Deirdre S. McCool, a partner in Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP’s Charleston office, practices in the areas of product liability, pharmaceutical and medical device, toxic tort, premises liability, and business litigation.

In addition to South Carolina state and federal courts, Ms. McCool has litigated cases in state and/or federal courts in North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Minnesota. She has also argued appellate matters in the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Ms. McCool has extensive experience in all aspects of product liability litigation, including recalls, accident investigation, accident reconstruction, metallurgy, design analysis, biomechanics, manufacturing processes, and warnings. She has defended product liability cases involving a wide range of products, including passenger cars, trucks, vehicle tires, food products, medical devices, over-the-counter and prescription medications, industrial equipment, aviation equipment, and consumer goods. She also has an abundance of experience working with foreign manufacturers. While a senior associate with Nelson Mullins, Ms. McCool served as an in-house product liability attorney for a major vehicle manufacturer for a year, where she gained experience managing cases and trials from the company perspective.

In addition to handling individual cases through trial, Ms. McCool has experience coordinating and managing state proceedings and federal multi-district litigation, both on a regional and national basis, involving toxic tort, product liability, and pharmaceutical litigation. She has experience in preparing company witnesses for deposition and trial testimony, as well as managing and conducting internal company interviews and document collection projects. Ms. McCool also has almost 20 years experience in handling all aspects of discovery issues. For several years she served as national discovery coordinator for a leading automobile manufacturer in its airbag cases, and she is well-versed with electronic discovery issues.

Ms. McCool’s premises liability experience includes hotels, grocery and retail stores, and performance and sports venues.

A member of the South Carolina Bar, Ms. McCool is admitted to practice before the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. She is a member of the American Bar Association (Torts and Insurance Practice Section), the Charleston County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association, and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association.

In 1991, Ms. McCool earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law where she was named to The Order of the Coif. She served as an editor of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal and was a member of the Order of Wig and Robe. Ms. McCool earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an emphasis in finance and marketing, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina-Coastal Carolina in 1987.