TLMT

Hon. Martin Barash

United States Bankruptcy Judge, Central District of California

Education:

Princeton University, A.B., 1989, magna cum laude
UCLA School of Law, J.D. 1992; Editor and Business Manager of the UCLA Law Review

Career Record:

2001-2015; Partner, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP
1999-2001; Associate, Klee, Tuchin Bogdanoff & Stern LLP
1994-1999; Associate, Stutman, Treister & Glatt, P.C.
1992-1993; Law Clerk to the Honorable Procter R. Hug, Jr., Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Admitted to the California Bar, 1992

Professional Memberships:

American Bankruptcy Institute
Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum
Financial Lawyers Conference

Michael Sacchet

Ciresi Conlin LLP

Sacchet specializes in complex civil litigation, including multi-district litigation. Involved in all aspects of the case, Sacchet excels at briefing, oral argument, and cross-examining expert witnesses at deposition and trial. Recognizing his litigation experience and leadership skills, the Court recently appointed Sacchet as Co-Lead Counsel in MDL 3081: In re Bard Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation.

Sacchet has co-tried numerous cases to verdict, including five bellwether trials in the 3M Earplugs MDL—the largest MDL in American history. Obtaining more than $200 million in verdicts in less than a year, Sacchet never lost a 3M Earplugs trial and helped secure the largest multi-plaintiff verdict ($110 million) and the largest single-plaintiff verdict ($77.5 million) in the MDL.

Sacchet has also briefed and argued discovery, dispositive, pre-trial, and post-trial motions in federal and state district courts across the country. He has drafted appellate briefs and/or argued before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth and Eleventh Circuits, Minnesota Supreme Court, and Minnesota Court of Appeals. Notably, Sacchet was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and named Chair of the Law, Briefing, and Legal Drafting Committee in MDL 2885: In re 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation. A four-member panel appointed Sacchet to both positions after reviewing nearly 200 applications from attorneys across the country and listening to 64 presentations over a 2-day period. As Chair of Law & Briefing, Sacchet briefed and argued cross-motions for summary judgment on 3M’s global preemption defense. The MDL judge hailed Sacchet’s oral argument as “outstanding” and “as good as any” she’d seen in her 18 years on the bench. The MDL court granted plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denied 3M’s cross motion on the government contractor defense, allowing over 200,000 cases to proceed to trial. In addition, Sacchet defeated numerous Daubert and other dispositive motions in MDL 2666: In re Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Devices Products Liability Litigation. As a result of the arguments that Sacchet briefed and argued in the Eighth Circuit, nearly 6,000 cases against 3M were reinstated after the district court erroneously excluded plaintiffs’ general-causation experts and dismissed the MDL. In addition to his role as Co-Lead Counsel of the In re Bard Implanted Port Catheter MDL, Sacchet was selected to serve on numerous Subcommittees (Trial, Settlement, Law & Briefing, and Common Benefit).

Finally, as a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, Sacchet frequently presents CLEs on mindful lawyering. He also leads meditation practice groups for lawyers and the public. Please contact Sacchet to learn more about those opportunities.

Prior to joining Ciresi Conlin, Sacchet served as a law clerk to Judge Diana E. Murphy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and to Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before law school, Sacchet served as a Teach for America Corps Member in East Palo Alto, California.

Sacchet graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, argued and wrote award-winning briefs in the Ames Moot Court Competition, and received numerous dean’s scholar prizes for outstanding academic work. He graduated first in his class from Northwestern University, where he was honored with the Top Grade Point Average Award as well as the Best Legal Studies Undergraduate Thesis Award.

Bar Admissions

Minnesota

U.S. District Court, Minnesota

U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Steven Zalesin

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Steve Zalesin is a nationally renowned trial lawyer with extensive experience in false advertising, intellectual property and complex commercial matters. He has successfully tried cases and argued appeals in numerous courts throughout the United States.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Zalesin has represented the nation’s leading consumer products companies in a series of landmark cases that have shaped the laws of false advertising, while helping to preserve and grow the markets for our clients’ products. In the past year he has won dismissal of several high-profile “greenwashing” cases, in which our clients were accused of misrepresenting the environmental impact of their operations. In addition, he has successfully defended multiple clients in putative class actions that alleged that their products contained dangerous contaminants. Mr. Zalesin is currently defending major beverage, consumer healthcare, household goods, and confectionary companies in litigation over their product labeling and advertising.

In 2016, Mr. Zalesin secured a federal jury verdict for the world’s leading beverage company in a closely-watched dispute over juice labeling. He initially obtained summary judgment dismissing the claims against our client, and successfully defended that ruling before the Ninth Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court then vacated the Ninth Circuit’s decision and remanded the case for trial. The Los Angeles jury rejected the competitor’s claims in full, returning a verdict in our client’s favor after a six-day trial and less than a day of deliberation. As a result, Mr. Zalesin was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer (March 24, 2016). In 2020, he obtained a noteworthy dismissal of a class action complaint that targeted a leading online petitioning platform and its efforts to promote racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.

The National Law Journal recently named Mr. Zalesin to its 2023 list of “Media & Entertainment Law Trailblazers.” He is also listed in Chambers USA as a leading practitioner in the area of Advertising: Litigation, where he is described as “absolutely terrific.” Clients note, he “is one of the top advertising litigators in the country. He is a very good writer and a very effective oral advocate who is excellent in court. He’s an all-round top lawyer.” Clients praised his “good, calm demeanor as an advocate in the courtroom.”

Mr. Zalesin is listed as “Litigation Star” in Benchmark: America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys. He has been named as a “Client Service All-Star” by The BTI Consulting Group for the past several years. This award recognizes attorneys who “stand above all the others in delivering the absolute best in client service."

Mark Pifko

Attorney with Baron & Budd

Mark Pifko, a Shareholder at Baron & Budd, specializes in the prosecution of high-profile and complex cases against multi-national corporations. Mr. Pifko’s cases have addressed corporate fraud and wrongdoing across a broad array of business areas, including in the financial services, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries. Since joining the Los Angeles office of Baron & Budd in 2011, Mr. Pifko’s efforts have led to the return of billions of dollars to victims and have affected changes in corporate behavior.

Prior to joining Baron & Budd, Mr. Pifko spent nearly a decade representing some of the world’s largest companies in high-stakes litigation. In connection with that corporate defense work, Mr. Pifko worked with advertising agencies that helped sell his clients’ products and services, and Mr. Pifko recalls that the tag line for one such agency was, “while life is busy happening, we get people to do stuff!” Corporations spend billions of dollars a year to get people to buy their offerings. But when things go wrong, where can injured parties go to get corporations to “do stuff,” like refund money and stop unlawful practices from continuing? In 2010, Mr. Pifko left his position at a top-ranked D.C.-based international law firm so that he could devote his entire practice to his passion — representing the interests of plaintiffs. Mr. Pifko is a resource to get recalcitrant companies to make things right.

Mr. Pifko believes class action and mass-tort lawsuits provide an important way for people to protect themselves from powerful corporations. Instead of one person taking on a billion-dollar company, complex litigation allows groups of people to fight back with a collective voice.

Mr. Pifko was recognized as a 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer, named in the Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers by National Trial Lawyers in 2017, identified as a “Rising Star” by Law360 in 2016, and has been included in the Super Lawyers publications dating back to 2013. In addition to his litigation work, Mark Pifko has been called upon to be a speaker on class action topics at legal industry conferences, and articles written by Mr. Pifko on class action law and consumer advocacy have been published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, California Lawyer Magazine, and Trial, the American Association for Justice’s monthly magazine.

Since 2017, Mr. Pifko has devoted a substantial amount of time working on litigation related to the opioid crisis. Mr. Pifko is part of a team of lawyers who represent approximately 700 cities and counties and nine states in cases brought against manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers of opioid products. Mr. Pifko’s work on the opioid litigation has been featured in the non-fiction book, American Cartel and a September 13, 2019 article published in The Washington Post, titled Inside the Drug Industry’s Plan to Defeat the DEA, which discussed evidence uncovered by Mr. Pifko in connection with his deposition of the pharmaceutical distribution industry trade association known as the Healthcare Distribution Alliance. Additionally, Mr. Pifko was part of a team which, in March 2019, successfully obtained an order disqualifying an international law firm and a former U.S. Attorney from the bellwether cases brought by Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and the City of Cleveland. In 2022, Mr. Pifko was co-lead trial counsel for the New Mexico Attorney General in an eight-week trial concerning the opioid crisis where the State recovered $774 million from Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Kroger, and Albertsons.

Mike Brock

Partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Robert “Mike” Brock is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with 25 years of experience handling high-stakes, bet-the-business litigation. His practice focuses on representing pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies, particularly in product liability and mass tort cases. He has tried cases in a wide range of areas and has represented clients in antitrust, malpractice, toxic tort and securities class action litigation, as well as in other types of cases. Mike is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mike has represented companies in some of the most high-stakes litigation in recent history. He currently serves as lead trial lawyer for BP in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill litigation. His trial performance has been highly praised and widely reported in the press. According to the Financial Times, one legal professional said that “in a courtroom full of top-tier legal talent,” Mike was particularly impressive, delivering “one of the most methodical and skillful cross-examinations I have seen” in 25 years.

Mike has also been exceptionally successful in his representations of leading pharmaceutical companies in product liability cases. He secured jury verdicts for Merck in a Fosamax® case in New York City and for AstraZeneca in its first Seroquel® lawsuit in New Brunswick, NJ. He also served as lead trial counsel to Merck in several Vioxx® cases, securing wins in Alabama, California, Florida and New Jersey. Recently, he has served as lead trial counsel for Pfizer in its Chantix® litigation and for Boehringer Ingelheim in litigation concerning Pradaxa®.

Mike is recognized by various legal publications as a first-class trial lawyer in products liability and mass tort litigation. He has been selected as a “leading lawyer” by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business every year since 2009, and the 2023 edition describes him as “a seasoned trial lawyer who boasts impressive experience representing a range of defendants in high-stakes product liability trials.” Sources for the guide say he is “one of the elite trial lawyers in the U.S.” with a “great courtroom presence” and an ability to “take complex issues and break them down in a way that’s accessible and understandable” and is “a first-rate first-chair trial lawyer” who “is front and center” in major disputes. He was also listed in the 2015–2024 editions of Chambers Global, The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, most recently ranked in Band 1 for Litigation: Trial Lawyers. The Legal 500 U.S. selected Mike to the “Hall of Fame” in 2021–2024 and as a “leading lawyer” in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, and singled him out as a “renowned trial lawyer.” He is also recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a “National Star.” Prior to joining Kirkland, Mike was a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, where he was the chair of their product liability and mass torts practice.

