As a founding member of Ricci Tyrrell Johnson & Grey, Fran Grey is dedicated to achieving outstanding results for his clients. Using his experience and commitment, he focuses on his individual client’s visions and goals, making those his own in every case. He has devoted his practice to defending manufacturers and business property owners in Courts locally and nationally for over 30 years. Recognized annually by the Philadelphia Super Lawyers list for over 15 years, and named a Top Attorney in Pennsylvania, Mr. Grey specializes his practice in the defense of serious and catastrophic injury cases involving claims of product defect and premises liability issues.
Mr. Grey has tried cases in more than 20 states, including Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. In addition to acting as lead trial counsel for his clients, he provides risk management and liability prevention consultations on issues related to the design and effectiveness of on-product warning labels and instructions and the contents of operator’s manuals. In addition, Mr. Grey has worked directly with in-house engineering teams in the development of product and system test programs and test reports.
Mr. Grey’s experience includes handling defense development and trial of lift truck (stand-up and sit-down) design and manufacturing defect claims involving theories concerning operator restraint design, lift truck stability, fire cause and origin as well as operator protection. His experience also includes matters involving automotive defect and automotive crashworthiness, with an emphasis on occupant protection safety systems. Representing his various clients on local, regional and national levels, he has served as trial counsel for manufacturers of forklifts, reach trucks, pallet jacks, airplane components and aerial work platforms including scissor lifts and self-propelled boom trucks. In addition, Mr. Grey has represented large hotels, franchises and retail stores throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey in a variety of premises liability matters involving premises safety, merchandise display safety and allegations of pharmaceutical negligence.
Mr. Grey is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and was an invited Faculty Member of IADC’s Trial Academy at Stanford University. Mr. Grey is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocacy (ABOTA) and was a Faculty Member at ABOTA’s Inaugural Trial Academy held at Princeton University. He is proud to have been awarded Target’s Bullseye Barrister Award on multiple occasions for his excellence in handling premises liability matters.
Mr. Grey has had the privilege of being an invited speaker by General Motors to address a variety of topics for both the Legal Staff and outside counsel. His topics have ranged from the development and significance of front center airbags in side impact collisions, crash-data recording use at trial, spoliation issues and the potential for misuse of crash data recording at trial, and case handling processes for claims arising in China. Mr. Grey has spoken at the request of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute giving the defense perspective on handling catastrophic injury cases. He was also privileged to try a mock jury case to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) as lead counsel for the defense team in that exercise.
Mr. Grey is admitted to the Bars of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In addition, he is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and the District Court of New Jersey.
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- United States District Courts for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- District Court of New Jersey
- New York
Affiliations
He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and was an invited Faculty Member of IADC’s Trial Academy at Stanford University. Mr. Grey is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocacy (ABOTA) and was a Faculty Member at ABOTA’s Inaugural Trial Academy held at Princeton University.
Awards and Honors
Mr. Grey has been an invited speaker to address GM Shanghai legal staff at their Legal Engineering Conference to develop GM’s legal staff processes for handling product liability claims in China. He was also a speaker at the conference for General Motors legal staff and outside counsel addressing spoliation issues arising out of the production release of Sensing Diagnostic Modules on General Motors’ vehicles and on the admission of crash-data recordings at trial. Mr. Grey was an invited speaker by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute as a member of the panel speaking at the presentation handling catastrophic injury cases to address the defense perspective. Mr. Grey was also awarded Target’s Bullseye Barrister Award multiple times for excellence in handling premises liability matters. In addition, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas has requested that Mr. Grey act as a Judge Pro Tempore in Court Ordered Settlement Conferences.
Education
Mr. Grey graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and later played football at Lehigh University.
Mr. Grey holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Lehigh University and a Juris Doctor from Villanova School of Law. In addition, Mr. Grey is also certified in accident reconstruction from Northwestern University.
Personal
Mr. Grey lives in Paoli with his wife Patti and have four children.