Board Member Spotlight: Christian W. Castile, Esq.
Christian Castile (he/him) is a trial attorney at Reed Smith LLP in Philadelphia, where he handles complex commercial litigation with a focus on defending pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in high-stakes product liability matters. Serving as national counsel in multidistrict litigation, Christian is known for his ability to manage cases from inception through trial. He crafts scientifically grounded defense strategies in collaboration with medical experts and is a trusted advisor in both courtroom advocacy and alternative dispute resolution.
In addition to his legal practice, Christian is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and mental health within the legal profession. At Reed Smith, he serves as Associate Chair of PRISM, the firm’s LGBTQ+ business inclusion group, and sits on the firm’s Diversity Committee, Racial Equity Action Plan Committee, and Mental Health Task Force. Trained as both a Mental Health First Responder and Mental Health First Aider, Christian supports firm-wide efforts to raise awareness about how mental health intersects with legal access, especially for underserved communities.
Christian’s leadership and advocacy extend into the broader legal community. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, the region’s only foundation solely dedicated to supporting the civil legal aid sector. In this role, he brings a critical perspective to issues of access and equity, helping to advance the Foundation’s mission. He was featured as a panelist for the Bar Foundation’s Justice Matters: Identities and Issues Facing Our Transgender Community program, offering valuable insights into the legal and societal challenges impacting LGBTQ+ individuals.
Christian also maintains a robust pro bono practice focused on representing incarcerated individuals pursuing federal civil rights claims. His work in this area, paired with his mentorship of junior attorneys, has earned recognition from the Allegheny County Bar Foundation and a feature in DRI’s The Brief Case.
He is an alumnus of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Pathfinder Program, a former fellow of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, and an active member of several Defense Research Institute (DRI) committees, including the LGBTQ+ Subcommittee, the Diversity Scholarship Selection Committee, and the Artificial Intelligence Working Group.
Outside of the legal field, Christian brings the same dedication and persistence to his personal life—even as he now finds himself in an ongoing battle to revive his plants following the intense heatwave.
We are proud to spotlight Christian Castile for his outstanding professional contributions, his unwavering commitment to equity and service, and his active leadership within the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.