John Hooper

Partner with King & Spalding LLP

John Hooper defends multinational companies in complex litigations, including a variety of commercial, product liability, financial services, false and misleading advertising and other consumer class actions where he has served as national, regional and/or strategic counsel. He provides clients with all-inclusive strategic litigation management and counseling services to mitigate the reputational and financial risk associated with high exposure, viral and bet-the-company litigations.

John advises companies to create and execute litigation and strategic resolution options in some of the largest, most complex class actions, commercial litigations and mass torts in federal and state courts. Hooper's experience ranges from trials and arbitrations to mediations and settlements, and all stages of a case, from prelitigation to appeal. John's clients include some of the world's largest manufacturers of automobiles, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, building materials, tires, sporting goods and apparel as well as retailers, railroads, hedge funds, life insurance companies, private equity firms, banks and other financial services institutions.

Chambers noted that John Hooper is “24/7 responsive and very strategic” and “he thinks of end-game solutions in a way that other attorneys do not.” The Legal 500 United States has noted that, "John Hooper in New York is 'strongly recommended to anyone seeking a practical approach to managing complex litigation matters, particularly those with national scope.” John has just been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of its “50 Litigation Trailblazers” for his practice of advising multi-national clients on creating and implementing end game strategies in "Viral Litigations". The American Lawyer has recognized his skills in the management and resolution of "bet the company" litigation and as a "great master strategist." He has been nominated to the BTI "Client Service All-Star Team" for multiple years. He is also recognized in the Association of Corporate Counsel's 2014 Value Champion award. The New York Law Journal stated that John Hooper “has worked on some of the most high-profile litigation matters in the last decade.”

He has also been appointed by the federal and state courts as a Special Master, Special Settlement Master and Special Arbitration Master. He has also been appointed as the Lead Defense Settlement Liaison Counsel in MDL and other federal and state class and mass actions. He is a member of the Academy of Court Appointed Special Masters. John is a frequent speaker in the United States and Canada on topics related to class and mass actions.

David Stellings

Partner with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP

David Stellings represents consumers and small businesses from around the world in complex litigation in federal and state courts.

For the last 25+ years, Mr. Stellings has focused on product liability, consumer fraud, financial fraud, and breach of contract cases. His clients and class members have received more than $17.5 billion as a result of his advocacy. Several of Mr. Stellings’ recent cases are described below

Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in a large multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Los Angeles. Plaintiffs allege certain auto part makers and automobile manufacturers – including ZF-TRW, Hyundai-Kia, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda, and Fiat Chrysler – caused consumers to buy and overpay for millions of cars that have defective airbag and seat belt systems. These defective safety systems have led to a number of deaths and serious injuries. In 2023 Plaintiffs and Toyota entered into a settlement valued at more than $148 million, pending final approval of the Court. The litigation against the other defendants continues.

Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in another defective-airbag-related multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Atlanta. Plaintiffs allege airbag manufacturer ARC, along with several other part suppliers and automakers, manufactured and sold more than 50 million vehicles with defective airbags that sometimes explode in a crash, and send razor-sharp pieces of steel shrapnel into the faces, necks and bodies of drivers and passengers.

Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a class action in federal court in Miami against truck manufacturer Hino. Plaintiffs allege Hino engaged in various types of emission cheating, and that as a result Hino purchasers paid too much for their trucks. The parties agreed to settle the case for $237.5 million plus valuable extended and additional warranties. The settlement is subject to Court approval.

Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a case in federal court in Northern California against General Motors, in which plaintiffs allege the airbags in millions of GM trucks are calibrated improperly to fail to deploy in certain types of moderate and severe crashes, which can lead to serious injuries and/or death.

Mr. Stellings is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in a multidistrict litigation pending in federal court in Pittsburgh against Philips Respironics and its parent companies. Plaintiffs allege defendants manufactured and sold more than 10 million defective CPAP machines, which caused economic damage and physical injuries to the people who bought and used the machines.

Mr. Stellings is part of the leadership team in the historic Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Volkswagen intentionally and systematically cheated its customers, lied to the government, and misled the public about the emissions of its diesel engine vehicles sold under the Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche brands. The Court approved a settlement relating to 2.0-Liter engines worth approximately $10 billion in cash, as well as a 3.0-Liter engine settlement with an estimated value between $1.2 and $4 billion. The Court also approved a separate $327.5 million settlement with Bosch for designing the “defeat device” software in the affected VW vehicle engines. Class members in these cases recovered 100% of their alleged economic damages.

Mr. Stellings is a member of the leadership team in the Takata exploding airbag multidistrict litigation. Plaintiffs in that case allege that more than 40 million class members were damaged when airbag manufacturer Takata and several major automobile manufacturers knowingly exposed them to the risk of being killed or injured by shrapnel from exploding airbags. Certain automaker defendants in the case have settled for a total of more than $1.5 billion, and the litigation continues against the remaining defendants.

Mr. Stellings was on the leadership team in a case against various automakers who allegedly cheated fuel economy tests for certain gasoline-powered vehicles, and as a result, represented to regulators and consumers that the vehicles obtained better fuel economy than they actually did. The litigation and intensive settlement negotiations resulted in a non-reversionary $96.5 million settlement that provides class members “full compensation”—i.e., 100¢ on the dollar— for their alleged losses.

Mr. Stellings led a similar class action against Porsche for fuel economy cheating. The case settled for more than $80 million, close to 100% of the economic damages class members experienced.

Mr. Stellings was part of the leadership team in the Fiat Chrysler “EcoDiesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Fiat Chrysler and Bosch designed and installed cheating emissions software in more than 100,000 vehicles. The Court approved a settlement that required Fiat Chrysler to fix the vehicles, and provided class members $307.5 million in cash plus a valuable extended warranty.

Areas of Practice

Product Liability, Consumer Protection, Financial Fraud, Breach of Contract

Education

New York University School of Law, New York, New York J.D. - 1993
Law Journal: Journal of International Law and Politics, Editor
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York B.A. (cum laude) - 1990

Bar Admissions

New York, Appellate Division, 1st Department, 1994
U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 2010
U.S. Court Of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2013
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 2009
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 2017
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2007
Michigan Eastern District Court, 2015
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 2012
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1996
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 2022

Publications & Presentations

Speaker, ABA National Class Action Institute, 2023
Speaker, Miami Law Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum, 2023
Speaker, “Trends in Class Action Litigation,” Trial Lawyers of Mass Torts Inaugural Conference, December 2022
Speaker, “MDL—Who Wants One? Plaintiff, Defense and Judicial Perspectives on MDL Pros and Cons,” University of Miami School of Law 2020 Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum, January, 2020

Professional Associations and Memberships

American Bar Association
Bar Association of the City of New York
New Jersey State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association

Honors and Awards

“Super Lawyer for New York Metro,” Super Lawyers, 2012 - 2023
“Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2023
“Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2021-2023
“Consumer Attorney of the Year Finalist,” Consumer Attorneys of California, 2017
“Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist,” Public Justice, 2012
“Lawdragon Finalist,” Lawdragon, 2009

Clayton Clark

Partner with Clark, Love & Hutson

Clayton A. Clark is the managing partner of Clark, Love & Hutson, PLLC. Mr. Clark manages and supervises the firm's personal injury, products liability, pharmaceutical, intellectual property, and insurance litigation sections. He is a national trial lawyer with extensive multistate and multidistrict litigation experience. From signing up initial cases to obtaining jury verdicts in bellwether trials, Mr. Clark and his firm have earned a nationwide reputation for successfully developing and litigating mass tort actions, as well as coordinating and resolving complex litigation against Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Clark has extensive multidistrict and mass tort litigation leadership experience. Over the last several decades, he has been appointed to numerous leadership positions, including lead counsel, co-lead counsel, national liaison counsel, and executive committee member, in the following MDLs:

In Re: 3M CAEv2 Products Liability Litigation	In Re: Zyprexa Products Liability Litigation
In Re: BSC Products Liability Litigation	In Re: Trasylol Products Liability Litigation
In Re: Pradaxa Products Liability Litigation	In Re: Boston Scientific Corp. Litigation
In Re: Topamax, Philadelphia MTP	In Re: CR Bard, Inc. Products Liability Litigation
In Re: Paxil, Philadelphia MTP	In Re: AMS Products Liability Litigation
In Re: PPA Products Liability	In Re: Ethicon, Inc. Products Liability Litigation
In Re: Diet Drugs Products Liability Litigation	In Re: Coloplast Products Liability Litigation
In Re: Rezulin Products Liability Litigation	In Re: Paxil Product Liability, Philadelphia MTP
In Re: Syngenta AG MIR162 Corn Litigation

Mr. Clark has also served as Plaintiffs' Liaison Counsel in the Phen-Fen Litigation and Paxil Birth Defects Cases, both in the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and served on the PPA National Litigation Group Committee National Bankruptcy Committee for Toxic Tort/Dangerous Drug (Delaco Bankruptcy, New York, New York). In his role as national liaison counsel for the Paxil litigation, Mr. Clark coordinated the litigation, handled all hearings, and implemented the general and specific Plaintiff litigation strategies.

Mr. Clark also served on the Executive Committee of the Plaintiffs' Leadership Counsel in the Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation assigned to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, MDL No. 2385. Not only did Clark, Love & Hutson contribute in the litigation itself, Mr. Clark's negotiations resulted in an expeditious settlement. In addition to his leadership experience in multidistrict litigation, Mr. Clark has developed a national reputation for his ability to create and manage the settlement process, as highlighted by recent appointments in two separate federal MDLs. Mr. Clark is licensed to practice law in state and federal courts in Texas. He is and has been admitted pro hac vice in federal and state courts across the country.

Lori Cohen

Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig

Lori G. Cohen is Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice, leading a group of over 600 attorneys nationally and internationally. Lori is Co-Chair of the Trial Practice Group, her “brain child” which she created at GT. Upon joining GT, she also built the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Health Care Litigation Practice. Under Lori’s leadership, this practice rose through the ranks and grew to include over 100 attorneys in more than 30 offices in the U.S. and globally; in 2018, the group was named The American Lawyer’s “Product Liability Litigation Department of the Year.”

