Tonya Newman, JD
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, Chicago, Illinois

Tonya Newman is a partner in the General Litigation practice group of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP. Her practice focuses on products liability defense and complex general and commercial litigation. She is national counsel for a product manufacturer and represents the company in all stages of the investigation and defense of complex personal injury, property damage and other litigation matters in Illinois and across the country (and in some matters pending outside of the United States). Tonya also coordinates the defense of products liability actions for all US subsidiaries of a Swedish manufacturer, and represents a number of other firm clients in products liability and related matters. Tonya also counsels clients on best practices to mitigate products liability and other exposures, including assisting with contract negotiations to limit liability and drafting appropriate product warnings.
Since 2018 Tonya has co-chaired the ABA Section of Litigation’s Products Liability Committee. She previously served as the co-chair of that committee’s Women in Products Liability and Section of Litigation Products Liability Committee’s Consumer Products Subcommittees. Additionally, she has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Propane Gas Defense Association and was its President in 2016.

Tonya co-chairs the firm’s Women’s Network and is a past chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Insurance Law Committee. Previously, she served on the Board of Directors of Chicago’s Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law. Dedicated to community outreach, she has been a member of the Chicago chapter’s Leadership Council for the Posse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to diverse public high school students; and a Chapter Member of St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago. An accomplished endurance athlete herself, Tonya serves on the Board of Directors of Girls on the Run Chicago.