Bio
Richard B. Wickersham, Jr. is a Principal in the Firm's Casualty Litigation Department and Chair of the Firm's Products Liability Practice Group. For more than 30 years, he has focused his national practice on high consequence products liability and casualty litigation, including handling all aspects of the investigation, preparation, and trial, on behalf of self-insured and insured product manufacturers and distributors.
Mr. Wickersham has defended automobile manufacturers across the country in design defect and warranty claims involving airbag deployments, the lack of supplemental restraints, axle fractures, battery explosions, conspicuity, crash worthiness issues, dual reservoir master brake cylinders, power steering systems, and reclining seats.
He has nationally defended manufacturers and dealers on a wide range of alleged design defects involving sit-down counterbalanced, stand-up end-controlled/counterbalanced forklifts, rough terrain forklifts, motorized pallet jacks, burden carriers, scissor lifts, and aerial work platforms. He has also represented manufacturers, distributors and rental centers involving varying products such as: aerial lifts, boom lifts, hand tools, footwear, printing presses, corrugated box folding machines, blow molding machines, windows, tractor-trailers, model rocketry, bicycles, golf carts, dump bodies, electrical components, milk processing machines, conveyors, trommels, concrete placing boom, scaffolding, uranium, and aviation component parts. He also represents private K-12 schools/colleges/universities, dram shop licensees, and owner/operators within the sports/recreation industry.
Mr. Wickersham is national coordinating litigation counsel for both international and domestic powered industrial truck manufacturers. He regularly attends and participates in industry group meetings and committees.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Wickersham also assists a wide variety of clients nationwide with risk management and electronic discovery, has served as a private Mediator of product liability suits, and is a certified Arbitrator and Hurricane Sandy Arbitrator for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He also volunteers his services as an Arbitrator for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and as Judge Pro Tempore for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.
In 2024, Mr. Wickersham was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), which is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds.
Since 2007, Mr. Wickersham has been recognized by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer as published by American Lawyer Media and Philadelphia Magazine. In 2009 and 2010, he was also listed in the Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition. From 2012-2015, he was also listed in Super Lawyers Business Edition. The Best Lawyers in America™ recognized Mr. Wickersham in its 2018 - 2025 editions in the Product Liability Litigation - Defendants category. For information about these selections and an overview of common third-party publications, rankings, and list methodologies, click here.
Education
-
J.D., Dickinson School of Law, 1987
Member, National Moot Court Team; Trial Moot Court Board; Appellate Moot Court Board - B.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1984
Bar Memberships
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of New Jersey
Clerkship
- Honorable Richard B. Wickersham, Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Recognition
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) (inducted 2024)
- AV Preeminent® Rated by Peers, Martindale-Hubbell (1999-date)
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2007-2009, 2011-2019)
- Best Lawyers® in America (2010-2020)
- Philadelphia's Best Lawyers® (2010)
- Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Product Liability Lawyers (9th ed.)
Affiliations
- Arbitrator, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Certified Arbitrator, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Hurricane Sandy Arbitrator, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Judge Pro Tempore, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
- American Bar Association (Sections of Litigation; Tort and Insurance Practice)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Section: Civil Litigation)
- New Jersey Bar Association (Section: Products Liability and Toxic Tort Committee)
- New Jersey Defense Association (Products Liability Committee)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI) (Products Liability Committee, Specialized Litigation Groups)
- Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI)
- Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (Past Chairman: Products Liability Committee)
- National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
Noteworthy:
- PAL Licensed
- PITOT Licensed
- Past Member: AWPT Advisory Council
- Fellow: Academy of Advocacy
- Charter Member: Temple Inn of Court
- Alpine Coach, United States Ski Association
- Alpine Official, United States Ski Association
- Member, Board of Directors of MicroSociety, Inc.