Nationally recognized for her extraordinary trial record of 58 defense verdicts, Lori leads a global practice that focuses on complex litigation of all types including products liability and pharmaceutical, medical device, and health care litigation. Lori has served as national, regional, and trial counsel for numerous medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, handling all types of litigation, including class actions, multidistrict litigation, and trials nationally. Lori and her team routinely take complex cases to trial and win, including some of the most complex mass torts in history. Well known for her ability to win high-stakes trials, Lori is often called upon to “parachute in” at the last minute before trial, especially in challenging cases in dangerous jurisdictions. Lori is Board Certified in Complex Litigation by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Referred to by her clients in Chambers USA Guide as a “Trial Wizard,” Lori has been lauded for “using creative approaches to explain to lay jurors complex evidence.” In addition to her vast trial experience, she has significant Daubert and scientific expertise with a number of her victories captured in published opinions. She has worked extensively on and lectured nationally regarding the use of technology in courtroom presentations of complex medical, scientific and other catastrophic injury cases.

Lori is a high-energy, high-profile leader among trial attorneys, and an effective, passionate mentor. In an industry where two thirds of attorneys in civil cases are men, and women represent only a quarter of lead or trial counsel, Lori stands out as a female leader and a champion of developing the next generation of attorneys, particularly diverse attorneys. She is widely regarded for her ability to build strong, diverse, trial-ready teams made up of not just lawyers but nurses, in-house graphics/demonstratives designers, technology consultants, paralegals and legal assistants, who are “all hands on deck” up to and through trial.

Lori was named as the 2020 “Life Sciences Attorney of the Year” by the Euromoney Legal Group, and honored as 2022 and 2019 “Product Liability Attorney of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, which has also selected her as a “National Practice Area Star” (2020-2023), “National Litigation Star” (2019), “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” (2018-2023), and “Top 10 Woman Litigator” (2018-2021). In 2018, Lori was recognized as “Product Liability Attorney of the Year” by LMG Life Sciences and inducted into the Life Sciences Hall of Fame. She has been selected by Law360 as a 2018 “Life Sciences MVP,” 2016 “Trial MVP,” 2015 “Trial Ace,” and 2012 “Top Female Trial Attorney.”

Lori has been profiled twice in “Winning Litigators,” a special report recognizing the top U.S. litigators in The National Law Journal, which also named her one of “The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” and declared two of her defense trial victories “Top Defense Wins.” The American Lawyer recognized Lori’s team as their 2018 “Product Liability Litigation Department of the Year,” as well as the 2018 and 2021 “Regional Litigation Department of the Year for Georgia.”

Lori is one of two attorneys listed in The Legal 500 “Hall of Fame” for product liability litigation involving pharmaceutical and medical devices and has been recognized five times on their “Leading Trial Lawyers” list. Lori is one of a very small group of attorneys selected nationally for inclusion in the 2010-2023 editions of Chambers USA Guide’s National Pharmaceutical Industry Products Liability Table. Lori has also been ranked on Chambers USA’s Star Individuals list for Litigation: Trial Lawyers for the past two years. Lori is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA Guide, Chambers Global Guide, Outstanding Lawyers in America, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Life Science Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Products Liability Defense Lawyers, Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite,” and Georgia Super Lawyers magazine, including “Top 10 Georgia Super Lawyers” (2013-2023), “Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers” (2009-2023) and “Top 50 Female Georgia Super Lawyers” (2006-2023).

Lori serves as a member of the Emory Law School Advisory Board, as well as the Advisory Board for the Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims. She is a member of the board for the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC) and the steering committee for the AdvaMed Legal Defense Academy. Lori is also a board member for the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the National Board of Complex Litigation.

She has served as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) and the Emory Law School Trial Techniques Program, and she has served as a faculty member of the International Association of Defense Council’s (IADC) elite Trial Academy.

In 2020, Lori served as chair of American Heart Association’s Atlanta Heart Ball, and currently serves as a board member for the Ovarian Cancer Institute.

Concentrations

Jury trials
Products liability and toxic tort litigation
Pharmaceutical and medical device litigation
Mass torts and multidistrict litigation
Class actions
Medical malpractice litigation
Automotive products liability

Jay Edelson

Founder & CEO of Edelson PC

JAY EDELSON is the founder and CEO of Edelson PC. He is considered one of the nation’s leading plaintiff’s lawyers, with his firm having helped secure over $45 billion in settlements and verdicts on behalf of classes, individuals, and governmental entities. Law360 recognized Jay as a “Titan of the Plaintiff’s Bar” in 2014, 2021, and 2023. Jay has been recognized as one of “America’s top trial lawyers” in the mass action arena, with his firm serving as lead trial counsel in the Portland Wildfire Litigation, securing class-wide liability and punitive damage findings and, according to the defendant, paving the way for as much as $25 billion dollars to the class.

He has been called “probably the best known, and most innovative, consumer privacy lawyer on the planet,” with he and his firm holding records for the largest trial verdict in a consumer privacy case ($925m), the largest single-state consumer privacy settlement ($650m) and the largest TCPA class settlement ($76m).

Jay has been appointed to represent state and local regulators on some of the largest issues of the day, ranging from opioids suits against pharmaceutical companies, to environmental actions against polluters, to breaches of trust against energy companies and for-profit hospitals, to privacy suits against Google, Facebook, and others.

Other commentators have similarly singled out Jay’s willingness to tackle problems other lawyers shy away from and his creativity in finding winning strategies that were not readily apparent. He successfully litigated cases of first impression against the national banks in the wake of the housing collapse, leading to the reinstatement of over $3 billion in home credit lines. Through his privacy cases, he has “fostered a reputation for his uncanny ability to come up with creative standing and damages arguments” leading to “momentum-shifting rulings in challenges to the data security and information-gathering practices of companies.”

The American Bar Association recognized Jay as one of the “most creative minds in the legal industry.” Law360 noted that he has “taken on some of the biggest companies and law firms in the world and has had success where others have not.” Yet another put it even more simply, explaining “when it comes to legal strategy and execution, Jay is simply one of the best in the country.”

Jay has received special recognition for his success in taking on Silicon Valley. The national press has dubbed Jay and his firm the “most feared” litigators in Silicon Valley and, according to the New York Times, tech’s “babyfaced … boogeyman.” Chicago Lawyer Magazine dubbed Jay “Public Enemy No. 1 in Silicon Valley.” Fortune Magazine has also singled out Jay’s work in the privacy space. In the emerging area of privacy law, the international press has called Jay one of the world’s “profiliertesten (most prominent)” privacy class action attorneys. The National Law Journal has similarly recognized Jay as a “Cybersecurity Trailblazer” — one of only two plaintiff’s attorneys to win this recognition. LawDragon named him one of the top Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in the country for his work against Silicon Valley companies. Jay is a frequent speaker and writer on class, mass, and governmental action issues, the practice of law more generally, and training and law firm management. In recognition of the fact that his firm runs like a start-up that “just happens to be a law firm,” Jay was recently named to “Chicago’s Top Ten Startup Founders over 40” by Tech.co and was recognized by The Unicorn in the Room’s “The 45 Over 45: Entrepreneurs Over Age 45 Who Are Disrupting the Way We Do Business.” In 2022, Jay was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.”

Jay has taught privacy litigation at UC Berkeley School of Law and class actions and negotiations at Chicago-Kent College of Law and has guest lectured at law schools throughout the country, including Harvard Law School, the University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern Law, Georgetown Law, and many others. He has written a blog for Thomson Reuters, called Pardon the Disruption, where he focused on ideas necessary to reform and reinvent the legal industry and has contributed opinion pieces to TechCrunch, Quartz, the Chicago Tribune, Law360, and others.

Jay is also the leading voice of the “reform wing” of the Plaintiff’s Bar, bringing suits, pushing for legislation, and speaking out about critical issues needed to reform plaintiff’s litigation.

Jay is also the host of the Non-Compliant podcast and is the head of Edelson Creative, which recently put out the music video “We don’t talk about claims rates (A “Bruno” parody).

Brian Glasser

Partner with Bailey Glasser

Brian Glasser, a Rhodes scholar and Harvard law graduate has tried cases in 15 different states, including two mass actions and three class actions. Brian recently won a $5 million arbitral judgment by “proving to 100% certainty” that the data Mr. Lindell claimed to possess showing votes were moved from Mr. Trump to Mr. Biden was not 2020 election data, at all. That case will be the subject of his presentation today. You can find the decision, and the decisions on several of the cases mentioned below on the firm website at: baileyglasser.com/lawyers-brian-a-glasser

Here are a few other examples of Brian's work:

2023

Obtained, as part of the national trial team, a dismissal of the attempted bankruptcy of 3M subsidiary Aearo Technologies. The fake bankruptcy was intended to dictate resolution to more than 260,000 veterans. 3M was offering $1 billion to settle the cases going in; they have now resolved for approximately $6 billion.
Obtained, as co-lead trial counsel, final dismissal of Johnson & Johnson’s first attempt to create a special purpose entity to bankrupt and manage its talc liabilities. We lost at the bankruptcy court, but were vindicated on appeal. Mr. Glasser's opening argument slides at the trial court level can be viewed as referenced above.
Obtained, as lead counsel, judgment for $19.96 million in a lease dispute over mining royalties.

2022

Served as co-trial counsel in a Roundup case that settled for a confidential sum on the fourth day of trial.

2021

Obtained, as co-trial counsel, a verdict on behalf of Ramaco Resources Inc. of approximately $32.7 million against Chubb-related insurance companies for breach of contract in a denial of insurance coverage case.

2020

Tried two cases by Zoom in Delaware concerning the interpretation of a shareholder rights agreement and a Limited Liability Company Agreement’s restrictions on transfer of units.

Obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of more than 120 residents, including many who were killed and injured, of an apartment building complex in Maryland that was destroyed by a natural gas explosion.

2019

In the DISH Network case discussed below, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the $61.34 million trial verdict.

Obtained, as co-trial counsel, an arbitration award of over $10 million for client S&N Communications, Inc. against Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation for breach of contract in the engineering and construction of a high-speed fiber optic network.

2018

In the Allegheny Energy case discussed below, the Ohio Court of Appeals upheld the $2 million trial court judgment.

Obtained, as co-trial counsel, an arbitration award of over $1.9 million on behalf of Protech Solutions, Inc. against Conduent State & Local Solutions, Inc., for breach of a Strategic Alliance for teaming on the design, development, and implementation of a custom software solution.

Resolved damage suits for more than $800 million arising out of events of force majeure, alleged lease defaults, and for lost coal, against Hillsboro Energy LLC and Macoupin Energy LLC for approximately $190 million, paid over 15 years.

2017

Obtained, as co-trial counsel, a verdict on behalf of ERISA plan participants of approximately $29.7 million against Wilmington Trust for breach of fiduciary duty in the valuation and purchase of a defense contractor on behalf of an ESOP plan.

