Paula S.Quist

Paula Quist focuses her practice on difficult commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the defense of product liability and mass tort cases. She has extensive experience defending individual and multiplaintiff claims in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, and semiconductor/electronics. She has served on several national coordinating counsel teams defending clients in class action, multidistrict, or coordinated state-court litigation across the country. In 2014, Paula was a member of the trial teams that secured back-to-back defense verdicts in two catastrophic brain injury cases in which the plaintiffs sought millions of dollars in damages.

In addition to her trial work, Paula regularly counsels clients on product liability risks in connection with mergers/acquisitions and other transactions. She also has handled a variety of other high-stakes disputes, including antitrust, unfair/deceptive trade practices, consumer fraud, securities, and contract disputes. Most recently, Paula led the Jones Day trial team that, along with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, secured a complete defense verdict on behalf of two prosecutors in a high-profile § 1983 case before a federal jury in Chicago. She was also part of a team that successfully represented R.J. Reynolds in a billion dollar contract dispute with dozens of states and territories. As part of that representation, she served as trial counsel in multiple arbitrations before a panel of three retired federal judges.

Paula is the administrative partner for the Chicago Office and also serves on the office's Hiring Committee.