Bernard W. O'Keefe
BERNARD W. O’KEEFE is an associate in the Commercial Litigation, Product Liability, Construction, and Insurance Defense Practice Groups of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP.
Mr. O’Keefe concentrates his practice in the areas of product liability, pharmaceutical litigation, construction litigation, asbestos, environmental and toxic tort cases. He has significant experience in the handling and trial of complex liability cases. He has defended pharmaceutical products throughout the country. He has also defended many municipalities throughout western Pennsylvania in all types of litigation, including road construction, general construction matters, indemnification issues in construction, road design, sewer projects and defects, and police and fire motor vehicle accidents. Mr. O’Keefe has tried many cases to successful verdict and summary judgment for his clients.
He joined Pietragallo from Mylan Inc., where he was most recently corporate counsel and responsible for the management of all product liability cases nationwide. Mr. O’Keefe also provided work in negotiating contracts and insurance coverage for Mylan Inc.
Mr. O’Keefe practiced law with the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (FFIC) for 19 years of his legal career. He served as Managing Attorney of the Pittsburgh Office for FFIC Staff Counsel for over nine years, responsible for a litigation office in Pittsburgh of 5-10 attorneys. Mr. O’Keefe advanced to the positions of FFIC Staff Counsel Regional Director and Associate Vice President of FFIC. In those roles, he held administrative and management responsibility for seven years for 15 staff counsel offices nationwide and more than 200 attorneys. He also served as a faculty member for the Fireman’s Fund Trial Advocacy Program and for some years was involved in the selection of panel law firms for FFIC. Mr. O’Keefe also provided legal service for the FFIC Environmental Claims Facility, handling asbestos, toxic tort and lead paint cases in his staff counsel offices.
Mr. O’Keefe has participated in numerous seminars in product liability, pharmaceutical litigation, construction litigation, asbestos litigation, environmental and toxic tort litigation and all areas of tort law, including automobile, commercial litigation, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, and asbestos defense litigation throughout his career.
He received his J.D. degree from the Duquesne University School of Law, his M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business and his B.A. from Duquesne University. Mr. O’Keefe is admitted to practice law in the states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is very active in his community, schools and sports activities, having been inducted into the Baldwin High School Sports Hall of Fame in its inaugural class.