Obtained, as lead trial counsel, a verdict on behalf of a class of consumers of approximately $20.5 million against DISH Network, Inc., for over 51,000 violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for calling numbers protected by the National Do Not Call registry. Verdict Sheet The Court then increased the jury award up to $61.34 million because we proved willfulness.

Obtained, as lead trial counsel, a verdict for more than $2 million against Allegheny Energy, Inc., in a uniform commercial code case over breach of a contract for the sale of goods.

2016

In the Yellowstone Mountain Club case discussed below, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected all defendant Tim Blixseth’s challenges to the verdict and reversed the trial court’s reduction to $40 million, reinstating the original fraud judgment for more than $286 million.

In the Yellowstone Mountain Club BLX case discussed below, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the trial court’s breach of contract judgment for over $219 million against Tim Blixseth.

In the Sallyport case discussed below, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the trial court verdict for more than $21 million.

2015

Lead counsel to Foresight Reserves, L.P., in the sale of a non-controlling 50% interest in its subsidiary Foresight Energy L.P. (NYSE: FELP) to Murray Energy Corporation for $1.375 billion.

2014

Obtained, as Trustee of the Yellowstone Club Liquidating Trust, judgment against Tim Blixseth for $219.8 million for breach of a promissory note contract.

Served as counsel to Foresight Reserves, L.P., in the $2.4 billion initial public offering of common units of its subsidiary Foresight Energy Partners, L.P.

Obtained, as lead trial counsel, a $21.1 million dollar verdict against Sallyport Global Holdings, Inc., in a breach of contract valuation case in federal court in New York City. Published Decision

2013

Counsel to Foresight Energy LLC in connection with its $1.55 billion refinancing, involving a bond, term loan and revolver combination.

Served as Trustee for the Yellowstone Club Liquidating Trust.

2012

Served on the Board of Directors of Tory Burch, LLC as the Chris Burch designee during the period of a contentious dispute over investor rights. The case was resolved by agreement.

Counsel to the issuer in Foresight Energy LLC's $200 million bolt-on financing.

2011

Lead counsel defending International Industries Inc. from a $127 million breach of contract claim. After five years of litigation, the Court limited the plaintiff's maximum recovery to $2 million and the case was quickly resolved.

2010

Co-lead trial counsel in the Yellowstone Mountain Club fraud case in Montana, obtaining a $286 million verdict against property developer and former owner Tim Blixseth for fraud. The trial court reduced the judgment to $40 million and upon defendant's appeal, we cross-appealed.

Earlier Matters

Co-lead trial counsel for plaintiffs in a mass action under the Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act obtaining compensation for damage to water wells and homes.
Lead trial counsel for the plaintiffs in a mass action of first impression under the Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act, establishing rights for off-permit damages from dust fall.
Served as co-counsel in the Petition and Briefing stage at the United States Supreme Court in Buckhannon Board and Care Home, Inc. v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, 532 US 598 (2001).
Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of West Virginia in the Mountaintop Removal, Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Analysis, and Bonding Litigations from 1999-2003. This series of cases involved several injunction hearings and numerous complex federal and state issues resulting in fundamental changes in the mining and environmental laws of West Virginia and the region.
Tried numerous civil and criminal cases to verdict in state and federal court, in arbitration, and before state and federal agencies.

Awards & Accolades

2024 LawDragon: 500 Leading Litigators in America.

Chambers USA, West Virginia: General Commercial (2015 - 2023) and Corporate/Commercial (2018 - 2023)

Best Lawyers in America, Bet-the-Company Litigation (2023) Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Energy Law (2010 - 2023)

Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year, Energy Law (2023)

Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: White Collar (2019)

Super Lawyers, West Virginia, General Litigation and Business Litigation (2007 - 2023)

Joseph Rice

Founding Member of Motley Rice LLC

Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice is recognized as a skillful and innovative negotiator of complex litigation settlements, having served as the lead negotiator in some of the largest civil actions our courts have seen in the last 20 years.

Corporate Legal Times reported that national defense counsel and legal scholars described Joe as one of the nation's “five most feared and respected plaintiffs’ lawyers in corporate America.” As the article notes, "For all his talents as a shrewd negotiator ... Rice has earned most of his respect from playing fair and remaining humble.”

Joe was recognized by some of the nation’s best-regarded defense lawyers as being “the smartest dealmaker they ever sat across the table from,” Thomson Reuters has reported. Professor Samuel Issacharoff of the New York University School of Law, a well-known professor and expert in class actions and complex litigation, has commented that he is “the best strategic thinker on the end stages of litigation that I’ve ever seen.”

Since beginning to practice law in 1979, Joe has continued to reinforce his reputation as a skillful negotiator, including through his involvement structuring some of the most significant resolutions of asbestos liabilities on behalf of those injured by asbestos‐related products. He negotiates for the firm's clients at all levels, including securities and consumer fraud, anti-terrorism, human rights, environmental, medical drugs and devices, as well as catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION OPIATE MDL:

Joe is co-lead counsel in the National Prescription Opiate MDL aimed at combatting the alleged over-distribution and deceptive marketing of prescription opioids. Joe, as Chair of the opioid Negotiating Committee, worked with the committee and the Attorney General Committee to reach over $50 billion in settlements for communities nationwide with defendants in the opioid supply chain. Motley Rice continues to represent dozens of governmental entities, including the first jurisdictions to file cases in the current wave of litigation.

VEHICLE RECALLS:

Joe served as one of the lead negotiators in the $15 billion Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Fraud class action settlement for 2.0-liter vehicles, the largest auto-related consumer class action settlement in U.S. history, as well as the 3.0-liter settlement. Under his leadership, Motley Rice also helped negotiate a pair of Takata bankruptcy resolutions that secured funds for victims who were harmed by the company’s deadly, explosive airbags. Joe also serves as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for In re General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation, and was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Ecodiesel Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation.

MEDICAL DRUGS AND DEVICES:

Joe led negotiations on behalf of thousands of women who allege complications and severe health effects caused by transvaginal mesh and sling products, including litigation that has five MDLs pending in the state of West Virginia. He is also a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the Lipitor® MDL, filed for patients who allege the cholesterol drug caused their Type 2 diabetes.

BP OIL SPILL:

Joe served as a co-lead negotiator for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in reaching the two settlements with BP, one of which is the largest civil class action settlement in U.S. history. The Economic and Property Damages Rule 23 Class Action Settlement is estimated to make payments totaling between $7.8 billion and $18 billion to class members. Joe was also one of the lead negotiators of the $1.028 billion settlement reached between the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., for Halliburton’s role in the disaster.

9/11:

Joe held a crucial role in executing strategic mediations and/or resolutions on behalf of 56 families of 9/11 victims who opted out of the government-created September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. In addition to providing answers, accountability and recourse to victims’ families, the resulting settlements with multiple defendants shattered a settlement matrix developed and utilized for decades. The litigation also helped provide public access to evidence uncovered for the trial.

TOBACCO:

As lead private counsel for 26 jurisdictions, including numerous State Attorneys General, Joe was integral to the crafting and negotiating of the landmark Master Settlement Agreement, in which the tobacco industry agreed to reimburse states for smoking-related health costs. This remains the largest civil settlement in U.S. history.

ASBESTOS:

Joe held leadership and negotiating roles involving the bankruptcies of several large organizations, including AWI, Federal Mogul, Johns Manville, Celotex, Garlock, W.R. Grace, Babcock & Wilcox, U.S. Gypsum, Owens Corning and Pittsburgh Corning. He has also worked on numerous Trust Advisory Committees. Today, he maintains a critical role in settlements involving asbestos manufacturers emerging from bankruptcy and has been recognized for his work in structuring significant resolutions in complex personal injury litigation for asbestos liabilities on behalf of victims injured by asbestos-related products. Joe has served as co-chair of Perrin Conferences’ Asbestos Litigation Conference, the largest national asbestos-focused conference.

SECURITIES AND CONSUMER FRAUD:

Joe is often sought by investment funds for guidance on litigation strategies to increase shareholder value, enhance corporate governance reforms and recover assets. He was an integral part of the shareholder derivative action against Omnicare, Inc., Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust v. Gemunder, which resulted in a significant settlement for shareholders as well as new corporate governance policies for the corporation. Joe serves on the Board of Advisors for Emory University's Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims, which facilitates bipartisan discussion of ways to improve the civil justice system through the hosting of judicial seminars, bar conferences, academic programs, and research. In 1999 and 2000, he served on the faculty at Duke University School of Law as a Senior Lecturing Fellow, and taught classes on the art of negotiating at the University of South Carolina School of Law, Duke University School of Law and Charleston School of Law.

In 2013, he and the firm created the Ronald L. Motley Scholarship Fund at The University of South Carolina School of Law in memory and honor of co-founding member and friend, Ron Motley.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center, Co-chair for inaugural Campaign for the Next Child

First Tee of Greater Charleston, Board of Advisors

American Heart Association of the Lowcountry, 2018 Heart Walk Chair

Genevieve Zimmerman

Attorney with Meshbesher & Spence

Genevieve presently serves as court-appointed Co-Lead Counsel for plaintiffs in MDL 2666: In re Bair Hugger Products Liability Litigation. Genevieve was trial counsel in the only MDL bellwether trial. The Bair Hugger MDL includes claims brought by patients who allege the Bair Hugger patient warming system caused deep joint infections following total hip and total knee replacement surgeries.

Genevieve is also Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in MDL 2775: In re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Products Liability pending in the District of Maryland. The MDL includes claims brought on behalf of patients who required revision surgery as a result of defective Smith & Nephew hips. Plaintiffs successfully defeated motions to dismiss based on preemption and tried the first MDL bellwether case in July 2021. After a three week trial, the jury agreed Smith & Nephew was negligent for its false or misleading communications to orthopedic surgeons. Since the trial, nearly all of the cases in the MDL have settled, and the remaining cases are in the process of being remanded as the MDL winds down.

In October 2019, Genevieve tried the first defamation case against a conspiracy theorist who wrote a book titled “Nobody Died at Sandy Hook”. Together with her husband Jake, she represented Lenny Pozner, who was defamed by James Fetzer’s book. By all accounts, Fetzer was the original source for the absurd contention that Sandy Hook was a “false flag” operation by the so-called Deep State aimed at taking away gun rights, and it was Fetzer’s willfully false information that Alex Jones and Infowars.com amplified nationwide. In her closing argument Genevieve told the jury “truth matters, saying false things about somebody matters.” The jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Pozner in the amount of $450,000.

