James M. Leety

James M. Leety is a partner in the Pittsburgh, PA office of Thomas, Thomas & Hafer and is a member of the firm’s general liability practice group..

Jim defends clients in complex litigation involving catastrophic personal injury, property and premises liability, and commercial litigation. He also defends insurance carriers and their insureds in the areas of products liability, wrongful death, motor vehicle and premises liability.

Jim also represents clients defending asbestos claims in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He has served on national coordinating council teams for Fortune 500 manufacturers, as well as regional lead counsel for premises owners, product manufacturers, and contractors.

Jim has represented motor carriers, freight brokers and their employees in catastrophic accidents. He has coordinated pre-litigation post-accident evidence preservation, investigation, and liability analysis. Additionally, he has represented private trucking companies, truck owners, and excess carriers throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Jim has extensive experience in electronic discovery. He has supervised discovery matters for multiple medical devices, pharmaceutical, financial, insurance and regulatory cases. He has managed initial discovery planning, data collection, culling, review, and production. Jim has coordinated large-scale electronic discovery matters and is familiar with methods of collection and review to ensure efficient, effective, and consistent defense to limit expenses, liability, and exposure.

Jim is a 2004 graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in History and Government. Prior to entering law school, he was a paralegal/legal technologist at an international law firm. He was a member of national coordinating council team for a defense group of manufacturing defendants in an MDL with approximately 2,200 toxic tort cases, gaining extensive experience in large scale electronic discovery for multiple clients involving allegations of misconduct over multiple decades.

Jim is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, graduating with a Litigation Certificate and winning the CALI award in multiple classes.

Jim resides in Bellevue, PA with his five children. He has served on the executive boards of the Sewickley Academy Alumni Association and the University of Virginia Alumni Association of Pittsburgh. He also has served on the boards of multiple non-profits.

Jim has been a USA Hockey on-ice official for over 15 years, officiating games from the U-10 through U-19 age groups, as well as high school. He also officiates ACHA college club levels.