Colleen M. Johns
Special Counsel
Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
USA
Phone: +1 215 979 1165
Fax: +1 215 827 5548
Email: CMJohns@duanemorris.com

Colleen M. Johns practices in the area of litigation with concentrations in complex commercial litigation, business and insurance litigation, consumer lending litigation, fiduciary litigation and class actions. Ms. Johns has prosecuted and defended claims on behalf of small, mid-sized and large corporations concerning business-related disputes in federal and state courts.

Ms. Johns is a 1999 graduate of John Marshall Law School and a graduate of Villanova University.

Areas of Practice

• Commercial Litigation
• Business and Insurance Litigation
• Consumer Lending Litigation
• Fiduciary Litigation
• Class Action Litigation
• Financial Institution Litigation

Representative Matters

• Prosecuted and defended claims on behalf of small, mid-sized, and large corporations concerning business-related disputes, including breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, fraud, consumer protection and ERISA, in federal court and state court.
• Represented individual trustee in fiduciary litigation where beneficiaries alleged co-trustees breached their fiduciary duties to properly invest trust assets in accordance with the terms of the trusts and otherwise mismanaged trust assets. The beneficiaries sought removal, surcharge and punitive damages. The Court rejected the beneficiaries' claims for surcharge and punitive damages.
• Represented executor and trustee in fiduciary litigation where beneficiaries alleged mismanagement of the testator's law practice and unreasonable executor and trustee commissions. The beneficiaries of the estate and trust argued that the executor and trustee negligently mismanaged the testator's law firm asset because he did not immediately transition the law firm to another attorney and that this mismanagement caused a $1.3 million-dollar diminution in the value of the law firm asset. The beneficiaries sought removal and surcharge. The court rejected the beneficiaries' claims for removal, surcharge and excessive commissions.
• Defended beneficiary of inter vivos trust concerning claims for constructive trust to real property.
• Defended lenders against claims of predatory sales and lending practices in federal court.
• Defended public utility in class action concerning catastrophic industrial fire in state court.
• Defended insurer in nationwide class action brought by insureds concerning premium related charges.
• Defended insurers and insureds concerning coverage disputes in federal court and state court.
• Defended landowner in dispute with adjacent landowner and homeowners association concerning rights under an easement.
• Prosecuted claims on behalf of charter school against school district and state agency in state court and federal court.
• Defend and prosecute claims on behalf of small, mid-sized and large corporations concerning contract-related claims.
• Represent nuclear facility to defend claim asserted by municipality for breach of contract concerning the discharge of nuclear waste.
• Represent energy management company on claim for breach of contract against corporation for failure to pay for services rendered.
• Represent officer and director of corporation in connection with breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Professional Activities

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Philadelphia Bar Association
  - Trust and Estate Section
  - Member, Rules and Practice Committee
  - Orphans' Court Litigation & Dispute Resolution Committee
• Irish American Business Chamber & Network
• Former member, Prisoner Civil Rights Panel, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Community College of Philadelphia
  - Former part-time Faculty in Paralegal Studies Department; taught Research and Writing I, Civil Litigation
• Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

Admissions

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

Education

• John Marshall Law School, J.D., 1999
• Villanova University, B.A., 1996

Experience

• Duane Morris LLP
  - Special Counsel, 2011-present
• Conrad O'Brien P.C.
  - Senior Associate, 2001-2011
• Law Offices of Andre Michniak, P.C.
  - Associate, 1999-2001

Civic and Charitable Activities

• Junior Women's Community Club of Narberth
• City Year
  - Volunteer for City Year Service Project