Since 2013, Genevieve has served as a court-appointed member of the Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel Committee for MDL 2441: In re Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, and is also one of four attorneys appointed to the Settlement Committee for the Stryker MDL. Total settlements in the global resolution programs exceed $2 Billion.

Genevieve was appointed to the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee of the 3M Combat earplug litigation MDL (2019), the PSC in In re Taxotere (2016) and In re Biomet MDL (2014), and some of her past work includes helping heart defibrillator patients after a Guidant recall in 2006, helping patients who suffered serious injuries and death following use of the recalled prescription drugs Vioxx and Yaz, hip implants dating back to 2001 manufactured by nearly every company from Sulzer to St. Gobain to Zimmer, DePuy, Stryker, Wright, Smith & Nephew and Exactech.

During 2007-2009, Genevieve spent nearly 75% of her time providing pro bono legal services to the survivors and families who lost loved ones as a result of the I-35W Bridge Collapse. The consortium was successful in obtaining recoveries exceeding $75 million.

Genevieve serves the community through ongoing pro bono work where she has represented victims of domestic violence seeking to obtain court orders for protection, immigrants seeking to update immigration documents, and high school students seeking protection of their first amendment rights to equal access to school facilities.

Genevieve is Past President of the Minnesota Association for Justice, and has served on the Board of Governors since 2009. MAJ named her “Member of the Year” in 2012, and “Star Award” recipient in 2021. She is a past member of the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice. Genevieve has been rated by SuperLawyers as a Super Lawyer since 2014.

On a personal note, Genevieve volunteers and raises money for scholarship funds for her alma mater, St. Paul Central High School. A noted and enthusiastic “food gatherer”, Genevieve loves travel, skiing, recreational marathons, and discussing the finer points of music by The National and Taylor Swift with her teenaged daughter and son.

Paul Geller

Managing Partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Paul Geller, managing partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP’s Boca Raton, Florida office, is a founding partner of the Firm, a member of its Management Committee, and head of the Firm’s Consumer Practice Group. Paul’s 30 years of litigation experience is broad, and he has handled cases in each of the Firm’s practice areas. Notably, before devoting his practice to the representation of consumers and investors, he defended companies in high-stakes class action and multi-district litigation, providing him with an invaluable perspective. Paul has tried bench and jury trials on both the plaintiffs’ and defendants’ sides and has argued before numerous state, federal, and appellate courts throughout the country.

Paul was recently selected to serve in a leadership position on behalf of governmental entities and other plaintiffs in the sprawling litigation concerning the nationwide prescription opioid epidemic. In reporting on the selection of the lawyers to lead the case, The National Law Journal reported that “[t]he team reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ in mass torts.” Paul was also a critical member of the team that negotiated over $50 billion in settlements against certain opioid distributors, manufacturers and dispensers. Prior to the opioid litigation, Paul was a member of the leadership team representing consumers in the massive Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” emissions case. The San Francisco legal newspaper The Recorder labeled the group that was appointed in that case, which settled for more than $17 billion, a “class action dream team.” Paul is also one of the Lead Counsel in In re EpiPen (Epinephrine Injection, USP) Mktg., Sales Pracs. & Antitrust Litig., a nationwide class action that alleged that pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Mylan N.V. engaged in anti-competitive and unfair business conduct in its sale and marketing of the EpiPen auto-injector device. The case was recently settled for $609 million.

Some of Paul’s other recent noteworthy successes include the largest privacy class action settlement in history – a $650 million all cash recovery in a cutting-edge class action in In re Facebook Biometric Info. Privacy Litig., concerning Facebook’s use of biometric identifiers through its “tag” feature. In addition to the monetary recovery, Facebook recently disabled the tag feature altogether, deleting user facial profiles and discontinuing the use of facial recognition software.

Paul serves on the Advisory Board of Emory University School of Law and the separate Board of The Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims at Emory. He is a member of the Trial Law Institute and the Diversity Law Institute of the Litigation Counsel of America. Paul is also a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Advisors for The Center on Civil Justice at New York University School of Law. In these roles and others, Paul frequently lectures on class action and MDL issues at judicial seminars, bar conferences, and academic programs. Paul is also a recurring member of the faculty of the Mass Torts MDL Certificate Program at the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke University School of Law, as well as the Baylor MDL Judicial Summitt.

Paul is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest rating available), twice named one of the nation’s top “40 Under 40” by The National Law Journal, and named one of “Florida’s Top Lawyers” by Law & Politics and South Florida Business Journal. He has also been named a Legend, a Leading Lawyer in America, a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer, and a 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer by Lawdragon; a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA; a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer Trailblazer by The National Law Journal; one of Florida’s “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine; and one of “Florida’s Most Effective Lawyers” by American Law Media’s Daily Business Review. Additionally, Best Lawyers® named Paul a Best Lawyer in America and a Florida Best Lawyer in the area of “Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs,” and he was additionally chosen as Lawyer of the Year in that same category. Super Lawyers Magazine has also named Paul a Florida Super Lawyer for 16 consecutive years.

Paul earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida, where he was a member of the University Honors Program. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law, with Highest Distinction, where he was an editor of the Emory Law Journal, a member of the Order of the Coif Legal Honor Society, and awarded multiple American Jurisprudence Book Awards for earning the highest grade in class.

Adam Silverstein

Partner with Otterbourg PC

Mr. Silverstein has been a complex commercial litigator for over thirty years. He has successfully first-chaired both jury and non-jury trials through verdict, litigated arbitrations through award and confirmation, and argued appeals in both federal and state courts, in New York and elsewhere.

Mr. Silverstein has substantial experience litigating corporate attempts to resolve mass tort liabilities in bankruptcy. In the successful multi-firm effort to dismiss the In re Aearo Technologies, LLC (3M) bankruptcy earlier this year, he delivered the opening statement, split the closing argument with Eric Winston of Quinn Emanuel, and examined multiple witnesses at trial on behalf of the Official Committee of Combat Arms Earplug Claimants and the more than 200,000 veterans, service members and independent contractors, who collectively moved to dismiss the bankruptcy as a bad faith filing. The landmark decision of the bankruptcy court, the first ever to dismiss a mass tort bankruptcy at the trial level, largely adopted the movants’ arguments. A year earlier, at the outset of the Aearo bankruptcy, Mr. Silverstein played a significant role at trial in another successful multi-firm effort to defeat the debtors’ attempt to stay and enjoin the 3M Products Liability MDL. The denial of stay protection and preliminary injunctive relief in a mass tort bankruptcy was another first by a bankruptcy court.

In the recent multi-firm effort to dismiss the second LTL Management, LLC (Johnson & Johnson) bankruptcy, Mr. Silverstein directed or cross-examined four experts at trial on the subject of the respective capabilities of the tort system versus the bankruptcy system to globally resolve mass tort disputes involving future claims. In 2021 and 2022, in the first LTL bankruptcy, he litigated, and presented closing argument, on behalf of (initially) MDL leadership and (subsequently) the Official Committee of Talc Claimants in opposition to stay protection and preliminary injunctive relief in favor of Johnson & Johnson. The first LTL bankruptcy was subsequently dismissed on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the first appellate court to dismiss a mass tort bankruptcy. Mr. Silverstein’s experience also includes litigating and advising clients in a broad array of other industries and with respect to a wide range of other subjects, including: creditors’ rights and lender liability; corporate governance and control; securities fraud; sponsorships and licenses; trade secrets, unfair competition and employment contracts; trusts and estates; higher education; intellectual property; and insurance coverage.

Mr. Silverstein has been selected for inclusion each year from 2009 through present as a New York Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine and long has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell. He is a member of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations and of the American Bankruptcy Institute. His closing argument on behalf of MasterCard in the FIFA World Cup injunction trial is quoted in Andrew Jenning’s “FOUL! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-Rigging and Ticket Scandals” (paperback edition 2008).

Education:
B.A., with distinction in all subjects – Cornell University – 1988
J.D. cum laude – University of Pennsylvania – 1992

Michael Tuchin

Partner with KTBS Law LLP

Mr. Tuchin graduated with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and received his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990. He served as an extern to the Honorable Joseph R. Sneed, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in 1989. Mr. Tuchin is a Fellow of the American College of Banrkuptcy and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He represents debtors, equity holders, secured and unsecured creditors, committees, trustees, and parties interested in acquiring assets from troubled companies and has been widely recognized as one of the top bankruptcy lawyers in the nation.

Mr. Tuchin has significant mass tort experience, including significant representations in the chapter 11 cases of USA Gymnastics, Imerys, LTL, and the Aearo-affiliated debtors (subsidiaries of 3M).

Mr. Tuchin has represented numerous debtors in court, including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (motion picture studio and licensor of intellectual property) in its successful chapter 11 reorganization, PacSun (a national retail clothing company) in connection with its successful chaper 11 case, Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture, LLC and Affiliates (owner-developers of a 3,592-acre master-planned residential development and resort located in Henderson, Nevada) in its successful chapter 11 case, the Town of Mammoth Lakes, California, in its successful chapter 9 case, Nevada Cancer Institute (owner and operator of non-profit cancer research and treatment facilities) in its successful chapter 11 case, American Restaurant Group (the owner of the Stuart Anderson’s Black Angus chain of restaurants) in connection with their successful chapter 11 cases, Samuels Jewelers, Inc. (a national publicly traded retailer of fine jewelry operating more than 130 stores) in connection with its successful chapter 11 case, Avado Brands, Inc. and affiliates (a national operator of 90 Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen and 22 Hops Grillhouse and Brewery restaurants in 20 states) in their successful chapter 11 cases, Fountain View, Inc. (operator of more than 50 skilled care nursing and assisted care living facilities) in connection with its successful chapter 11 reorganization, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Inc. (a world-renowned retailer of innovative specialty apparel operating more than 150 stores, a catalogue, and an internet business) in connection with its successful chapter 11 case, and Maple Plaza, Ltd. (the owner of a significant commercial property in Beverly Hills, California) in its successful chapter 11 case.

Out of court, Mr. Tuchin has led successful restructurings of MGM-Mirage (one of the world’s largest owners and operators of casino resorts), the Lusk Company (a large California homebuilder with close to $1 billion in debt), bebe (a national retailer of women’s apparel), and L.A. Kings, Ltd. (the then-owner of the Los Angeles Kings hockey franchise).

