Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Partner| sylvie.gallage-alwis@signaturelitigation.com | +33 (0)1 70 75 58 00 |
Biography
After 10 years practicing in a major international law firm, Sylvie became one of the founding partners of the Paris office of Signature Litigation and heads its product liability practice.
Sylvie is one of the youngest French practitioners recognised for her skills as a litigator by directories. She is specialised in all cutting-edge complex disputes linked to products, namely product liability, product safety, toxic tort, mass litigation/class action, regulatory compliance, and environment.
Sylvie is both an Avocat à la Cour in France and a Solicitor in England & Wales. She is described by Who’s Who Legal as a “dynamic and determined litigator“, who is “a firm favourite among clients“as “she always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes“and is “analytical, intelligent and responsive“. Sylvie is ranked in Who’s Who Legal France: Product Liability Defence 2019, which notes she “stands out in the market for her highly respected product liability, toxic tort and mass litigation expertise.”
Sylvie has experience in all ranges of product-related litigation. She “stands out in the product liability space for her creative solutions and strategic understanding of the many cases she works on“. She is recognised as a rising star for Product Liability in France since 2015 by the LMG Expert Guides. She represents a variety of globally recognised manufacturers from industries such as automotive, electronic products, cosmetics, new technologies, steel, energy, food, toys, etc. In this scope, she has developed strong regulatory knowledge, putting together innovative defences.
Sylvie is further known in the French market as a leading toxic tort / mass litigation lawyer. As such, she has been involved in most pro-company case law rendered in recent years, notably in asbestos-related cases, with some cases mentioned in the French Civil and Social Security Codes because of the significant reversal in case law they represent.
Sylvie is an active member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA). She also regularly attends meetings of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO).
Experience
Product Liability/Product Compliance
- Advising a leading automotive manufacturer in the scope of an investigation on diesel emissions.
- Representing a leading mobile phone manufacturer in the scope of allegations of planned obsolescence.
- Advising a pesticides manufacturer following investigations carried out by the French Customs on the composition of one of its products.
- Advising prominent cosmetics manufacturers in the scope of investigations by the EU market surveillance authorities on the composition and labelling of their products.
- Advising an automotive spare part manufacturer for the launching of innovative products on the EU market (connected vehicles related).
Toxic Tort / Mass Litigation / Class Action
- Handling a docket of more than 7,000 cases filed by plaintiffs on the ground of their anxiety to develop an asbestos-related disease in the future.
- Handling a docket of more than 400 cases filed by plaintiffs alleging that they have developed a disease linked to an exposure to chemical substances.
- Advising a seeds manufacturer in the scope of claims filed by dozens of farmers on the ground of alleged defects of the seeds.
Areas of Expertise
Latest news
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Thomas Rouhette and Ela Barda examine proposed reforms to the French blocking statute, the ‘Gauvain Report’, which seeks to strengthen sanctions for domestic companies subject to extra-territorial proceedings, in Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence bit.ly/2Hav4Ke
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Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
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