Jeffrey A. Jackson

Litigator at Burns White

A former Pittsburgh prosecutor, Jeffrey A. Jackson brings to his clients a wide range of trial experience in state and federal courts across the country. Primarily, Mr. Jackson’s practice focuses on defending Class I and short line railroads in the areas of occupational disease, toxic tort litigation, qui tam matters, and whistleblower actions brought under the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA).

In addition, Mr. Jackson is experienced in counseling clients on many risk avoidance strategies pertaining to occupational injury claims and litigation, including establishing corporate health and safety practices, instituting effective claim management strategies, and creating regional resources of health and safety consultants.

As national coordinating counsel for several large corporate clients, Mr. Jackson has been responsible for managing mass tort litigation, coordinating a consistent corporate approach to discovery, and developing national litigation strategies.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Jackson served for four years as an Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, regularly trying criminal jury and non-jury cases on behalf of the Commonwealth. In 1998, Mr. Jackson co-founded Kelly Hayden LLC, a civil litigation firm based in Pittsburgh, where he represented rail industry corporate clients.

After receiving his law degree, Mr. Jackson served as a law clerk to the Hon. Thomas A. Swope Jr. of the Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas.

A frequent presenter, Mr. Jackson has lectured at numerous rail industry conferences on a variety of litigation topics, including the defense of whole body vibration lawsuits, the conduct of expert depositions, preparing corporate officers for deposition, aggressive use of discovery in the defense of cumulative trauma claims, and risk avoidance strategies for whistleblower actions brought under FRSA.

Timeline

  • Litigator

    Current role