Mr. Tuchin has represented creditors in chapter 11 cases across the country, including Blockbuster, Inc. (New York, NY), Chevy’s Restaurants (Oakland, CA), Circuit City Stores, Inc. (Richmond, VA), Crescent Jewelers (Oakland, CA), Diversified Restaurant Concepts (San Jose, CA), Eastman Kodak Company (New York, NY), Edwards Theatres (Orange County, CA), Falcon Industries (St. Louis, MO), Fox & Hound (Delaware), Kmart (Chicago, IL), Lodgenet Interactive Corp. (New York, NY), Merry-Go-Round (Delaware), Natrol, Inc. (Delaware), Pegasus Satellite Television (Portland, ME), Petries Retail (New York, NY), Sega Gameworks (Los Angeles, CA), Tower Records (Delaware), United Airlines (Chicago, IL), Young Broadcasting, Inc. (New York, NY). Mr. Tuchin represented Suzuki Motor Corporation, a Japan-based manufacturer of engines and vehicles sold worldwide, as the largest creditor (secured and unsecured) in the chapter 11 case of American Suzuki Motor Corporation. He has represented Viacom, Paramount, CBS and Cerberus as creditors in numerous cases. He has represented multiple bondholder committees in restructurings (in and out of court), including in the restructurings of Physiotheraphy Associates, Black Hawk Casino, ICO Global & Lieberman Broadcasting.

Mr. Tuchin has represented numerous trustees, including the chapter 7 trustee in the high-profile Girls Gone Wild chapter 11 cases in Los Angeles, California and the trustee of the Circuit City Liquidating Trust. Mr. Tuchin has represented numerous purchasers of assets, including Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. in connection with its purchase of the motorcycle, ATV, and marine divisions of American Suzuki Motor Corporation.

TOM CARTMELL

Founding Partner of Wagstaff & Cartmell

Tom Cartmell, a co-founder of Wagstaff & Cartmell, has been widely recognized for his trial skills and his success trying cases nationwide. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, is a Past President of the Missouri Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and is listed in the Best Lawyers of America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Tom’s cases span the spectrum from high-profile MDL matters involving dangerous medications, defective products, or other complex issues to representing businesses in commercial disputes or high exposure injury cases.

Described by Chambers as “a top-notch lawyer” for his representation of plaintiffs in high stakes matters, Tom has been appointed by federal judges throughout the United States to leadership positions in over a dozen MDL cases and is regularly chosen to act as lead counsel in major bellwether trials nationwide. He has secured billions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlements for clients in MDL litigation and other cases. For example, in the Transvaginal Mesh MDLs—one of the largest MDLs in history—he was lead or co-lead trial counsel in five bellwether trials. Settlements in these MDLs total more than $8 billion according to media reports and public disclosures.

Recently, in the JUUL MDL before Judge Orrick, Tom was co-lead trial counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District in a three-week jury trial against tobacco giant Altria Group. As reported by Law 360, Altria agreed to pay $235 million dollars in a global settlement. This is in addition to an earlier settlement of Juul Labs and five of its key directors and major investors, reported by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal to total around $1.7 billion dollars.

Tom has also been recognized locally for his achievements as a trial lawyer. He has been named a Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyer from 2006 to present. The Kansas City Business Journal has recognized him as “Best of the Bar” more than 15 times. In 2001, he received the Thomas J. Conway Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, recognizing a lawyer with courage and zeal for the client and a collegial attitude toward fellow lawyers. In 2003, he was selected by a panel of state court judges for the Lon O. Hocker award, an award given each year to three outstanding trial lawyers in Missouri.

Tom is committed to his community and an active member of bar organizations. He served as the Municipal Judge for the City of Mission Hills, Kansas for 16 years, and served as an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the University of Kansas Law School for eight years. He was recently elected to the University of Kansas School of Law Board of Governors.

JONATHAN M. SEDGH

Partner with Morgan & Morgan

Jonathan M. Sedgh is a Mass Tort Product Liability Partner in Morgan & Morgan’s New York City office. Over the course of 15 years practicing law, he has played an instrumental role in various lawsuits against the makers of dangerous and defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He also helps survivors of sex trafficking and childhood sexual abuse pursue justice against their perpetrators, institutions and the hotel industry who turned a blind eye to their victimization.

Mr. Sedgh has been a key figure in more than a dozen multi-district litigations and state-court coordinated actions where he managed and litigated thousands of cases from inception to settlement or trial.

Notably, in 2014, Mr. Sedgh helped recover a $9 billion verdict in a three-month trial for his client who developed bladder cancer after taking Actos, an anti-diabetic medication. The drug, manufactured by Takeda and marketed in the U.S. by Eli Lilly, had been linked to an increased risk for the condition. The suit alleged that the two companies continued to manufacture and market the drug despite knowing of its dangers, and that they failed to inform patients and the medical community. The civil verdict, delivered by a jury of eight, is still one of the largest jury awards in history.

In November 2021, Mr. Sedgh was part of the trial team where a federal jury held the 3M company liable for an Army Sergeant's hearing loss from faulty combat earplugs. A Tallahassee jury awarded the U.S. Army Sergeant $816,395 in compensatory damages and $12.245 million in punitive damages, making it the largest win at that time for the roughly 250,000 plaintiffs in the litigation.

In September 2022, Mr. Sedgh was one of 12 attorneys appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Leadership Committee in the Abbott Infant Formula Recall Multi-District Litigation. This committee was selected to represent the national interest of thousands of children across the country who were injured following their ingestion of contaminated baby formula stemming from a production facility in Michigan.

In light of his achievements, Mr. Sedgh was named a Top-Rated Products Liability Attorney in New York City and a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine. The National Trial Lawyers, an association promoting excellence in the legal profession, designated him as a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Attorney. Mr. Sedgh has been awarded each of these prestigious honors consecutively from 2015 to 2021. The National Trial Lawyers selected Mr. Sedgh as one of their Top 100 Lawyers in 2022 and 2023 given his accomplishments and fight for advocacy both inside and outside the courtroom. Over the years, Mr. Sedgh has been a speaker and panelist at mass-tort product liability seminars around the United States. He is a member of the bar associations of New York State and New York City. In 2011, the New York City bar association hand-selected him as one of 25 attorneys to serve on its product liability committee, an exclusive group that includes the in-house counsel of major pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Esther Berezofsky

Member of Motley Rice LLC

PRACTICE AREAS:

Consumer Fraud Protection
Medical Devices
Medical Drugs
Toxic Exposure
Environmental Contamination

EDUCATION:

J.D., Rutgers University School of Law, 1987
M.A., Wayne State University, 1982
B.A., Wayne State University, 1980

LICENSED IN:

New Jersey
Pennsylvania

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE BEFORE:

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, and the Northern District of New York

A trial lawyer with more than 35 years of experience litigating complex mass torts, Esther Berezofsky has devoted her career to representing communities impacted by environmental contamination and fighting for the rights of consumers, individuals and families impacted by fraud and misconduct across a range of litigation areas.

Esther focuses her practice on protecting the rights and seeking accountability for people harmed by toxic chemical exposure—environmental and occupational— as well as patients who suffer life-altering complications caused by dangerous and defective medical drugs and devices. She serves on the Executive Committee as class counsel for residents exposed to lead contaminated water in the Flint Water Crisis litigation. She also represents residents in other communities, as well as governmental entities in the United States in PFAS litigation. Esther is also a consultant to the Flemish Minister of Justice and the Environment in Belgium in PFAS matters involving 3M and working on environmental matters in the Netherlands.

She was lead counsel for a cancer cluster of children in Toms River, N.J, the story of which is memorialized in the Pulitzer prize winning book: Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Esther practiced as a clinical psychologist and consultant for a national network of law firms on post-traumatic stress and community trauma arising out of environmental disasters such as Three Mile Island, Pa., and Times Beach, Mo.

In addition to her environmental and toxic exposure work, Esther has held numerous leadership positions and represented clients in MDLs and other litigations involving medical drugs and devices including Medtronic® Pain and Insulin Pumps, DePuy ASR, Pinnacle and Stryker® Hip Implant cases, Benicar®, Risperdal®, Xarelto®, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Ortho Evra®, Rezulin, PPA, Invokana®, Taxotere®, among others.

She also represents plaintiffs in consumer class actions alleging fraudulent student loan schemes and consumers in pay day lending cases. She has litigated rent-to-own and option ARM fraudulent mortgage claims, among other consumer protection cases.

Prior to joining Motley Rice, Esther founded Berezofsky Law Group in New Jersey where she pursued complex consumer mass torts. Prior to that, she was a name partner in a plaintiffs’ law firm in Philadelphia for more than two decades. She has been active in the legal community has held leadership roles at several law firms in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Active in the legal community, Esther previously served as Board President of Public Justice, a national public interest law firm, and continues to serve on its Board of Directors. She also sits on the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association of Justice and was awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Service in 2008.

She is a frequent speaker and lecturer on matters related to environmental contamination and toxic exposure, product liability and mass torts. She served as an adjunct professor on trial advocacy at Rutgers Law School, her alma mater in 2014. While completing her legal studies at Rutgers Law, Esther served as an articles editor for the Rutgers Law Journal.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Law Journal 623 (1987), reprinted in BNA Toxic Law Reporter, Vol. 2 No. 11 (August 12, 1987)
Toxic Tort Litigation the Future Impact of Current Legislation, Trial Magazine (October 1988), reprinted in The Superfund Report, Mealey Publications (December 1988)
New Jersey Mass Torts & Class Action Treatise, Chapter 5 Environmental Torts 2016
Legal and Liability Considerations in Asbestos, Chapter in The Hazardous Fiber, CRC Press, Inc. Trial Magazine (January 2012)

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:

New Jersey Association for Justice

2021 Gerald B. O’Connor Award

2008 Gold Medal for Distinguished Service

National Law Journal

2021 Elite Women of the Plaintiffs’ Bar*

2023 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers

Lawdragon

2020–2023 Lawdragon 500 Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers*

Super Lawyers®

2007–2022New Jersey Super Lawyers list*

*No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

ASSOCIATIONS:

Law360 Environmental Editorial Advisory Board, 2021 American Association for Justice, Chair, Section on Toxic Environmental and Pharmaceutical Executive Committee

Public Justice, Past President and current member of the Board of Directors

New Jersey Association of Justice, Board of Governors

Motley Rice LLC, a South Carolina Limited Liability Company, is engaged in the New Jersey practice of law through Motley Rice New Jersey LLC. Esther Berezofsky attorney responsible for New Jersey practice.

