Dana B. Klinges has a broad commercial litigation practice with an emphasis on class actions and on litigation in the securities, financial services and consumer product areas. She leads the Trial Practice Group’s Class Action Working Group.

Ms. Klinges has represented defendants in at least 60 class actions – some at a bet-the-company scale – alleging consumer fraud and/or violations of state or federal consumer protection statutes. The underlying businesses and products have included pharmaceuticals, cannabis, mortgage lending, equipment leasing, taxi hailing services, insurance, auto finance, auto manufacturing and design, electronic devices, education (elementary through post-secondary as well as vocational), beverages, candy, credit cards, retail department stores, grocery stores, retail pharmacies, retail energy, copying services and health care, and the venues have included state and federal courts throughout the United States. Relatedly, she often advises clients on avoidance of liability under consumer statutes.

In the securities and corporate governance area, Ms. Klinges defends clients against claims under federal and state securities statutes and common law fraud and breach of fiduciary duty theories, including claims brought as shareholder class actions and derivative suits. She represents corporations, limited liability companies, special committees, and individual directors and officers. She advises clients on internal investigations as well as investigations initiated by regulators. Her cases often involve complex financial products, such as collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), trust preferred securities (TruPS), residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS), auction rate securities, and tender option bonds. She also advises corporations and limited liability companies on corporate governance issues.

Ms. Klinges has represented corporations as plaintiffs or defendants in numerous complex breach of contract claims, involving businesses as diverse as political telemarketing, investor analytic data, beverage distribution, loan servicing, and communications satellites. In the business tort and employment fields, Ms. Klinges has represented both plaintiff and defendant corporations in suits alleging misappropriation of trade secrets and breaches of restrictive covenants; has defended a senior executive in a claim for breach of multimillion-dollar employment contract; and has defended corporations against claims of defamation and discrimination.

As alternative dispute resolution has become more prevalent, Ms. Klinges has been involved in a number of complex arbitration matters, particularly in breach of contract cases, including several protracted hearings before the American Arbitration Association. She has been lead counsel at arbitration hearings ranging from a single day to months.

Although her office is located in Philadelphia, Ms. Klinges is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York and often handles matters in those jurisdictions. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1982 and received her J.D. in 1986 from the Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review.

Ms. Klinges is or has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation), Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (General Commercial Litigation), Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (Business Litigation), and Best Lawyers Greater Philadelphia.

She is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Professional Standards Committee, which evaluates attorneys for promotion to Special Counsel or Partner.