Weitz & Luxenberg feels privileged to spread the news: Ellen Relkin received the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Lifetime Achievement Award. As many of us know, there is no one more deserving of this important award, highlighting Ms. Relkin’s achievements throughout her career.
As a W&L partner and chair of the firm’s Drug and Medical Device Litigation group, Ms. Relkin has dedicated her career to seeking justice on behalf of thousands of people harmed by defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. She has helped secure billions of dollars on their behalf by holding negligent companies accountable.
On July 21, 2025 over 1,000 plaintiffs’ lawyers gathered in San Francisco, California at the 2025 American Association for Justice annual award luncheon to pay homage, show gratitude, and support to Ms. Relkin who was selected to receive the AAJ 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Surrounded by her Weitz & Luxenberg colleagues and her husband, Alan Rojer, Ms. Relkin, in her constant and own dynamic way, gave the most heartfelt and encouraging speech. Practicing for over 40 years and attending almost every AAJ conference for the past 39 years, she has been a mentor and the “voice of reason” to so many.
“The plaintiffs’ bar reveres her and the defense bar runs scared of her. She is proof positive that a woman can have a career, be a mother, a wife, a sister, a mentor, a business partner, and the very best friend one could ever hope for,” according to her longtime W&L assistant, Deborah Savours.
Relkin Works Tirelessly for Her Clients
“I am incredibly grateful and honored to have been selected to receive AAJ’s lifetime achievement award,” says Ms. Relkin. “I have been a proud supporter and member for 40 years. The role they play in promoting justice and fairness for all injured persons and safeguarding victims’ rights is one I am proud to be a part of.”
She continues, “AAJ works to make our civil justice system stronger. They aim to educate the public and make critical information available to serve the public health and safety of all Americans.”
Ms. Relkin emphasizes, “The work they do to bring together experienced professionals from across the country is key to our success nationwide. We’re all working toward the same goal. To achieve justice on behalf of our clients who have been harmed by the irresponsibility of large corporations.”
Empowering Others to Fight for Justice
Ms. Relkin is a former chair of STEP, AAJ’s Section on Toxic, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Litigation. She has been a member of the Amicus Curiae and Legal Affairs Committees for years. She has also spoken and lectured at innumerable Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs at AAJ conferences.
Ms. Relkin states, “AAJ plays a critical role in helping to preserve our constitutional rights to jury trials by advocacy and education and every plaintiffs’ lawyer should be a member. AAJ also does critical work on the Hill trying to prevent mischief slipped into bills by legislators lobbied by corporations seeking immunity for their wrongdoing, as well as to advance legislative and regulatory agendas to make products and our environment safer.”
Championing Civil Justice
AAJ encouraged all plaintiffs’ attorneys to join them in celebrating and honoring a legacy at its 2025 Annual Convention: Ms. Elkin Relkin. According to AAJ, “Her courtroom advocacy, tireless leadership in mass torts, and decades of service to AAJ and the broader trial bar embody the very spirit of this award.” (1)
The gathering draws some of the most exceptional and “brightest minds in trial law.” These attorneys are among “the fiercest champions of civil justice.” (2)
Ellen Relkin and our team of qualified lawyers is here to fight for you. Contact us today!
(917) LAWYERSRelkin Speaks about Class Actions and Mass Torts
Ms. Relkin presented at the convention’s legal education program on Saturday, July 20. The title of the session was “How to Manage Hybrid Class Actions.” It reflected on her experience leading complex cases, like the now settled JUUL and CPAP litigations, where there are individual personal injury claims parallel to consumer and medical monitoring class action cases.
Holding Powerful Corporations Accountable
Ms. Relkin has been leading the fight to hold some of the world’s largest and most power-driven corporations accountable. She has represented thousands of victims harmed by defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, and toxic chemicals.
In addition, she has litigated every type of harm from JUUL e-cigarettes to the opioid epidemic. Over the years, she has assisted in securing billions of dollars in settlements. In the process, she has achieved justice for both individuals and communities across the country.
Relkin, a Leader for Justice at Weitz & Luxenberg
Ellen Relkin handles some of the most complex defective drugs, harmful medical devices, and toxic tort cases out there. She is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey, as well as Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. She is also licensed to practice law in multiple federal trial and appellate courts.
Recently, Ms. Relkin was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame in April 2025 at the Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) conference. She was also honored with the Consumer Attorney of the Year Award by the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) for 2024. She is regularly elected as a Super Lawyer and Best Lawyer, of both New Jersey and New York. In addition, she is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Achieving the Best Outcomes for Her Clients
Ms. Relkin has served in federal and state leadership roles for numerous product liability cases, including co-lead counsel for the Depo-Provera Products Liability Multidistrict Litigation, the Exactech Polyethylene Orthopedic Products Liability Litigation and the In Re: JUUL Labs, Marketing Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation.
Ms. Relkin continues to serve on the Executive Committee in the MDL National Prescription Opiate Litigation. In 2017, she co-led the In Re: Farxiga Products Liability MDL.
Winning Billions for Victims of Failed Medical Devices
Ms. Relkin also served on the Plaintiffs Executive Committee as lead and liaison counsel for In Re: Stryker LFIT CoCr V40 Femoral Heads litigation New Jersey multicounty litigation, as well as on the Executive Committee of the parallel multidistrict litigation. In addition, Ms. Relkin acted as lead counsel in New Jersey’s In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate/ABG II Modular Hip litigation. While acting in that role, she participated as a member of the negotiating team that arranged a settlement agreement compensating 3,000 victims. She helped secure more than one billion dollars for clients.
As co-lead counsel in the DePuy ASR MDL, Ms. Relkin played a key role in negotiating a $2.5 billion settlement on behalf of 8,000 people who received the defective hip implant. She also served as a member on the trial team for the Vioxx case McDarby v. Merck. She and her trial team secured a landmark verdict win of $13.5 million and she successfully argued the appeal affirming the verdict. These victories, as well as her unstoppable resolve to fight for her clients and to educate and mentor younger attorneys, are what made her a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Membership Roles to Secure Justice for Victims
Ms. Relkin is serving as an elected member of the American Law Institute and as an adviser to the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts Miscellaneous Provisions. She also is serving as an appointed member of the American Bar Foundation.
Ms. Relkin continues to serve on the New Jersey Association for Justice’s Board of Governors and is co-chair of the association’s Mass Tort Law Committee and its Mass Tort Law Section. She is a former president of the National Civil Justice Institute.
