Janet Gilligan Abaray

Janet G. Abaray serves as the managing shareholder of the Cincinnati office at Burg Simpson. Her extensive litigation experience is focused on pharmaceutical products liability, where she advocates for plaintiffs in employment, insurance, and contract disputes. Ms. Abaray has held significant roles in major multidistrict litigations, including Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in the Depakote Products Liability Cases (SDIll) and Science Co-Chair in the Yasmin MDL (SDIll). She was also a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Heparin MDL (NDOH), National Co-Lead Counsel in the Ortho Evra MDL (NDOH), and National Liaison Counsel for the Ephedra MDL (SDNY).

In addition to her litigation work, Ms. Abaray chaired the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission Sub-Committee on the Judicial Branch and Administration of Justice. She also collaborated with the Kentucky Attorney General to represent the Commonwealth in consumer claims against Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Her achievements have been recognized by Best Lawyers, naming her Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury in Cincinnati in 2020 and 2015. The National Diversity Council honored her as one of the Top 15 Business Women in Ohio. She has consistently been recognized as a Super Lawyer from 2005 to 2020 and was named 2014 Lawyer of the Year by the Carl B. Rubin Legal Society.

Ms. Abaray graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in 1979 and a J.D. in 1982 from the University of Cincinnati. She is a distinguished alumna, having received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly contributions include publications in Trial Magazine, the American Bar Association Litigation Journal, the University of Cincinnati Law Review, the University of Dayton Law Review, and the American Bar Association Products Liability Newsletter.

She is actively involved in professional organizations, serving as Chair of the AAJ Preemption Litigation Group and as a member of the AAJ Legal Affairs Committee. Ms. Abaray frequently lectures on topics such as products liability litigation, trial techniques, civil procedure, and epidemiology.