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Kelly Jo Savage

Employment and labor Attorney at San Rafael, CA

5.0   5 reviews

also known as Kelly Savage Day


Licensed for 23 years

Free consultation

About Kelly

Learn Kelly’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Employment and labor
    25%

    23 years

  2. Discrimination
    20%

    23 years

  3. Sexual harassment
    15%

  4. Wrongful termination
    15%

  5. Appeals
    5%

  6. Defective and dangerous products
    5%

  7. Employee benefits
    5%
    I help individuals and businesses navigate under California Labor Code.

  8. Litigation
    5%
    General commercial litigation including breach of contract, violations of California's consumer protection statutes and class actions

  9. Privacy
    5%

Fortune 500 and small business clients, as well as state and local entities, rely on me for my industry knowledge, aggressive advocacy and practical advice.  I have served as national, regional and local counsel for a variety of businesses (as well as governmental entities), who depend on my ability to handle complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels in a cost-effective, results-oriented manner.  

As the first college-educated member of my family and the daughter of two small-business owners, I appreciate the challenges companies face remaining competitive in a rapidly changing business environment without running afoul of state and federal laws and regulations. I focus on helping clients solve their problems based on their goals defined at the outset of a matter—not meeting some billable-hour requirement comprised of unnecessary tasks billed out in six-minute increments.  I pride myself on efficiency—and my staunch commitment to delivering top-notch services and results on complex commercial litigation matters at a fair, reasonable price. 
Clients describe me as a “brilliant strategist,” “excellent communicator,” “cracker jack” and a “value for the money.” In the trial court arena, I have achieved early dismissal at the pleading stage over 75% of the time.  I also have never had a class certified against any of my clients.  I am currently 6-0. In the appellate arena, I have won 80% of my appeals (including the ones that have made their way to the U.S. Supreme Court).  Most recently, I first chaired a nearly two-month-long harassment case brought against California’s Department of Parks and Recreation concerning allegations of sexual discrimination and harassment based on an employee’s sexual orientation, which resulted in an extremely favorable outcome for my client. 

Licensed for 23 years
State CA
Status Active
Acquired 2005
Updated 12/01/2022
State OH
Status Active
Acquired 1999
Updated 01/31/2023

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact Kelly

Savage Day
101 Lucas Valley Drive, Suite 272
San Rafael, CA, 94903

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  5 customer reviews
5 Star
 
100%
4 Star
 
0%
3 Star
 
0%
2 Star
 
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1 Star
 
0%
Posted by anonymous | July 27, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Very Kind, Very Helpful
Kelly has been extremely helpful and supportive throughout my entire process. She took time to carefully explain every step and allowed me to make the best informed decisions for my situation. You will KNOW you are in the best hands with. She is brilliant, experienced, knows all aspects of the law for my case, and argued effectively. I highly recommend Kelly, as she is highly experienced and her attention to detail is impeccable!
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Posted by MARGARET | January 19, 2014
BRILLIANT STRATEGIST, EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR
Ms. Savage represented our interests in four major cases of complex litigation, including one class action. In each case, her strategies for reducing the scope of the case and ultimately resolving it (sometimes through dismissal) were singularly impressive. Her knowledge of the law, her mindfulness of our budget, and her ability to work with difficult personalities are three of the qualities that caused us to hire her repeatedly.
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Posted by anonymous | December 20, 2013
Outstanding Products Liability Counsel
Kelly has an usually deep and creative understanding of pharmaceutical products liability law and risk management, and especially how liability is affected by complex nuance of FDA regulatory and industry actual practices rather than more commonly encountered "text book" understanding. As a fellow attorney, with more than 20 years in FDA regulation, product development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution she is one the most capable attorneys I have met in this practice area. I would not hesitate to hire her and have gladly recommended her to colleagues and alliance partners on many occasions. She has provided them excellent service.
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Posted by anonymous | December 19, 2013
Curret Client
Kelly is defending me in several highly contentious employment suits. She actually cares about the outcome and how the suit affects me as a person. I recommend her to anyone who needs both a cracker jack lawyer and friend.
Posted by anonymous | May 24, 2011
Life Science Thought Leader ...
Working in the area of life science risk management, I recently became acquainted with the work of Kelly Savage Day. I know her to be an articulate and insightful thought leader as an attorney who works fully immersed in addressing the myriad legal challenges that drug and device firms face. She has produced substantive articles, webcasts and related knowledge resources that mark her as a “mover and shaker” in this specialized area of the law. I have also found her to be extremely generous in sharing these knowledge resources, always offering to go the extra mile. She was a webinar speaker for a cast I moderated on social media and life science firms. She did a great job and I have snce recommended her for other speaking roles. I would enthusiastically recommend Kelly Savage Day as a resource for your legal needs in this area!
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Cost

