Monica Williams Monroe
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Monica Williams Monroe, Partner-in-Charge of the San Francisco office, practices in the area of complex civil litigation with a focus on commercial and product liability claims.
In her capacity as both local and national counsel, she has represented a variety of corporate and insurance interests, including those of technology companies and product manufacturers. Monica regularly handles client matters involving general contract analysis and business disputes, including pre-litigation counseling designed to identify and address potential litigation risk and support business teams with unique solutions to address key external partnerships.
Monica’s litigation work involves cases filed in state, federal, and multidistrict venues and entails defending claims in all phases of pre-trial proceedings, overall case management, strategy, planning, and client communication. She has handled matters as trial counsel in several phases of litigation, including voir dire questioning, expert and fact witness cross-examination, and argument of key evidentiary trial motions.
Monica is a long-term member of the Tucker Ellis Equity & Inclusion Committee, serving to support minority and underrepresented groups through the development of sustained diversity initiatives throughout the firm.
- Education
- Loyola Law School, Los Angeles (J.D., cum laude, 2003); Order of the Coif; Dean’s Honor List; Loyola Scholar; International & Comparative Law Review
- Clark Atlanta University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1998); Dean’s List
- State Admissions
- California, 2003
- Federal Admissions
- United States District Court, Central District of California
- United States District Court, Northern District of California
- Service Areas
- Business Litigation
- Mass Tort & Product Liability
- Autonomous Vehicles & Artificial Intelligence Technologies
- Industries Represented
- Construction
- Electrical Equipment
- Insurance Carriers
- Machinery Manufacturing
- Real Estate
- Transportation Equipment
- Coordinated lead analysis and review of key contract terms, ongoing performance issues, and continued product manufacturing needs for recommended pre-litigation approach to early dispute resolution in Northern California; assisted parties with informal resolution options to avoid substantial costs for both sides of supplier relationship
- Successfully negotiated real estate easement contract terms in claim against corporate premise owner; served as client liaison with real estate counsel in negotiating contract terms, including mutual property rights and ownership interests related to multi-acreage real estate location in Santa Clara County, California
- Led historical contract review and pre-litigation analysis for technology client with third-party contract agreements to identify and explore leverage opportunities, which supported successful supplier negotiations in Silicon Valley, California
- Developed and implemented national coordinating counsel strategic initiatives for corporate document reviews, witness preparation, expert depositions, and pre-trial litigation plans for product liability and mass tort claims, including successful national docket resolution efforts for repeat litigation
- Served as lead counsel in early trial proceedings pending in San Francisco, Alameda, and Los Angeles counties, including expert development, coordinated defense strategy, initial motion in limine proceedings, and jury selection, in matters involving personal injury claims
- Negotiated as key client lead in successful multi-party mediation involving high risk, product liability multi-death claim filed in San Francisco County
Speaking Engagements
- “Getting More Color on Top: Successful Strategies to Promote Diverse Associates to Partners,” California Minority Counsel Program, Los Angeles, California (September 2019)
- “Lessons Learned on the Path to Management from the Legal and Policy Lens,” Coalition of Black Excellence (CBE) Summit 2019, San Francisco, California (February 2019)
- “Plaintiff Depositions: Strategy and Preparation,” California Mass Tort & Product Liability CLE, Tucker Ellis LLP, San Francisco, California (December 2016)
- “The Powerful Legacy of Female Leadership,” Perrin Conferences’ Diversity and Inclusion Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (November 2016)
- “The Negotiator: Strategies and Perspectives on Case Resolution,” Women of the Section of Litigation: Leading, Litigating & Connecting, American Bar Association, Chicago, Illinois (November 2015)
- “Preparing Your Case for Trial: Jury Instructions and Verdict Forms,” Product Liability CLE, Tucker Ellis LLP, San Francisco, California (March 2015)
Publications
- “Is There a Duty to Warn Even the Most Sophisticated User?“, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Products Liability (July 2014)
Media
- “Monica W. Monroe as Partner in Charge in San Francisco,” San Francisco Daily Journal (January 2019)
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy, Graduate (2014)
- Queen’s Bench Bar Association
- California Minority Counsel Program
- Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California
- Coalition of Black Excellence (CBE), Impact Nonprofit Program Director
- Tucker Ellis Equity & Inclusion Committee
