Deborah E. Greenspan, a new member of The Brief editorial board, grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She received a bachelor of science from the University of Michigan (biological science major, Phi Beta Kappa). After debating whether to go on to a PhD program, she elected to go to law school and received her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served on the law review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. (Go Blue!)
After law school, Deborah clerked for United States District Judge Horace Gilmore (Eastern District of Michigan) and United States Circuit Judge Edward A. Tamm (D.C. Circuit). She highly recommends the clerkship experience: “At the trial court level, you see everything. There is never a dull moment, and you can learn so much from the judges and from the lawyers who appear every day in the court. At the appellate court level, you have the opportunity to delve into legal intricacies and policies and learn appellate advocacy and the art of developing persuasive, well-crafted arguments.”
After completing her clerkship on the D.C. Circuit, Deborah remained in Washington, D.C., and started work as an associate at Kaye Scholer (which subsequently merged with Arnold & Porter). Deborah left Kaye Scholer with the managing partner (Kenneth Feinberg) to form a small boutique firm. At that firm, Deborah focused on mass torts, class actions, and mass tort bankruptcy cases, with a focus on developing creative resolutions. During her tenure at the Feinberg firm, Deborah had the opportunity to serve as the deputy special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Deborah later moved to another D.C.-based litigation firm, where she was the primary lawyer responsible for litigating a very significant insurance coverage case (involving $1.5 billion in coverage) for a policyholder client. Deborah joined her current firm, Blank Rome, in 2016.
At Blank Rome, Deborah has continued to focus her practice on mass tort actions, both as a litigator and as a neutral. Deborah has been appointed as a special master under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53 multiple times, and she currently serves as the special master in the Flint water cases in Michigan—an appointment that is both rewarding and challenging. Deborah joined the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) several years ago and served as the chair of the TIPS Dispute Resolution Committee for three years.
Deborah observes: “Insurance issues touch nearly every type of case and transaction. Mass tort claims in particular—whether arising from a disaster, allegedly faulty products, or negligence (including abuse cases)—generate challenging insurance issues. One need only look to the various mass tort bankruptcies to appreciate the importance of insurance and the significant legal and practical issues that arise.”
Deborah is pleased to be part of the editorial board of The Brief, and she looks forward to helping curate interesting and valuable content for our readers. She may be reached at [email protected].
