Susan E. Satkowski

Shareholder | (215) 351-7925 / (215) 627-2551 Fax

Philadelphia, PA

Susan E. Satkowski is a shareholder in the Philadelphia office of Lavin, Cedrone, Graver, Boyd & DiSipio.  She began her legal career at General Motors Corporation in the Office of General Counsel.  She has continued to represent the interests of corporations and other businesses in civil litigation from commencement of a case through trial and appeals in a wide variety of cases with a current concentration in products liability, insurance and commercial matters.  She also has handled bankruptcy, employment, medical malpractice and toxic tort cases. The breadth of her experience gives her comprehensive problem-solving skills, which, combined with her attention to detail, thorough preparation, and interpersonal skills adds value for clients toward achieving their goals in today’s increasingly competitive business climate.  She also supervises litigation across the country, working as a team with in-house counsel and/or risk management and outside counsel. She has been admitted to practice pro hac vice in cases in Alabama; California; Delaware; Florida; Illinois; New Jersey; Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

In the area of products liability, Ms. Satkowski has defended manufacturers, distributors and retailers for all types of products, ranging from automobiles, aircraft and consumer appliances to heavy construction equipment. Ms. Satkowski also has represented pharmaceutical companies, including both Fortune 500 and start-up companies, in various matters, including the defense of medical devices as well as disputes involving issues relating to the FDA drug approval process and cutting edge issues involving gene therapy and cord blood products.  She also has defended numerous cases involving issues of product warnings, labeling and marketing materials.

In the area of insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, Ms. Satkowski has represented the interests of both carriers and insureds regarding primary and excess policies, involving auto, CGL, directors and officers and products liability coverage.  Day-to-day, she provides strategic advice regarding the interpretation of insurance policies, indemnity obligations, and contracts, including in high profile tort cases in various jurisdictions. In the area of commercial litigation, Ms. Satkowski handles disputes regarding contracts, non-competition and confidentiality agreements and breach of fiduciary duties.

She has mediated numerous cases for clients, the trend in civil litigation for case resolution to achieve cost containment of legal expenses. Ms. Satkowski also is a certified mediator and also regularly serves as an arbitrator in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.

Ms. Satkowski is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York State and all levels of the federal courts.  Ms. Satkowski is a 1981 graduate of the William & Mary Law School.  She published two articles as a member of its law review.  She graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York in 1978 with a B.S. in economics and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

In 2018, Ms. Satkowski was appointed as the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of Norway in Pennsylvania. As Honorary Consul, Ms. Satkowski handles certain passport issues for Norwegian citizens. In addition, Ms. Satkowski facilitates economic, education and cultural exchanges between Norway and Pennsylvania, protects the interests of Norwegian citizens while in Pennsylvania, supports the Norwegian diaspora community and organizations at large and acts as liaison for official government and business delegations. She also is a member of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce-Philadelphia Chapter and the Lincoln Table of the Union League of Philadelphia.

Ms. Satkowski also has been elected to serve as Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Consular Corps of Philadelphia, the oldest consular organization in the United States. Ms. Satkowski also has served on the boards of various other non-profit organizations in Greater Philadelphia, including performing arts and community support organizations. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors for the Norwegian 30K Challenge, a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize and promote across the United States physical fitness competitions that not only will be a matter of personal achievement for participants, but to raise funds to support U.S. veterans.

Ms. Satkowski has been a speaker at many legal and industry conferences. In addition, she has been a guest lecturer at Drexel University’s College of Engineering on the implications of products liability in product design. She also serves as Alumni Ambassador for William & Mary Law School offering guidance to prospective law students in their decision-making process.

Ms. Satkowski lives in Philadelphia, is married with two daughters who are now pursuing careers in the aerospace and on line/retail industries.

Philadelphia Office:

190 North Independence
Mall West, Suite 500
Philadelphia, PA 19106