Debra Cahir is a Senior Associate assisting Gary S. Kranker in civil litigation matters at Jones Mayer. She joined the firm in 2025.
Ms. Cahir attended the University of Minnesota Morris and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in English/Health/ Physical Education with high distinction. Ms. Cahir was awarded an academic full scholarship and received her Juris Doctorate from Western State University, where she served as participant and Director of Moot Court of both the local and Jessup Moot Court. She also served as associate director of the law review, where her privacy article entitled “The Right to be Let Alone” was published. During law school, she interned at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Corporations – Securities Enforcement. She was also acknowledged for her work on a major toxic tort article, which served as a basis for several symposiums. At the end of her formal legal education, she received an ABOTA fellowship to intern with a lead plaintiff’s counsel, a lead defense counsel and also the Presiding Judge at Orange County Superior Court for one month with each.
Ms. Cahir then entered the area of private practice focusing on civil litigation, which included personal injury, premises liability, employment, products, defamation and trademark law. During her first year, she conducted 150 deposition, including parties and independent witnesses to expert witnesses on major tort cases. During this time, she argued and had published an unfortunately unfavorable appellate decision regarding the right of a child of an open adoption to sue in a wrongful death case of her biological mother. Ms. Cahir also handled a large plaintiff’s products defect case involving in a “hot” boat race (over 160 mph) where the client was a victim of a “safety” belt that was actually made to withstand only 30 mph. Ms. Cahir acted as first chair or second chair for many trials.
Ms. Cahir expanded her experience by working in-house for a national corporation (TPA) with approximately 5,000 employees. As a corporate attorney, she reviewed RFP’s and prepared public entity contracts for cities, states, parishes and corporations across the country and assisted in the negotiations of same; created processes and handled aspects of banking and advised human resources, including conducting all investigations, editing the handbook, reviewing employee leaves, advising on emergent situations such as threats, transitioned affiliate companies attained, advised on class action and successfully represented the corporation at EEOC hearings in California. She even prepared the applications to the FAA for drones to be used by field adjusters. The corporation was never sued on an employment matter handled by Ms. Cahir.
Ms. Cahir then returned to civil litigation to represent public entities and insurance companies in major catastrophic personal injury cases – from major construction or vehicular accidents with TBI’s and paraplegia to wrongful death to trip and fall cases; construction defect; removal cases; habitability cases; premises liability including wrongful death due to fire; sexual assault; police defense – including Constitutional causes of action; and employment cases. She has handled these cases in diverse stages from inception to appeal. For public entities, Ms. Cahir has repeatedly sought and obtained full reimbursement by corporations employed by the cities/counties via indemnity provisions and handled diverse coverage issues in a variety of cases.