Andrea Giovannone has championed for hundreds of victims injured by harmful pharmaceutical drugs and defective medical devices to hold corporations and manufacturers responsible for inadequate product research, testing, and warnings that result when companies race to be the first to develop and commercialize new and 'improved' medical products. Andrea's experience analyzing insurance coverages, procedural and evidentiary issues, as well as statutes, regulations, and case law as counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants gives her a unique perspective and credibility when analyzing everything from the minute details of an individual's case to the effect each case could have on the success of the entire litigation.
After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts and Humanities degree in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science, Andrea earned her Juris Doctorate from one of the top fifteen law schools in the country, the University of Texas, School of Law. While in law school, Andrea became a member of the Texas Oil, Gas, and Energy Law Society, the Texas Environmental Law Society, and the Women's Law Caucus. Andrea was also a component of the editorial board for the Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, and a published editor for the Texas Environmental Law Journal, the most recent article titled Cross State Air Pollution Rule - Helpful or Harmful? was published in the August 2012 edition.
In addition to her involvement with law review and various law societies, Andrea also interned for the University of Texas Environmental Law Clinic during her final year of law school. Her clinical work focused on resolving environmental compliance, as well as bankruptcy and settlement issues at the Encycle and ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) facilities located on 'Refinery Row' in Corpus Christi. An Environmental Justice Interagency Work Group meeting was arranged by her clinic to address soil, groundwater, and air contamination in the adjacent neighborhoods. It was during this meeting that Andrea first experienced the human component of the law, which unleashed her desire to assist those whose lives have been adversely affected by corporate misconduct and injustice.
While attending law school, Andrea also clerked for the nationally-recognized law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, and for two well-known Texas environmental firms, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend PC and Birch, Becker & Moorman LLP. Over the time of her clerkship with the Securities Litigation Group at Greenberg Traurig, Andrea drafted memoranda addressing investigations and enforcement actions asserted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), deal terms commonly used in mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, and class actions and derivative suits aimed at pubic companies, as well as their officers and directors, for noncompliance with the applicable securities laws.
During her two-year clerkship at Lloyd Gosselink, Andrea gained extensive civil experience while researching, analyzing, and working on a myriad of environmental issues surrounding water law and quality, natural resources, landfills, municipal, industrial, and hazardous waste permitting compliance and corrective action remediation, toxic spills, water and air contamination, permitting and defenses, energy efficiency, and much more.
Andrea developed a passion to advocate for the environment and put it to good use. She co-authored a paper titled Why are the fish sad and glad and bad? The Role of Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing in Water Quality Protection and the statutory and judicial supplemental updates for three chapters in the Environmental Law textbook of the Texas Practice Series (Agency Structure, Water Quality, and Solid Waste).
After graduating law school and passing the California bar in 2012, Andrea joined Lopez McHugh as an associate in February 2013 and immediately began working on several State Court consolidated mass tort cases and Federal Multi-District Litigations (MDLs) involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Andrea provided support in the firm's law and motion practice, and handled various personal injury cases for the firm. Most notably, Andrea worked extensively on the IVC filters litigation, including some of the first corporate and expert depositions, as well as the Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Dialysate products liability litigation that culminated in Andrea serving as one of the lead trial counsel for the first bellwether trial, which led to a $250 million settlement in this litigation.
Prior to joining this firm, Andrea also represented insurers, their agents, and their policyholders in a wide range of personal injury, property damage, directors and officers, and bad faith litigations at international law firms, Sedgwick LLP and Cozen O'Connor. Andrea has demonstrated competence as a tenacious and effective advocate in a wide range of industries, which allows her to bring creative and strategic solutions to each new case.
Andrea is admitted to practice before all of the courts of the State of California and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (AAJ), the American Bar Association (ABA), the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), and the Italian American Lawyers Association (IALA).
When not practicing law, Andrea volunteers at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the Los Angeles Guardianship Clinic. She also actively supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. When time permits, Andrea enjoys being outdoors with family and friends, playing/watching sports (especially football and baseball), and relaxing at home with her vintage video games and a single malt scotch.