Education

  • Harvard University 
    (B.A., 1993, magna cum laude
  • Oxford University 
    (B.A., 1995, with honors) (M.A., 2000)
  • Yale Law School 
    (J.D., 1998)

Admissions

  • District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits
  • United States District Courts for the District of Columbia, Eastern District of Michigan, and District of New Jersey

Opinions

Gregory S. Chernack's practice focuses on trial and appellate litigation involving complex legal issues.  With 20 years of practice, Mr. Chernack has a broad range of litigation experience in state and federal court venues across the country.  He has appeared as counsel of record in cases brought in many states, including Missouri, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio, Alabama, and North Carolina.  He has also worked on international matters, including in Ecuador and Mexico. He has worked with numerous expert and company witnesses in preparation for trial and developed a number of successful defenses to various lawsuits around the country.  This work has included the representation of pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers in defending numerous products liability lawsuits.

Of note, Mr. Chernack represented DynCorp International in a lawsuit brought against it by thousands of Ecuadoreans alleging personal injuries and property damage in connection with counternarcotics aerial herbicide spraying operations in Colombia.  That case (Arias v. DynCorp) ultimately went to trial in a case involving six test plaintiffs and resulted in a complete defense verdict.  Mr. Chernack has extensive experience in courts across Missouri as part of the defense of a mass products liability litigation.  He also has appeared at numerous trials on behalf of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, including Hill v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., No. 1:06-cv-00939-JSR-SAB (E.D. Cal.) where he argued a Rule 50 motion that resulted in the granting of a directed verdict in favor of Novartis; Kyle v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., 1: 06-cv-00035-TBR (W.D. Ky.), which resulted in a defense verdict; and Brown v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., No. 7:08-CV-00130-FL (E.D.N.C.), a case that plaintiffs dismissed in the midst of trial.  He also successfully argued Simmons v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., 483 F. App’x 182 (6th Cir. 2012) on behalf of Novartis before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

In addition to his work involving pharmaceutical products liability cases, Mr. Chernack has worked on several cases before the United States Supreme Court involving issues ranging from patent law to immigration regulations, handled numerous other complex civil litigation matters including creditor protection in bankruptcy proceedings, advised clients regarding regulatory compliance issues, and has handled several criminal matters pro bono.  As part of his pro bono work, he represented the first person to be released from prison pursuant to D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.

Mr. Chernack served as law clerk to the Honorable Ralph K. Winter, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein, Senior Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  He was an Articles Editor of the Yale Law Journal

For the past two years, Mr. Chernack has served as a judge for The George Washington University Law School's Van Vleck Moot Court Competition. He has also served as an adjunct Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington Law School.  Mr. Chernack is the Chairman of the Town Council of Section 5 of Chevy Chase, Maryland and is a past President of the Board of the D.C. Public Library Foundation.

Publications

  • Third Circuit Decision Offers MDL Courts Guidance on How to Apply Prior Rulings in Future Proceedings
  • S.D. Ill. Latest Court to Cabin Scope of Public Nuisance
  • Johnson & Johnson v. Ingham: Ideal Opportunity for SCOTUS to Address Due-Process Limits on Claim Consolidation
  • Another Victory for Reliable Science
  • Ruling on Utility Poles Mandatory Warning Protects Against Forced Speech
  • Managing Appeals in Multidistrict Litigation
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