Rates
  • Free Consultation 15 minutes
  • Contingency 33%-40%
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Attorney
  • Savage Day
  • 2015 - Present
  • Special Counsel
  • Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, LLP
  • 2007 - 2015
  • Associate
  • GORDON & REES LLP
  • 2005 - 2007
  • Law Clerk to U.S. Magistrate Greg Hollows
  • United States District Court, Eastern Division
  • 2004 - 2005
  • Law Clerk to U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • 2003 - 2004
  • Law Clerk to Honorable Mike Fain
  • Ohio Second District Court of Appeals
  • 2001 - 2003
  • Associate
  • Faruki, Gilliam & Ireland LLP
  • 1999 - 2001
View all work experience

Education

  • Ohio Northern University
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1999
  • The Ohio State University
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1996

Legal Cases

  • Lopez v. Brown, 217 Cal.App.4th 1114 (2013)
  • Class certification denied
  • Gaeta v. Perrigo Pharmaceuticals Co., 469 Fed. Appx. 556 (9th Cir. 2012)
  • Complete Defense Verdict
  • Orlando v. Alarm One, Inc., 2008 WL 115833 (Jan. 14, 2008)
  • Judgment reversed
View all legal cases

Associations

  • State Bar of California
  • Committee on Appellate Courts Board Member
  • 2010 - Present
  • Bar Association of San Francisco
  • Lifetime Member
  • 2006 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • Spanish

Honors and Awards

  • Northern California Rising Star
  • SuperLawyers
  • 2013
  • Northern California Rising Star
  • Super Lawyers
  • 2012
  • Northern California Rising Stars
  • Super Lawyers
  • 2011

Publications

  • International Association of Defense Counsel Newsletter
  • Managing Risks Associated with Off-Label Promotion of Pharmaceuticals
  • 2010
  • Medmarc Newsletter
  • A Prescription for Managing the Risk of Off-Label Activities
  • 2009
  • Washington Legal Foundation Legal Backgrounder
  • Federal Court Rejects Brand-Name Drug Liability for Generic-Caused Injury
  • 2009
  • Sedgwick Alert Tracker
  • Preemption: Deliberations Continue
  • 2009
  • CALIFORNIA CIVIL WRIT PRACTICE
  • Responsive Pleadings and Petitioner’s Reply
  • 2008
  • The Recorder
  • Extraterritorality and Punitive Damages: Setting Limits on California’s Ability to Punish Defendants for Out-of-State Conduct
  • 2008
  • Washington Legal Foundation publication
  • Has California Provided a New-End Run Around Preemption
  • 2008
  • Dayton Daily Bar
  • Can You Save Your from U.S. EPA Overfiling
  • 2000
View all publications

Speaking Engagements

  • Social Networking: Flash in the Pan or Here to Stay?
  • Social Networking and Business Development
  • 2010
  • Medmarc Webinar
  • Prescription for Managing the Risk of Off-Label Activities
  • 2009
  • Brand Companies at Risk for Products Manufactured by Generic Firms: California’s Conte v. Wyeth
  • Brand Companies at Risk for Products Manufactured by Generic Firms: California’s Conte v. Wyeth
  • 2009
  • Webinar
  • Managing the Risk of Worker Internet and E-Mail Misuse
  • 2008
  • Northern California Human Resources Association Annual Conference
  • Managing the Risk of Worker E-Mail and Blog Misuse
  • 2008
  • Medmarc Insurance Company Meeting
  • Preempting Product Liability Claims Against Generic Drug Manufacturers
  • 2008
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (6)
Given (7)
Endorse Kelly
Employment and labor Attorney | Jul 20
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Appeals Attorney | Aug 05
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I whole-heartedly endorse Kelly's work. She is a brilliant and creative lawyer who is very solution-oriented for clients. Kelly is hard-working, insightful and a delight to work with--I cannot recommend her more highly."
Litigation Attorney | Mar 10
Relationship: Co-worker
"Kelly is both highly capable and very cognizant of her clients' needs. These attributes help her consistently achieve excellent results."
Appeals Attorney | Mar 01
Relationship: Co-worker
"Kelly is a brilliant appellate lawyer who makes it a point to keep abreast of the latest developments and changes in the law. In addition to her appellate advocacy practice, she is a prolific writer and has authored articles running the gamut from California's consumer protection statutes to federal preemption. She is the person to go to when you need to convince a Court of Appeals that the trial judge got it wrong on a complicated area of law."
Defective and dangerous products Attorney | Mar 01
Relationship: Worked for lawyer
"Kelly has played a key role in defining and explaining the federal issue of preemption as it applies to the drug and medical device industry. Because Kelly practices both appellate and products law, she use her understanding of these issues which stand at the intersection of these two legal disciplines to become a leading figure in the current discussions about how to handle preemption issues for this industry."
Appeals Attorney | Feb 26
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Kelly is an experienced and brilliant attorney who has provided me with clear guidance in the cases we have worked together on. Her successful results prove she is a reliable resource to turn to in her area of practice."
View more endorsements
Litigation
Defective and dangerous products
Defective and dangerous products
Litigation