Francis J. Deasey

Francis J.Deasey

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A founding shareholder of Deasey, Mahoney & Valentini, Ltd., Francis “Frank” Deasey has a long history in the legal industry.

In the mid-70’s, Frank joined his father’s law firm, where he was quite involved with maritime law and insurance defense. Over the years, the firm evolved to be what is now known as Deasey, Mahoney & Valentini, Ltd.

Frank currently serves as national coordinating counsel for a major insurer, defending catastrophic construction accidents involving cranes, power cranes and other aerial lift devices. In this capacity, Frank handles crane litigation in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington.

Frank also handles coverage work for insurance companies. He evaluates coverage issues and defends insurance companies in declaratory judgment actions.

With his experience of more than 100 successful jury trials, Frank has also gained considerable recognition in the areas of products liability, construction and insurance coverage litigation. For example, in the One Meridian Plaza Fire litigation, which was a notorious fire in Philadelphia, Frank was responsible for the coordination of a joint defense effort against the building owners’ $400 million damage claim.

Over the years, Frank has also represented excess & surplus lines carriers, evaluating excess exposure and defending the insured in catastrophic injury cases.

In addition to this insurance defense litigation and counsel experience, Frank has taught numerous trial techniques courses for the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Academy of Advocacy and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. He speaks regularly at meetings of the Crane and Aerial Lift Subsection of the Defense Research Institute (DRI). A frequent lecturer on insurance coverage, trial advocacy, and products liability defense, Frank has authored several articles on these subjects. He is called upon routinely by the firm’s insurance clients to conduct presentations on a variety of insurance coverage issues.

Experience

  • Deasey, Mahoney & Valentini, Ltd., 1986–Present
  • Deasey, Scanlan & Bender, 1978–1986
  • The Honorable Albert F. Sabo, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Law Clerk, 1977–1978

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Defense Institute
  • Philadelphia Bar Association
  • Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel

Awards and Designations

  • PA Super Lawyers, 2005–Present
  • Fellow – the Academy of Advocacy, 1987–1989
  • Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania – Maritime and Admiralty Historical Symposium
  • Philadelphia Bar Association Trial Advocacy Program