Jennifer Coatsworth has litigated hundreds of motor vehicle, dealer fraud and lemon law cases from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives including claims for breach of contract, fraud, violations of the Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Lemon Laws, the New Vehicle Damage Disclosure Act and the Automotive Industry Trade Practices Act, driver privacy protection issues, odometer alteration and Truth in Lending matters.

She also focuses her practice on the defense of professionals, including real estate agents, home inspectors, accountants and physicians. Most commonly, the types of claims she handles relate to allegations of breach of contract and fraud or nondisclosure under the Real Estate Sellers Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Licensing Act and the Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Additionally, Jen has handled a number of fraternity hazing and general liability cases and she has extensive experience with premises liability, product liability, employment and construction matters. She has been called upon to conduct risk management seminars for her clients and to speak at various CLEs in her areas of expertise

Jen’s professional activities extend beyond the court room and she is very active in the legal community. She was recently re-elected to a second term as Secretary for the Philadelphia Bar Association following a three-year term as Assistant Secretary, a one-year term as the Parliamentarian of the Board of Governors which followed a three year elected term. Before that Jen was active in the Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division, serving as Secretary and Vice Chair. Additionally, Jen serves as the Immediate Past Chancellor of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society. Also in the Philadelphia Legal Community, Jen is a member of the Executive Council of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel, and chairs the Judicial Relations subcommittee. She is also active with the Pennsylvania Bar Association where she serves as the Zone One Governor and as a member of the Judicial Evaluation Commission. Jen is also Co-Vice Chair of the Women in the Profession Committee and Immediate Past Chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the State Bar.

Education:

• Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law (J.D.)
• University of Maryland Honors Program (B.A., cum laude)

Honors:

• Super Lawyers, Rising Star
• 2017 Pennsylvania Bar Association President’s Award of Achievement
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel, Distinguished Young Lawyer
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel, Presidential Acknowledgement
• Selected for Inclusion in 2015 Who's Next in the Legal Industry by BillyPenn.com

Civic & Community Activities:

• Community Legal Services – Leadership Council (2019-present)
• University of Maryland Alumni Association and Athletic Scholarship Fund, local co-president
• Storybook Musical Theatre, board counsel

Bar Admissions:

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey

Court Admissions:

• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Professional Affiliations:

• Philadelphia Bar Association – Secretary (2019-present), Assistant Secretary (2016-2018), Parliamentarian (2015), Board of Governors (2012-2014), YLD Executive Committee (2007-2011), Secretary (2008), Vice Chair(2009), Committee on Insurance Practice Leadership Committee (2013-2014), State Civil Litigation Section, Women in the Profession Committee Co-Chair (2016-2017)
• Pennsylvania Bar Association – Board of Governors (2020-present), House of Delegates (2013-present), Civil Litigation Section Executive Council (2011-present), Chair (2019-2020), Nominating Committee (2014), Retreat Sub-committee (2012-present), Regional Dinner Sub-committee (2012 - present), Women in the Profession Commission Executive Committee (2013-present), Co-Vice Chair (2019-2021), Annual Conference Co-chair (2013-2014), Awards Committee Co-chair (2014-2017), Retreat Co-chair (2017-2018)
• Brandeis Law Society - Executive Committee (2011-present), Chancellor (2018-2019), Special Events Committee Co-chair (2013-2017), Fellowship Committee (2012-2014), Long Range Planning Committee (2012-2013), Leadership Committee Co-chair (2016-present)
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel - Executive Committee (2011-present), Judicial Relations Co-chair (2018-present), CLE sub-committee (2013-2018)

Speaking Engagements and Presentations:

• “Procedures for Motion Practice in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute (Atlantic City, NJ, 2007)
• “Risk Management for Real Estate Professionals” (various locations, 2008)
• “Low Impact Soft Tissue Injuries” (Reading, PA, 2009)
• “Update on Venue and Forum Non Conveniens,” Defense Research Institute, Personal Injury Potpourri
• “Insights into Philadelphia Motion Practice,” Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel Young Lawyers Trial Seminar, moderator
• “High Profile Cases in the Media,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Retreat, moderator
• “Supreme Court Makes it Easier to Obtain Treble Damages Under UTPCPL”
• “Expert Report Late, What to Do?”
• Construction Defect Litigation: Claims and Coverage, August 2012
• Personal Injury Litigation Basics – Discovery, January 2016
• “Judicial Roundtable, a View from the Bench,” moderator, Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Retreat, April 2016
• “Can We Rule Out Harassment and Discrimination in the Practice of Law? Assessing the Scope and Application of the New Model Rule,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Retreat, March 2017
• Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Trial Mini Camp, Beaver, PA (March 2017) and Bellefonte, PA (December 2017)
• “Harassment and Discrimination in Practice of Law: Assessing the Scope and Application of the New Model Rule, Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil and Equal Rights Committee Symposium, July 2017
• “Legal Ethics, Harassment and Discrimination: The Role of the Rules,” Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, November 2017
• “Choosing Your Audience Wisely, Jury Selection in State and Federal Court,” moderator, Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Retreat, April 2018
• “What Civil Litigators Can Learn from Recent High Profile Cases,” moderator, Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Retreat, May 2019
• “Why do we need Diversity: The ethical case for diversity,” Pennsylvania Defense Institute Annual Meeting, July 2019
• “Update on Civil Issues: Auto Law and Other Hot Topics,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Midyear Meeting, January 2020

News and Verdicts:

• Margolis Edelstein Recognized as “Defense Firm of the Year”
• Residential Mortgage, Breach of Contract – Defense Verdict
• Margolis Edelstein Supports Turning Points for Children
• Summary Judgement – Intermodal Container – Load Shift – Pennsylvania Manufacturer
• Summary Judgment – Baling Wire – Wrongful Death – Essex, NJ
• Jennifer Coatsworth, Esq., is the first recipient of the Distinguished Young Lawyer Award!
• Jennifer Coatsworth Joins in Roll Out of New Initiative to Help Those in Need

Articles and Publications:

• Recent Developments in the Defense of Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law Claims
• Supreme Court Makes it Easier to Obtain Treble Damages Under UTPCPL
• Expert Report Late, What to Do?

Representative Matters:

• Represented defendant distributor in Sroka v. Leggett and Platt, et al., Superior Court, Law Division, Essex County, NJ, in a wrongful death case, and obtained summary judgment dismissal of all claims against client.
• Represented manufacturer defendant in Estevez v. Leggett and Platt, Superior Court, Law Division, Middlesex County, NJ, against allegations of a failure to warn of inherently dangerous characteristics of load, by Plaintiff truck driver, who was badly injured when a bale fell on him, and obtained summary judgment dismissal of all claims against client.
• Represented defendant real estate agent in Faulls/Mecca v. Coldwell Banker Preferred, et al., Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, against allegations of failure to disclose defects with the property, obtained summary judgment dismissal of all claims against client.
• Represented defendant real estate agent in Coleman v. Duffy Real Estate et al., Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County, in failure to disclose construction defects case, successfully settled case with very minimal contribution by client.
• Represented defendant car dealership in Reed v. Peruzzi, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, against allegations of failure to disclose defects with the subject vehicle, obtained dismissal of all claims against client.

• Automobile & Trucking
• Commercial Law
• General Liability
• Insurance Consulting
• Labor & Employment
• Product Liability
• Professional Liability