- Past Member, Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Alpine Racing Association
Publications
- "Use of TC ODA’s May Cause Unforeseen Litigation Turbulence for Designers" (SAE 2008-01-2257/08WATC-0017)
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, "Trial of a Crashworthiness Case", Nissan Tech Center, Farmington Hills, MI (June 2015)
- CLE Presentation, "Tincher v. Omega Flex - The New Wild West" (April 2015)
- Lecturer in Trial Advocacy, University of Pennsylvania Law School (2014)
- CLE Presentation, "Operator Training: Why it Makes a Difference," Las Vegas, NV (November 2011)
- Presenter, "Use of TC ODA’s May Cause Unforeseen Litigation Turbulence for Designers," SAE 2008 Wichita Aviation Technology Congress & Exhibition (WATC), Wichita, KS (August 21, 2008)
- CLE Presentation,"ESI Philadelphia - Best Practices in Electronic Discovery," Villanova Conference Center (October 2007)
- CLE Presentation, "ESI Philadelphia - Electronically Stored Information as Evidence," Villanova Conference Center (October 2007)
- Panelist, "Retention of Electronic Documents," before an international audience of American, Canadian, Japanese and Chinese business executives at an International Forklift Truck Conference, Banff, Alberta, Canada (September 2007)
- Featured Speaker, "International Standards" related to the design, use and operation of powered industrial trucks at an International Forklift Truck Conference, Las Vegas, NV (October 2005)
- CLE Presentation, "Jury Selection," Insurance Society of Philadelphia (October 2004)
- CLE Presentation, "Products Liability Update," Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (2003)
- Trial and defense verdict in McDaniel v. General Motors Corporation aired live and tape delayed on Court TV (1993)
News & Insights
Richard B. Wickersham, Jr. is a Principal in the Firm's Casualty Litigation Department and Chair of the Firm's Products Liability Practice Group. For more than 30 years, he has focused his national practice on high consequence products liability and casualty litigation, including handling all aspects of the investigation, preparation, and trial, on behalf of self-insured and insured product manufacturers and distributors.
Mr. Wickersham has defended automobile manufacturers across the country in design defect and warranty claims involving airbag deployments, the lack of supplemental restraints, axle fractures, battery explosions, conspicuity, crash worthiness issues, dual reservoir master brake cylinders, power steering systems, and reclining seats.
He has nationally defended manufacturers and dealers on a wide range of alleged design defects involving sit-down counterbalanced, stand-up end-controlled/counterbalanced forklifts, rough terrain forklifts, motorized pallet jacks, burden carriers, scissor lifts, and aerial work platforms. He has also represented manufacturers, distributors and rental centers involving varying products such as: aerial lifts, boom lifts, hand tools, footwear, printing presses, corrugated box folding machines, blow molding machines, windows, tractor-trailers, model rocketry, bicycles, golf carts, dump bodies, electrical components, milk processing machines, conveyors, trommels, concrete placing boom, scaffolding, uranium, and aviation component parts. He also represents private K-12 schools/colleges/universities, dram shop licensees, and owner/operators within the sports/recreation industry.
Mr. Wickersham is national coordinating litigation counsel for both international and domestic powered industrial truck manufacturers. He regularly attends and participates in industry group meetings and committees.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Wickersham also assists a wide variety of clients nationwide with risk management and electronic discovery, has served as a private Mediator of product liability suits, and is a certified Arbitrator and Hurricane Sandy Arbitrator for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He also volunteers his services as an Arbitrator for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and as Judge Pro Tempore for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.
In 2024, Mr. Wickersham was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), which is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds.
Since 2007, Mr. Wickersham has been recognized by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer as published by American Lawyer Media and Philadelphia Magazine. In 2009 and 2010, he was also listed in the Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition. From 2012-2015, he was also listed in Super Lawyers Business Edition. The Best Lawyers in America™ recognized Mr. Wickersham in its 2018 - 2025 editions in the Product Liability Litigation - Defendants category. For information about these selections and an overview of common third-party publications, rankings, and list methodologies, click here.
Education
-
J.D., Dickinson School of Law, 1987
Member, National Moot Court Team; Trial Moot Court Board; Appellate Moot Court Board - B.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1984
Bar Memberships
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of New Jersey
Clerkship
- Honorable Richard B. Wickersham, Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Recognition
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) (inducted 2024)
- AV Preeminent® Rated by Peers, Martindale-Hubbell (1999-date)
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2007-2009, 2011-2019)
- Best Lawyers® in America (2010-2020)
- Philadelphia's Best Lawyers® (2010)
- Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Product Liability Lawyers (9th ed.)
Affiliations
- Arbitrator, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Certified Arbitrator, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Hurricane Sandy Arbitrator, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Judge Pro Tempore, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
- American Bar Association (Sections of Litigation; Tort and Insurance Practice)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Section: Civil Litigation)
- New Jersey Bar Association (Section: Products Liability and Toxic Tort Committee)
- New Jersey Defense Association (Products Liability Committee)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI) (Products Liability Committee, Specialized Litigation Groups)
- Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI)
- Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (Past Chairman: Products Liability Committee)
- National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
Noteworthy:
- PAL Licensed
- PITOT Licensed
- Past Member: AWPT Advisory Council
- Fellow: Academy of Advocacy
- Charter Member: Temple Inn of Court
- Alpine Coach, United States Ski Association
- Alpine Official, United States Ski Association
- Member, Board of Directors of MicroSociety, Inc.
- Past Member, Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Alpine Racing Association