Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr. is a member of the Trial practice group in the Philadelphia office and the firm's first Chief Diversity Officer.

Mr. Atkinson has had trials in both the state and federal courts in a variety of commercial and personal injury matters. He is an experienced litigator in commercial matters representing banks, insurance companies and other businesses in major disputes. He has an extensive background in defending major corporations in product and toxic tort matters. He has also represented numerous hospitals and physicians in complex health-related matters.

In August 2007, Mr. Atkinson was appointed the first Chief Diversity Officer of Duane Morris.

Mr. Atkinson is also the chairman of the Diversity Committee at Duane Morris. He has also served in a variety of administrative capacities, including membership on the Partners' Board, Hiring Committee and as Administrative Partner of the Trial Department.

Mr. Atkinson is the former chair of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, Inc., a consortium of law firms and corporations committed to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in Philadelphia's larger law firms. In addition, he is a member of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association, a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and was formerly appointed co-chair of the Conference of Minority Partners in Majority Corporate Law Firms, a constituent entity of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession of the ABA. In 2006, Mr. Atkinson received the Honorable William F. Hall Award from the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, and in 2004, Mr. Atkinson became the fifth recipient of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's Rainbowmaker Award, awarded to a lawyer who has made exceptional contributions in support of a more diverse legal profession. He was also named as a 2004 SuperLawyer by Philadelphia magazine.

An active litigator, he has taught trial advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University School of Law. He was Managing Partner of Atkinson & Archie between 1984 and 1991. He served for 12 years as a Commissioner of Lower Merion Township. He has also served as a member of the Boards of First Pennsylvania Corporation and later CoreStates Bank. Mr. Atkinson is a 1969 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (LL.M., international law), a 1967 graduate of Howard University School of Law and a graduate of Boston University.

Representative Matters

Represented the advisory board of a venture capital fund with a total investment in excess of $100,000,000 in the investigation of the fraudulent activities of the general partner. As a result of that effort, Duane Morris was engaged to pursue litigation against the general partner's counsel for fraud and attorney malpractice with an ultimate recovery in excess of $5,000,000.
Selected by a national manufacturing firm to defend federal court claims brought by more than fifty persons alleging that one of client's products contained PCBs that were a substantial factor in causing plaintiffs' cancers and fear of cancer. Lead a team of lawyers through extensive discovery and motion practice which resulted in the dismissal of most of the "fear of cancer" claims and the weakening of the plaintiffs' overall case.
Defended a national corporation accused of violating claimant's contractual rights to concession and restaurant space at a major facility within Philadelphia thereby denying her the right to do business and make a profit. The case was tried before a jury in the United States District Court. Near the end of the trial, the parties settled the matter in what was deemed a favorable outcome by the client.
Counsel to a former Mayor of the City of Philadelphia sued in federal court for civil rights claims alleging the authorization of excessive force. Complete success was achieved when our motion for summary judgment was granted. The United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
For the past twenty years, represented railroad defendants, utilities and health care providers in major casualty and professional liability litigation with sums in excess of a million dollars routinely at risk. These cases require extensive preparation of experts, trial skills and the assessment of a client's risks.

Professional Activities

Chair, Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, Inc. 2001-2006
Instructor, Trial Advocacy, Temple University School of Law, 1974-1990
American Bar Association
- Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity -- Conference of Minority Partners in Majority Corporate Law Firms
--Co-Chair, 2001-2003
-Section of Litigation
Instructor, Legal Method, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1969-1970
Philadelphia Bar Association

Admissions

Pennsylvania
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Education

University of Pennsylvania Law School, LL.M., 1969
Howard University School of Law, LL.B., 1967