Mr. Paul Michael (“Mickey”) Pohl recently retired as a Partner in the global law firm Jones Day. He joined Jones Day’s Cleveland office in 1976 and in 1989 opened Jones Day’s Pittsburgh office. He was Partner-in-Charge of the Pittsburgh office from 1989 until 2003 when he became head of the Jones Day Product Liability Practice. In 2012, the Product Liability and Trial Practices were combined into the Firm’s Business and Tort Litigation group, the firm’s largest practice, which he headed until 2014. He was a partner in the Firm from 1983 through 2018.
He graduated from Princeton University in 1970, where he won the Lyman Atwater Prize in Politics, was nominated by Princeton for a Rhodes Scholarship, and received a National Science Foundation Grant for post-graduate research. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during 1971-72, and received the Navy Achievement Medal for his service at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. Mickey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975, was the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, and won the Gourley Cup Trial Competition sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Association. Following his graduation from Law School, he served a one-year clerkship for Mr. Justice Roberts of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
With more than 40 years of litigation experience in a wide variety of cases, Mickey was the quintessential first-chair, big case litigator. He has tried jury and non-jury cases across the United States and has counselled clients around the world. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America (2018 ed.) in four separate categories. The 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers publication listed him as the “Best Lawyer” in Bet-the-Company litigation. In June 2011, The Legal 500 (U.S.) publication named Mickey as one of the three “leading lawyers” in product liability and tort litigation in the United States. In April 2017, The Legal 500 named him to its initial “Hall of Fame.” He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
He has made frequent television guest appearances on litigation matters and appeared in a feature on MTV concerning the presidential election and his role as a legal advisor to Steve Forbes. He has been quoted in numerous publications, including Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal on developments in the law and politics. He was part of the litigation team that represented Ronald Reagan in one of the first cases in the United States under the Federal Election Campaign Laws. He was employed briefly as a newspaper reporter prior to entering military service. In 2003, he was named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by the Vatican. In 2013, he received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross, awarded by Pope Benedict XVI on petition of Bishop David Zubik.
He has served on the Board of Directors of The Prince of Wales Foundation, U.S.A., and is on the legal team which advises Saudi Aramco. He was the lead lawyer in the trial of the Zubik v. Burwell case where he and the Jones Day team represented more than 70 religious entities which sued the United States over what was called the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act.
He has served as Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Rand Corporation’s Institute for Civil Justice. He has lectured at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. In August 2011, he was honored by the United States Marine Corps as the Guest of Honor at a Sunset Parade in Washington, D.C. He received an honorary doctorate in Christian Ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2016.
Mickey was designated by the United States Golf Association and Oakmont Country Club to serve as chairman of the 2007 United States Open, which was held at Oakmont.
Mr. Paul Michael (“Mickey”) Pohl recently retired as a Partner in the global law firm Jones Day. He joined Jones Day’s Cleveland office in 1976 and in 1989 opened Jones Day’s Pittsburgh office. He was Partner-in-Charge of the Pittsburgh office from 1989 until 2003 when he became head of the Jones Day Product Liability Practice. In 2012, the Product Liability and Trial Practices were combined into the Firm’s Business and Tort Litigation group, the firm’s largest practice, which he headed until 2014. He was a partner in the Firm from 1983 through 2018.
He graduated from Princeton University in 1970, where he won the Lyman Atwater Prize in Politics, was nominated by Princeton for a Rhodes Scholarship, and received a National Science Foundation Grant for post-graduate research. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during 1971-72, and received the Navy Achievement Medal for his service at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. Mickey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975, was the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, and won the Gourley Cup Trial Competition sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Association. Following his graduation from Law School, he served a one-year clerkship for Mr. Justice Roberts of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
With more than 40 years of litigation experience in a wide variety of cases, Mickey was the quintessential first-chair, big case litigator. He has tried jury and non-jury cases across the United States and has counselled clients around the world. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America (2018 ed.) in four separate categories. The 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers publication listed him as the “Best Lawyer” in Bet-the-Company litigation. In June 2011, The Legal 500 (U.S.) publication named Mickey as one of the three “leading lawyers” in product liability and tort litigation in the United States. In April 2017, The Legal 500 named him to its initial “Hall of Fame.” He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
He has made frequent television guest appearances on litigation matters and appeared in a feature on MTV concerning the presidential election and his role as a legal advisor to Steve Forbes. He has been quoted in numerous publications, including Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal on developments in the law and politics. He was part of the litigation team that represented Ronald Reagan in one of the first cases in the United States under the Federal Election Campaign Laws. He was employed briefly as a newspaper reporter prior to entering military service. In 2003, he was named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by the Vatican. In 2013, he received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross, awarded by Pope Benedict XVI on petition of Bishop David Zubik.
He has served on the Board of Directors of The Prince of Wales Foundation, U.S.A., and is on the legal team which advises Saudi Aramco. He was the lead lawyer in the trial of the Zubik v. Burwell case where he and the Jones Day team represented more than 70 religious entities which sued the United States over what was called the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act.
He has served as Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Rand Corporation’s Institute for Civil Justice. He has lectured at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. In August 2011, he was honored by the United States Marine Corps as the Guest of Honor at a Sunset Parade in Washington, D.C. He received an honorary doctorate in Christian Ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2016.
Mickey was designated by the United States Golf Association and Oakmont Country Club to serve as chairman of the 2007 United States Open, which was held at Oakmont.