NEW JERSEY OFFICE • 210 Lake Dr. East, Ste 101, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Christopher Ayers

Partner with Seeger Weiss LLP

A partner of Seeger Weiss, Chris is a highly skilled and experienced trial attorney representing individual and corporate plaintiffs in state and federal courts throughout the country. Chris’s practice focuses on class action, mass tort, and complex commercial litigation involving consumer protection, investment fraud, antitrust, qui tam/whistleblower, product liability, and pharmaceutical injury. He is widely recognized for his knowledge and experience in e-discovery and preservation of electronically stored information (ESI) and has served as designated ESI counsel for plaintiffs in numerous cases.

Chris has served on the leadership team in major multidistrict litigations and class actions. His recent work includes:

In the Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation and the related California Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding, Chris serves as member of the Plaintiffs Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the E-Discovery Committee. Both litigations involve cases against social media companies alleging they are responsible for designing social media platforms that target kids but are not safe for them to use. Affected children and families have filed wrongful death and other lawsuits for teen suicides and mental harm related to use of these products.
Chris represents the Estate of Henrietta Lacks and members of her family seeking justice against pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for unjustly profiting off Mrs. Lacks's stolen cells. For what would have been Henrietta Lacks' 103rd birthday, Henrietta Lacks's family secured an historic settlement with the biotechnology company they sued seeking compensation for its use of Mrs. Lacks’s cells.
Chris served on the leadership team in the Mercedes Emissions litigation, In re Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation, which secured a $800 million settlement on behalf of U.S. owners and lessees. He was charged with leading discovery and successfully secured one of the strongest ESI validation procedures and random sampling protocols to test the defendants’ search methodologies and results.
Chris was appointed as E-Discovery Chair in In re Samsung Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, a case brought following a major data breach in July 2022 of Samsung’s systems in the United States that compromised the personal information of millions of American consumers.
Chris was appointed Co-Lead Counsel by the Honorable Madeline Haikala in Oliver v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Plaintiffs alleges that Honda sold vehicles that they knew had defective and dangerous fuel pumps that could cause cars to stall or stop while driving.

Prior to joining Seeger Weiss, Chris worked as a senior trial lawyer in the New York office of a leading national law firm, where he focused on corporate and securities litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and domestic and foreign investment recovery.

He has successfully tried numerous jury and bench trials to verdict or decision in state and federal courts throughout the U.S.

Chris was a four-year varsity athlete on Brown University’s wrestling team, through which he developed a focus and discipline that serves him well in the courtroom today. While attending University of San Diego School of Law, Chris received the CALI Award for Advanced Trial Advocacy and the Virginia C. Nelson Graduate Prize in Advanced Advocacy.

LISA M. GILFORD

Partner with Sidley Austin LLP

LISA GILFORD is a leading complex civil litigator with a practice focused on class actions, multi-district litigation, products liability matters and large scale commercial disputes. She is lead counsel to clients in a wide variety of industries including automotive, pharmaceutical, communications, oil and gas, aerospace and chemical manufacturing, sports and higher education. Clients turn to Lisa for counsel on their most challenging and significant legal issues. Her advocacy skills have played a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of numerous class actions and aggregate litigation matters nationwide.

Lisa’s numerous accolades include being named by the Daily Journal as one of its “Top 100 Lawyers,” (2015–2020) “Top Women Lawyers” (2013–2019) and “Top Women Litigators” in California (2013–2018). The Los Angeles Business Journal named Lisa to its “Top 100 Lawyers” list in 2023, “L.A. 500” (2019–2022), as one of their most influential women attorneys (2018–2020), among the “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” (2019, 2021–2023), and a “Leaders in Law” finalist for Litigator of the Year (2020). She was also recognized by Variety in its 2022 “Legal Impact Report,” and has been included in The Best Lawyers in America (2018–2022). The National Bar Association – Women Lawyers Division honored Lisa with the “Hidden Figure” award, which recognizes the achievements of outstanding women lawyers and jurists from across the United States (2021). The John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles recognized Lisa as a Law Firm Partner Honoree at their 2019 Honoring Excellence in the Legal Profession awards. She was also named “Consumer Litigation Lawyer of 2018” by the Century City Bar Association. Lisa received the J. Michael Brown Award from DuPont in 2008 for her personal commitment to diversity, recruiting and mentoring in the legal profession.

Lisa is a founding member of Sidley’s PFAS Working Group, a multidisciplinary team advising clients on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance liabilities. She is also a member of the firm’s Automotive and Mobility Leadership Committee, which is composed of lawyers from around the world in various practice areas dedicated to driving the firm’s growth in the automotive and mobility sector.

Lisa previously taught at The Georgetown University Law Center and was a graduate fellow and public service lawyer with Georgetown’s Institute for Public Representation. She frequently lectures on California tort, consumer protection and unfair competition claims, successful defense of class actions, best practices for outside counsel, and professional development for women lawyers and other diversity issues. Lisa earned her LL.M. from Georgetown University, her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and received a B.A. from Furman University.

Experience

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES

Represented an aerospace company in mass toxic tort litigation matters involving alleged contamination in a local residential neighborhood. The cases involve hundreds of plaintiffs claiming personal injuries and property damages based on negligence, nuisance, and strict liability claims, among others, allegedly arising from exposure to petroleum and rocket propellant.

Served as coordinating counsel for a chemical products company defending personal injury cases arising out of alleged exposure to benzene containing paint and solvent products.

Serving as lead counsel to an elite university in a series of high-profile litigation matters; defended the university in a series of class actions brought by former student-athletes alleging academic fraud, breach of contract and various tort theories and was successful in getting the suits dismissed with prejudice

Securing the dismissal of a privately held pharmaceutical company in a law enforcement matter involving marketing techniques for prescription pain medications

Serving as lead counsel to Toyota in its “Unintended Acceleration” MDL involving more than 400 consumer class actions and personal injury cases, including successfully obtaining dismissal of the claims of plaintiffs from 14 different countries from that proceeding

Representing corporate clients in class actions brought under California consumer protection and unfair competition laws, including the Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act; and counseling clients in litigation prevention and risk management in California

Serving as trial counsel in products liability cases involving claims of design and manufacturing defect for a variety of consumer and commercial products, including motor vehicles, robotics, household appliances, pharmaceuticals, refinery equipment, industrial and agricultural chemicals, and food and nutrition additives

Obtaining a defense verdict for a major telecommunications client after a month-long jury trial in a case involving breach of contract and civil rights claims and representing telecommunications clients in class actions brought under the Telephone Communications Privacy Act and California Invasion of Privacy Act

*The above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

Nikki Guntner

Attorney with Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz PLLC

D. Nicole “Nikki” Guntner represents Plaintiffs in multidistrict litigation against corporate Defendants, and she has substantial experience in the discovery of electronically-stored information (ESI) in mass tort cases. Nikki has briefed and argued ESI and e-discovery matters before federal and state Courts, including the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal, negotiated protocols for the discovery of ESI, and developed systems to facilitate efficient management of e-discovery in large-scale cases. She previously served as both in-house counsel and defense counsel on matters involving complex e-discovery issues and corporate document retention.

Nikki plays a key role in mass tort and class action cases across the country, including:

In Re: Recalled Abbott Infant Formula Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3037): Nikki represents plaintiffs alleging injuries as a result of Abbott’s recalled infant formula. She serves in an ESI liaison role and manages plaintiffs’ eDiscovery efforts.
Alford v. The NFL Player Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan, et al. (D. Md.): Nikki represents NFL players against the NFL Player Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan, the NFL Player Disability & Neurocognitive Benefit Plan, the Disability Board, and Roger Goodell for wrongful denial of benefits, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of federal law.
Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2973): Nikki serves on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, representing consumers alleging serious eye damage caused by the medication. Nikki has been involved in all aspects of discovery, including negotiation of foundational orders and managing eDiscovery efforts.
Skanska USA Civil Southeast, Inc., v. Bagelheads, Inc., 75 F.4th 1290 (11th Cir. 2023): Nikki represents individuals and business owners in their claims against Skanska for damages resulting from the destruction of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Nikki served as trial counsel in the Northern District of Florida, where she successfully defended against Skanska’s limitation action. Nikki also led the effort to uncover and prosecute Skanska’s destruction of cell phone data for key custodians, resulting in spoliation sanctions against the company and the 11th Circuit’s opinion defining “intent to deprive” under Rule 37(e)(2), an issue of first impression.

Nikki previously represented plaintiffs in the Xarelto MDL, which resulted in a $775 Million settlement, where she served as a member of the trial team for the final Xarelto bellwether trial in Pennsylvania state court. She also represented women suffering injuries from the birth control implant Essure and individuals suffering injuries from proton pump inhibitors.

Heidi Levine

Partner with Sidley Austin LLP

HEIDI LEVINE is a global co-leader of the Product Liability and Mass Torts practice, member of the firm’s Executive Committee, serves on Sidley’s Global Life Sciences Leadership Council, and is a firmwide co-chair of the firm’s women’s initiative. She has defended companies in a wide variety of product liability and mass tort litigation involving pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, environmental toxic torts, and other products. Heidi also advises clients on risk management, analysis and prevention, as well as conducts pre-litigation assessments and due diligence.

Heidi most often acts as lead national litigation counsel in the mass tort context, representing clients in federal actions, typically in multidistrict litigation proceedings, as well as in coordinated state court actions and related litigation outside the U.S. As national counsel, Heidi formulates and implements the pre-trial, trial and/or end-game strategy with her clients and leads the strategy on all other aspects of the engagement, including coordination relating to regulatory, patent, and business issues. Heidi also has significant experience in alternative dispute resolution, designing and implementing innovative resolution programs for companies faced with complex litigation.

