Rachel A. Placitella
Member
Rachel A. Placitella is a Member of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, and handles complex litigation matters, including asbestos litigation, product liability and personal injury matters. She is an experienced litigator handling each case from early investigative stage through settlement or trial, and has a reputation for excellence, marked by her participation in a number of significant litigation cases.
Ms. Placitella received her B.S. cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany and her J.D. from Syracuse University. She also served as an editor of the Syracuse Law Review while at Syracuse University College of Law, and worked for several years as an assistant prosecutor for Monmouth County, New Jersey where she prosecuted numerous cases before juries.
Ms. Placitella is the former Chair of the Product liability section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a current trustee of the Women in the Profession Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a current member of the NJSBA Professional Responsibility and Unlawful Practice Committee, a current member of the NJSBA Civil Trial Bar Section and a trust advisory committee member of a bankruptcy trust. She is a chair of the Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus, New Jersey Association of Justice. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association, The American Association for Justice, and the New Jersey Association of Justice.
Ms. Placitella is a frequent lecturer on various topics, including Civil Trial Ethics and Deposition Strategies.
Ms. Placitella is an active fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research. She is a board member of Holidays for the Homeless and Underprivileged. She is an active member of Monmouth Reform Temple, Tinton Falls, NJ.
Education
Syracuse University College of Law, J.D.
(Law Review), 1982
State University of New York at Albany, B.S.
(cum laude), 1979
Awards
Ranked as one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” by the National Trial Lawyers Association consistently.
Included in the New Jersey Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, based on peer review ratings consistently.
Selected to be included in The Best Lawyers in America in 2016-2023.
Selected as one of Ten Best Female Attorneys by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys from 2016-2023.
Speaking Engagements
New Jersey Association of Justice- Boardwalk Mass Torts Seminar 2023- Camp Lejeune litigation
New Jersey Association of Justice- Boardwalk Ethics Seminar 2022- Correcting False Statements from Your Clients
New Jersey Association of Justice- Meadowlands Mass Torts Seminar 2022- Camp Lejeune litigation
New Jersey Association for Justice Meadowlands Seminar – Co-Chair –Appellate Writing Seminar: Moderator for Panel consisting of Justice Virginia A. Long, ret. and Philip S. Carchman, J.S.C. (November 24, 2020)
New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar- Ethics Seminar: When Can you Have Ex-Parte Contact with Employees of Corporate Defendants? (August 7, 2020)
New Jersey State Bar Association- Latest Developments in Product Liability Law (December 5, 2019)
New Jersey Association for Justice: Co-Chair – Prospective of the Female Trial Lawyer from the Bench (May 9, 2019)
New Jersey Association for Justice Winter Seminar- Premise Liability For Snow and Ice Cases (January 24, 2019)
New Jersey State Bar Association– Ethics for Civil Trial Attorneys (November 7, 2017)
New Jersey State Bar Association: Civil Trial Ethics Seminar (May 18, 2017)
New Jersey State Bar Association: Liability of the Professional Engineer (November 9, 2016)
New Jersey Association for Justice: Back to Basics- Depositions (February 28, 2015)
New Jersey State Bar Association: Hot Tips for Civil Litigators, Changes in Model Jury Charges and Voir Dire (September 21, 2013)
Bar Admissions
New Jersey
United States District Court, New Jersey
Professional Memberships
Chair of the Product Liability section of the New Jersey State Bar Association
Member of the Women in the Profession Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association
Trust Advisory Committee Member of a Bankruptcy trust
New Jersey State Bar Association
The American Association for Justice
Member of the Education Foundation for New Jersey Association of Justice
Legal Representations
$3 million jury verdict on behalf of the estate of a woman from Central New Jersey who died from mesothelioma as a result of her exposure to asbestos-containing products.
Settlement of over $3.6 million dollars obtained on behalf of an electrician who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of his exposure to asbestos-containing products.
$3.4 million dollar settlement obtained on behalf of a carpenter who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of his exposure to asbestos-containing products at various worksites in New Jersey.
Community Service
Board of directors for Holidays for the Homeless and Underprivileged, Inc.
Fundraiser for The Alzheimer’s Association
Volunteer Member at local synagogue
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