Susan Sharko

Susan Sharko is a partner in the Florham Park office of Drinker Biddle & Reath and head of the firm's products liability and mass tort practice group. She currently is serving as national coordinating counsel and lead defense counsel for pharmaceutical and medical device clients on federal multi-district litigation matters, and has handled a variety of types of products cases over the course of her career. Sharko is active with numerous professional organizations: She is past president of Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, and has chaired the New Jersey Supreme Court Board on Trial Attorney Certification and the District X Fee Arbitration Committee. One colleague called Sharko “one of our firm's finest trial lawyers” and “persistent, highly creative, and results-oriented.” The colleague added: “She is adept at identifying the key issues in complex matters, addressing them effectively and efficiently.”

Name a mentor or someone you admire, and why.

There were no lawyers in my family but I had parents who believed that women could do everything that men could and more, and they, my husband and our four children have always been very supportive. I was blessed to have the guidance and support of great trial lawyers in my firm, Tom Campion, Jeff Peck and Ray Tierney who taught me how to be a trial lawyer and gave me countless opportunities, as well as a solid group of lawyers and paralegals who work well as a team.

Best advice you ever got…

The values that my parents instilled have served me well—work hard, don't go into a room with a closed door with any man not related to you by blood or marriage, be true to yourself, you can only lose your reputation once, don't get mad get even, and what goes around, comes around.

In 50 words or less, what does the legal profession need to do to improve opportunities for women lawyers?

Being a lawyer and defending and solving problems for clients is a privilege, not a right, one that we have to earn every day.