Yaz On Trial : Yaz Birth Control Lawsuit : Info on Yasmin & Ocella Side Effects

Mike Danko is the Danko Law Firm’s founding partner. Although his office is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, he has tried cases from coast to coast, literally from Hawaii to Massachusetts.  The $15 million jury verdict he obtained for his client in Burdett v. Teledyne Continental Motors  earned him a nomination for 2009 California Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California, the state's trial lawyer association.



Mr. Danko has represented victims of accidents involving cars, bicycles, aircraft of all different types, snowboards and various household products and electrical equipment.. He has represented those seriously injured in explosions, fires, falls, and collisions, and represents those injured by dangerous drugs such as Yaz and Yasmin.



Mr. Danko is a frequent speaker on legal topics. He has been invited to appear on National Television shows such as The CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, and CBS News. His work has been written about in such print media as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston Chronicle. 

Practice Areas

• Catastrophic Personal Injury, including
  • Burn Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Injuries such as strokes caused by dangerous or defective prescription drugs
  • Serious Orthopedic Injuries
  • Products Liability
  • Wrongful Death
  • Aviation

Professional Associations

• American Association for Justice
• Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• Western Trial Lawyers Association
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
• Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association
• San Mateo County Trial Lawyers Association

Education

• JD, University of Virginia School of Law, 1983
• AB, Dartmouth College, magna cum laude, 1980

A. J. De Bartolomeo is a partner at Girard Gibbs LLP. She has more than eighteen years of experience in complex litigation, including the representation of clients who have been injured as a result of defective drugs or faulty medical devices. For the past several years, she has prosecuted cases on behalf of patients that were injured through the use of Zyprexa, Vytorin, Medtronic Defibrillators and Sprint Fidelis Leads.

In addition to her work on behalf of injured clients, Ms. De Bartolomeo specializes in the prosecution of class actions arising under the securities, communications, consumer protection and copyright laws. She has served as court-appointed lead counsel and class counsel in several class actions throughout the United States.

Practice Areas

• Defective Drugs & Medical Devices
• Consumer Protection
• Securities and Investment Fraud, Shareholder Disputes
• Telecommunications

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association, Sections on Litigation, Business Law and Communications
• American Association for Justice
• American Bankruptcy Institute
• Consumer Attorneys of California

Education

• JD, University of California, Hastings College of Law, 1988
• BA, Fairfield University, 1982
• General Course Degree, University of London, London School of Economics, 1981

Kristine Meredith is a trial lawyer and partner at the Danko Law Firm.  She has represented catastrophically injured victims of car, bicycle, and construction accidents, among others. She has represented the injured against manufacturers of dangerous or defective products ranging from the simplest consumer item, such as a household iron, to the most complex, such as an aircraft engine. She has handled matters in both state and federal courts including in federal multi-district litigation.



Early in her career, Ms. Meredith defended doctors and hospitals in defective medical product and malpractice cases. She recognized that she wanted to use her skills to advocate for the injured rather than defend corporations. She brings to her cases special expertise in the medicine relevant to injuries caused by dangerous and defective drugs as well as the medicine relevant to thermal, spinal and traumatic brain injuries.



Practice Areas

• Catastrophic Personal Injury, including
  • Burn Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • Strokes and other injuries caused by defective prescription drugs
  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Serious Orthopedic Injuries
  • Premises Liability
  • Wrongful Death
  • Products Liability
  • Aviation Accidents

Professional Associations

• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
• San Mateo County Trial Lawyers Association
• Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• American Association for Justice

Education

• JD, Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark School of Law, 1991
• BS, University of California Davis, with Honors, 1988

Dylan Hughes is a partner with Girard Gibbs LLP. He has represented consumers in a variety of complex cases against manufacturers of defective automobiles, prescription medications, and other types of products. In addition to his work involving defective products, he has successfully prosecuted matters involving telecommunications law, credit card fraud, false advertising, truth-in-lending, employment misclassification and wage and hour under both state and federal law.

Prior to joining Girard Gibbs, Mr. Hughes worked as a judicial law clerk in the U.S. Department of Labor and also served as an extern for a Federal Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Practice Areas

• Defective Products
• Defective Drugs
• Consumer Protection
• Employee Rights

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Barristers Club, Consumer Rights Division
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• American Association for Justice

Education

• J.D., University of California, Hastings College of Law, 2000
• B.A., University of California at Berkeley, 1995

Samantha Elboim is a legal assistant at Girard Gibbs. She works directly with clients and assists attorneys in defective drug and medical device cases, consumer protection, wage and hour, and financial fraud litigation.

Samantha attended Boston University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in pre-law. During that time she also attended the International Honors Program in Argentina, India and China where she conducted independent research about family planning and sex education in developing nations. Samantha also participated in Boston University’s British Programmes in London where she completed a legal internship with a law firm representing international charities. Samantha hopes to pursue a law degree in the future.