Ahmed J. Kassim is a trial lawyer and appellate advocate in the Sills Cummis & Gross Litigation Department. Some of the world’s best-known companies have turned to Mr. Kassim to handle their high-stakes product liability and complex commercial disputes in courts across the country. A former chemical engineer, he brings analytical rigor to his scientific and commercial cases. Whether the path to a favorable outcome runs through early dispositive motions, a negotiated resolution, or trial and appeal, Mr. Kassim has delivered results at every stage for his clients.
Mr. Kassim recently helped secure a unanimous jury verdict in a federal breach of contract action and briefed the Eighth Circuit appeal that affirmed a judgment exceeding $10 million. Law.com’s Litigation Daily recognized the win. He has also obtained early dismissals of complex suits, including a putative nationwide consumer protection class action in federal court and an environmental coverage action exceeding $15 million in New York’s Commercial Division. His commercial practice spans breach of contract, business torts, and consumer class action defense across the real estate, insurance, banking, and retail sectors.
In his product liability practice, Mr. Kassim has successfully defended manufacturers in difficult jurisdictions. He leverages his technical background to help his clients navigate complex scientific and medical issues and build defenses grounded in the evidence. He represents pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer product, and industrial manufacturers as regional and national counsel in multidistrict litigation, state coordinated proceedings, and individual product liability actions. Mr. Kassim currently serves as national coordinating counsel for an international cosmetics company in talc-related product liability litigation. He also defends a multinational chemical manufacturer in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) litigation in New Jersey state and federal courts.
Mr. Kassim’s trial-level successes extend through appeal, where he represents clients in state and federal appellate courts. He defeated a petition for certification to the Supreme Court of New Jersey in a high-exposure commercial collision case following a defense win below. Mr. Kassim briefed the appeal for a transportation authority whose award of a $950 million infrastructure contract was unanimously upheld by New York’s Appellate Division, First Department. He also works with trial teams from the outset to frame and preserve issues for appeal. Reflecting his commitment to appellate practice, Mr. Kassim is a member of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Advocacy Committee and has served as pro bono appellate counsel for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.
Outside the Firm, Mr. Kassim is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), an invitation-only, peer-reviewed organization. He serves on the Editorial Board of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal and is a Barrister of the Federal Bar Council American Inn of Court. He is also a graduate of the IADC’s Trial Academy.
Early in his legal career, Mr. Kassim was a Law Clerk to the Honorable Ann G. McCormick, J.S.C. in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division.