
and validity of nonjudicial foreclosures of mortgages transferred on the Mortgage Electronic Registration
System (in litigations ranging from Alabama to Arizona, including MDL matters) or otherwise brought
by financial institutions acting as holder in due course.
 Handled product liability matters relating to medical products (specialized forceps), mechanical products
(milling machines, forklifts) and materials (plastic beads not meeting specifications). In one matter
obtained precedent setting summary judgment ruling regarding applicability of statute of repose in
Pennsylvania; in another successfully invoked summary judgment based on government contractor
defense.
 Handled environmental matters including cases involving underground storage tanks, reporting and
disposition requirements of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regarding radium-
containing material, adequacy of Phase I environmental assessment to meet preclosing conditions for
construction loan, and inadequate disclosure of underground petroleum plumes in commercial tract.
 Principal counsel for five site community-based Philadelphia health care provider, handling litigation,
employment issues and contractual matters and supervising health care related representation, including
reimbursement appeals to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Pennsylvania
Department of Public Welfare.
Management Experience:
 Developing, conducting and administering firm-wide biennial Intensive Trial Training Programs
(modeled on The National Institute of Trial Advocacy) for junior litigators.
 Firm-wide Director of Pro Bono and Chair of Pro Bono Committee (2004-present). First to hold this
newly-created position; appointed by Firm management to enhance Firm’s pro bono efforts and profile.
Under my leadership Reed Smith LLP ranking on American Lawyer Magazine’s annual pro bono listing
of AmLaw 200 firms rose from 129 (based on 2003 figures) to 76 (based on 2014 figures). In 2015
achieved record pro bono participation by Reed Smith attorneys measured as hours per attorney and
percentage of attorneys participating.
 Serving on Philadelphia office recruitment committee and as Firm representative on the Philadelphia
Diversity Law Group (involving major law firms and corporate counsel offices in Philadelphia region)

3. Ira S. Lefton
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 Serving on firm-wide Diversity Committee and as chair of firm-wide LGBT Subcommittee. My
“focused leadership” led Reed Smith LLP to enhance its policies and practices to achieve 100% ranking
on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index in 2013 and every subsequent year.
EDUCATION
Law School University of North Carolina, J.D. conferred cum laude (1978)
Note and Comment Editor, North Carolina Law Review;
author of two notes published in the Law Review
Graduate School University of Warwick, Coventry, England (1974-1975)
Awardee, Rotary International Foundation Graduate Fellowship
College Yale University, B.A. conferred cum laude and with Distinction in English (1974)
Major: English Literature (Intensive)
ADMISSIONS
Admissions Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; United States District Courts for the Eastern and
Western Districts of Pennsylvania and the District of Arizona; United States Courts of
Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Federal Circuits
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Member, Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association (2015-present): elected in a contested
election to a three-year term by members of the 12,000 lawyer association, the oldest bar association in the
United States. Won endorsement of Association to sign on as amicus to a brief filed in 2015 litigation regarding
Pennsylvania Governor’s reprieve of death sentences (after co-captaining drafting of brief); amicus brief
ultimately cited by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in its unanimous opinion upholding Governor’s action.
Participant, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Diversity Panels (2013-2012): designated by
Reed Smith LLP to represent the firm in regional diversity and inclusion enhancement program.
Leadership, Inc. Program (1990-1991): nominated and sponsored by Reed Smith LLP to participate in a
decades old, region-wide and year-long program designed to identify and train future community leaders to
enhance civic knowledge and awareness and to enrich leadership skills.
PRO BONO COUNSELING AND BOARD SERVICE
General Counsel, Amnesty International U.S.A. (2005-present): leading human rights organization. Provide
legal counsel regarding corporate governance, contractual, intellectual property, real estate, human rights
monitoring and civil rights matters involving First Amendment issues, employment issues, liability and waiver
issues, vendor relationships, social media and other issues.
Counsel to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (2015-present): Provide legal counsel to the General Counsel
of organization regarding discovery obligations in insurance recovery/federal audit dispute and choice of law
issues in ongoing contractual matters. Participant in organization’s “Beyond School Walls Program” to assist
school children from an elementary school in an economically struggling area of South Philadelphia.
Secretary of the Board of Directors and General Counsel, Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania (1988-
present): statewide arts support and advocacy organization. Provide counsel regarding corporate governance
and contractual issues.

4. Ira S. Lefton
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President of the Board of Directors and General Counsel, Philadelphia Dance Affiliates (1990-present):
the presenter of the NextMove Dance series, an annual series of national and international contemporary dance
performances. Provide counsel regarding corporate governance, contractual, employment, intellectual property
and other matters. Develop and implement strategies for board development and for soliciting funding,
including identifying and making presentations to donor prospects.
General Counsel, Philadelphia FIGHT (1991-present): largest AIDS service organization in the Philadelphia
area. Provide legal counsel regarding insurance, contractual, employment, real estate, corporate governance,
federal regulatory and other issues to this organization and, before that, to the AIDS Information Network,
whose programs were folded into Philadelphia FIGHT and which I served as President of the Board of
Directors. Recipient: 10th
Anniversary Celebration Award for extraordinary work on behalf of people living
with HIV/AIDS (2007).
General Counsel, West Philadelphia Partnership CDC (1992-present): a community development
organization serving West Philadelphia west of the University of Pennsylvania. Provide legal counsel regarding
real estate, taxation, employment, insurance, corporate governance, contractual and other issues. Recipient:
Award of Merit for 10 year of outstanding service to the community (2002).