Judy Okenfuss is a Managing Partner of Ice Miller and the Chair of the Firm's Internet of Things industry group. She practices in the Firm's Litigation Group. Judy focuses her practice in defending and advising manufacturers, distributers, and retailers in a variety of matters including, litigation, such as class actions, traditional product liability matters, warranty matters, indemnification claims, and supply chain issues. She also works with companies to identify potential risks and develop solutions to address these risks, through contractual methods, insurance, risk assessments, and other approaches.
As Chair of the Internet of Things industry group, Judy is committed to ensuring that the Firm is prepared to assist clients involved in any aspect of these connected products. To this end, the Internet of Things industry group is comprised of lawyers from all legal areas of the Firm. Judy focuses on studying how interconnected products will change traditional law relating to products, including design of state-of-the-art products, supply-chain litigation, and recalls.
Judy has defended cases in product liability, warranty and class actions in more than 30 jurisdictions around the United States. She has defended companies in a variety of national class actions and multi-district litigation cases, including cases relating to food labeling claims; Bisphenol-A in baby bottles; lead in children's products, including wooden trains; Medicaid benefits; insurance; medical devices; and other consumer products.
She has broad experience in the representation of manufacturers, distributors and retailers including work beyond the traditional product liability cases. Judy also represents these companies in warranty matters; corporate/asset acquisition issues; gray market goods, supplier and distributor issues; recalls; and multi district litigation, among other things. Frequently, Judy calls upon her engineering degree and work experience in her defense of these cases.
As part of her risk management work, Judy believes in the education of corporate employees. She regularly presents seminars related to risk management in-house to various companies and trade associations such as the Manufacturers Association for Plastic Processors and the Indiana Manufacturer's Association. She has a wealth of knowledge pertaining to crisis and risk management for companies to utilize. Judy leads national and regional early case investigation and assessment efforts by various companies.
Judy graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Upon graduation, she was employed by Dow Corning Corporation as a technical service and development engineer where she developed products for use in the aerospace industry. Following Dow Corning, she was employed as a materials and process engineer at McDonnell Douglas Corporation where she participated in the development of advanced fighter aircraft.
She then earned her juris doctor from Washington University in 1991, where she graduated Order of the Coif. Currently, she serves on the National Council for the Washington University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Indiana.
