Jeffrey P. Bates

Senior Counsel

    As a member of the Health Care Liability Practice Group, Jeffrey concentrates his practice in the defense of medical/dental malpractice, products liability and premises liability claims. In his career to date, Jeff has worked on several hundred medical and dental malpractice cases. He also handles large-scale personal injury claims arising from construction accidents and explosions.

    Jeff has represented doctors, dentists, physician assistants, certified registered nurse practitioners and nurses in a multitude of malpractice actions. He has also represented doctors, dentists, nurses, psychologists, therapists and social workers before their various licensing boards. He has successfully litigated several matters before Administrative Law Judges, obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients, and has also been successful in negotiating dismissal of actions without any discipline. Additionally, Jeff has handled mass tort actions involving drug studies, medical device cases and pharmaceutical actions. He has also represented veterinarians in various legal actions. 

    Jeff has taken 35 cases to trial, 15 of which were tried to jury. He received 14 defense verdicts in his jury trials and a high percentage of defense verdicts in his bench trials. A high percentage of the remaining case outcomes consisted of settlements or verdicts significantly below the settlement demands. Through the creative use of medical, vocational, life care and accident reconstruction experts, Jeff's team was able to reduce demand from $20 million to $6 million. Jeff has also handled more than 30 arbitrations and 10 mediations. In addition, he successfully resolved a tort action with potential exposure of $8-$10 million by convincing the plaintiff that our client was not liable for injury causing quadriplegia in a 21-year-old.

    Jeff is involved in various professional, civic and cultural organizations. He is active in the Philadelphia Bar Association's Professional Responsibility Committee. In 1997 and again in 2010, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. In 1998, Jeff received the Regional Outreach Award from the Philadelphia Baptist Association. He was elected as a member of the Abington School District Board of Directors for the 2002­-2005, 2006-2009 and 2010-2013 terms. He has also dedicated time and energy to the Abington Educational Foundation and has participated in the Philadelphia VIP program. In addition to his professional and community service activities, Jeff enjoys cycling, playing the horn and beekeeping.

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    Anatomy of a Lawsuit, Pennsylvania Prosthodontic Association annual meeting, June 2-3, 2023

    Is The Fair Share Act Really That Fair?, Marshall Dennehey Health Care and Health Law Seminar, November 9, 2017

    Medical Legal Implications of Syncope: When Can You Drive After a Syncopal Event, Cardiovascular Institute's 4th Annual New Paradigms in Arrhythmia Management, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 26, 2015

    Medical Documentation – Class for Nurses

    Published Works

    "When is 50/50 Enough to Win?," Defense Digest, Vol. 18, No. 2, June 2012

    "The Class Action Lacks Class," Defense Digest, Vol. 16, No. 2, June 2010 and Mondaq.com, May 23, 2011

    "Mental Health And Collateral Jurisdiction: Perfect Together," Defense Digest, Vol. 10, No. 1, March 2004

    Admissions
    Pennsylvania
    1989
    Education
    Villanova University School of Law (J.D., 1989)
    Carnegie-Mellon University (B.F.A., with honors, 1981)
    University of Denver (1976-1978)
    Honors & awards
    Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, PVLA volunteer of the year award, 1997, 2010
    Philadelphia Baptist Association, Regional Outreach Award, 1998
    Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Outstanding Service Award
    1997, 2010
    Associations & memberships
    Abington School District, member, Board of School Directors, 2002-2005; 2006-2009; 2010-2013
    Philadelphia Bar Association, Professional Responsibility Committee
    Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
    Year joined
    2002