Advocacy on behalf of clients has earned Heidi notable awards and acknowledgement in numerous industry publications, including:

From 2017–2023, Heidi has been recognized by Chambers USA in nationwide Product Liability & Mass Torts. Sources in the 2023 edition note that they “would trust her with any matter. She's super responsive, smart, quick on her feet and has a unique ability to get along with people." In 2020, Heidi was described as “a tenacious litigator — if you have her in your corner, you can't go wrong,” and a “standout lawyer” who is “very highly respected by her clients, who trust and value her advice and recommendations” and is “very skilled.”
Heidi was named to the 2023 Crain’s New York Business “Notable Women in Law” list, featuring women from across the legal industry whose work reaches beyond the clients they serve.
In 2023, Heidi was shortlisted for the “Product Liability Lawyer of the Year” award by Women in Business Law Americas, which celebrates women lawyers who have developed strong and innovative practices.
In 2022, Heidi was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for her work in Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.
In 2021 and 2023, LMG Life Sciences shortlisted Heidi for the Americas Awards as “Product Liability Attorney of the Year.”
In 2017, Heidi received the University of Baltimore School of Law’s “Byron Warnken Distinguished Alumni Award.”
In 2017 and 2009, The Legal 500 US cited Heidi as a recommended lawyer.
In 2011, The American Lawyer named Heidi to its “45 under 45” list of “The Top Young Women of the AmLaw 200.”
In 2014, Heidi received the National Organization of Women’s “Women of Power & Influence Award.”
In 2013, Heidi was honored by the Women’s Venture Fund with the “Highest Leaf Award,” celebrating “trailblazing women business executives who have shown outstanding leadership and commitment to their respective industries and other women.”
In 2010, Law360 named Heidi among its “10 Product Liability Lawyers to Watch,” commenting that she “has played a leading role in defending several major pharmaceutical companies in mass torts.”
From 2009–2023, Heidi has been recognized in the Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences, Product Liability Lawyers. She is also listed in Who’s Who Legal: Product Liability Defence 2023.
From 2012–2023, Heidi has been named a “Life Sciences Star” for Product Liability in Euromoney’s Institutional Investor’s LMG Life Sciences, non-IP Litigation section.
Lawyer Monthly “Women in Law 2014 Award” in recognition of work in the Life Sciences sector.
Honored in Euromoney’s Product Liability section of the Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law, every year since 2013.
From 2009–2022, Heidi has been recognized as a New York “Super Lawyer” for personal injury defense.

Temitope Leyimu

Member with Motley Rice LLC

Tope Leyimu focuses her practice on helping people catastrophically hurt or killed as a result of corporate wrongdoing, occupational hazards and environmental negligence.

Tope also represents government entities in complex litigation designed to protect public health and safety.

She is a part of the firm’s team representing dozens of governmental entities, including states, counties, cities, towns, and townships in litigation targeting the alleged deceptive marketing and over-distribution of highly addictive opioid drugs, a contended cause of the nationwide opioid crisis. She also has experience representing workers and their families in a number of occupational disease cases.

While a law student at the University of Virginia School of Law, Tope interned with the Legal Aid Justice Center of Charlottesville, Virginia, providing legal representation for low-income individuals and families in the areas of housing and employment law, and worked as a law clerk at a firm in Jacksonville, Florida, on wrongful death and personal injury cases. She also volunteered with the Virginia Innocence Project Student Group, a student legal research group, helping investigate and screen cases involving prisoners convicted of serious crimes who had cognizable claims of actual innocence. While at UVA, she served on the board of the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, as the President of Phi Alpha Delta, the Vice President of Communications of ABLE (Action for a Better Living Environment), and on the Policy Council for the Black Law Student Association.

Tope Leyimu focuses her practice on helping people catastrophically hurt or killed as a result of corporate wrongdoing, occupational hazards and environmental negligence.

Tope also represents government entities in complex litigation designed to protect public health and safety.

She is a part of the firm’s team representing dozens of governmental entities, including states, counties, cities, towns, and townships in litigation targeting the alleged deceptive marketing and over-distribution of highly addictive opioid drugs, a contended cause of the nationwide opioid crisis. She also has experience representing workers and their families in a number of occupational disease cases.

While a law student at the University of Virginia School of Law, Tope interned with the Legal Aid Justice Center of Charlottesville, Virginia, providing legal representation for low-income individuals and families in the areas of housing and employment law, and worked as a law clerk at a firm in Jacksonville, Florida, on wrongful death and personal injury cases. She also volunteered with the Virginia Innocence Project Student Group, a student legal research group, helping investigate and screen cases involving prisoners convicted of serious crimes who had cognizable claims of actual innocence. While at UVA, she served on the board of the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, as the President of Phi Alpha Delta, the Vice President of Communications of ABLE (Action for a Better Living Environment), and on the Policy Council for the Black Law Student Association.

Doug Monsour

Founder of Monsour Law

Douglas C. Monsour, or Doug Monsour, is a trial lawyer who handles important and significant injury cases in Texas and across the nation. He is one of a handful of trial lawyers who have successfully tried multiple pharmaceutical, medical device, and mass tort product liability cases as the lead lawyer. He also vigorously represents injured oil field workers, victims of 18-wheeler wrecks, industrial accident victims, and those that have been severely burned.

TRIAL SUCCESSES

Doug is known for his abilities in the courtroom. Recently, Doug secured two major trial victories in the 3M Combat Arms version 2 earplug litigation. On December 10, 2021, a Tallahassee, Florida Federal Court jury awarded U.S. Army veteran T.J. Finley $22.5 million for hearing loss suffered due to his defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs. A few months later, on April 29, 2022, a Federal Court jury in Gainesville, Florida awarded $2.2 million to U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Vaughn for his hearing loss suffered from wearing the defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs. The Finley v. 3M verdict was listed by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 100 verdicts of 2021. In fact, this verdict was the very first verdict in the entire 3M litigation to ever make the Top 100 list. Both trials were defended by international law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

Previously, in November 2014, Doug served as the lead lawyer in a transvaginal mesh case involving four women implanted with the Obtryx sling system to treat stress urinary incontinence. After an almost month-long trial, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs in the amount of $18.5 million. This was the first verdict against Boston Scientific in the Federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) for any of its incontinence sling products.(Wilson et al v. Boston Scientific Corp., WV, MDL 2326).

In 2004, Doug's trial skills were tested by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. He served as lead lawyer in two very significant Fen-Phen cases. In the first case, Wyeth hired world famous defense lawyer Dan Webb of Chicago's legal Goliath, Winston & Strawn, to defend them. In the third week of the trial, Wyeth relented and settled for a confidential sum. In the second case, Wyeth retained Houston mega-firm Vinson & Elkins to defend them. Wyeth again relented, and just before closing arguments settled for a confidential sum.

In addition to these trials, Doug has tried over thirty cases of various types including oil field injuries, defective drugs, defective medical devices, medical malpractice, trucking (18-wheeler) wrecks, industrial accidents, car wrecks, civil rights and malicious prosecution.

AWARDS

Doug is triple board certified. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trail Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In addition, he is a Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Furthermore, he is Board Certified in Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy.

In 2000, Doug became a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum an organization reserved for lawyers who have secured more than $1,000,000 in a single case. In 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, Doug was selected in Texas Monthly magazine as one of the "Rising Star" Lawyers in Texas. From 2009 through 2022 he has been selected as a Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly magazine every year. He has also been voted the Best Lawyer in Longview, Texas by the Longview New-Journal.

LEADERSHIP ROLES AND APPOINTMENTS

Doug's abilities as lawyer have repeatedly been recognized by judges across the country as he has been appointed to help lead many significant litigations.

Doug is currently serving on the Executive Committee for the 3M Combat Arms version 2 earplug litigation. In addition, Doug is the Chair of Science & Experts Subcommittee. Doug was appointed to both positions by U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. Doug's work in the 3M litigation has included numerous corporate depositions, expert depositions, and development of the entire plaintiffs' slate of expert. In fact, the depositions taken by Doug have been used in every trial against 3M involving the CAEv2 earplug.

Prior to his current role in the 3M earplug litigation, Doug has held the following appointed positions (in chronological order):

In 2001, he was appointed to the Plaintiff's Liaison Committee for Fen-Phen Region 1. In this capacity, he served as the lead lawyer for all Fen-Phen cases in Northeast Texas. Doug tried the only two Round 2 cases to go to trial in Region 1.

In April 2008, United States Federal District Judge Don Middlebrooks of Southern District of Florida appointed Doug to serve on the Plaintiff's Steering Committee of In re Trasylol Litigation. In this capacity, Doug traveled across America, and to Europe, to investigate the conduct of Bayer concerning its drug, Trasylol. He took the depositions of many of the most important Bayer executives in the litigation.

In 2011, Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer appointed Doug as a member of the Plaintiff's steering committee for MDL 2172: In re: Zimmer NexGen Knee Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois. In this litigation, Doug has deposed many significant witnesses for the plaintiffs.

In 2012, Doug was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Transvaginal Mesh Litigation by Federal Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. In that capacity, Doug has taken the lead in many critical depositions against Boston Scientific Corp. and Ethicon (a Johnson and Johnson company). He has also tried two mesh cases as the lead lawyer.

EDUCATION

Rice University, 1991. B.A. in Economics and Political Science.
Texas Tech School of Law, 1994. Magna Cum Laude. Executive Board of Editors, Texas Tech Law Review.

FAMILY

Since 1994, Doug has been married to the former Sarah Lenhart. They have been blessed with three wonderful children, two sons and a daughter. Doug has coached his sons in T-ball, baseball, basketball, and soccer. Doug's favorite activities with his family are hunting with his sons, spending time at the lake, traveling, and being a frustrated Dallas Cowboys fan. All three of Doug's children attend or graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. Sarah Monsour is also a Longhorn. As might be expected, Doug is a dedicated Longhorn fan!

Gale Pearson

Nachawati Law Group

PRACTICE AREAS:

Public Client Litigation
Water Contamination
Environmental Contamination

EDUCATION:

J.D. Loyola Law School, Los Angeles,1993
B.A. California University, Northridge,1985

LICENSED IN:

Minnesota

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE BEFORE:

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the
Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the
District of Minnesota

ASSOCIATIONS:

American Association for Justice
Public Justice, Board Member
American Bar Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Hennepin County Bar Association
Minnesota Association for Justice
Minnesota Women Trial Lawyers Association

Over her 28-year legal career, Gale Pearson has served in leadership roles in many private and multi-district mass tort litigations. On April 26, 2019, she was appointed to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the National Environmental Water Contamination Case involving PFAS contamination: In Re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, No. 18-2873. Her experience litigating PFAS water contamination cases began almost 15 years ago when Gale and a team of attorneys filed suit in state court against 3M at its corporate headquarters in Washington County, Minnesota, for environmental water contamination damages caused by its manufacturing and disposal practices of Perfluorochemicals (PFAS). The case resulted in a six-week trial, where the court found evidence that 3M acted with reckless disregard to the rights and safety of others. Shortly after that trial, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office filed suit against 3M for “Damages to Minnesota’s Natural Resources” based on documents discovered by Ms. Pearson’s team. That case resulted in a $850 million settlement against 3M.

She also practices in the area of qui tam litigation, including serving as co-lead trial counsel against a nursing home owner alleging the nursing home provided worthless services to its residents. Ms. Pearson and her team took this “first of its kind” qui tam case to trial, obtaining a multi-million-dollar verdict against the owner of a Nursing Home in favor of her clients and the U.S. government. For this accomplishment, she was a nominated as a finalist for Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year and a named Top 100 Trial Lawyer.

In 2003, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer presented her the Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award for her work with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Ms. Pearson’s skills go far beyond her legal degree, including undergraduate work in Laboratory Medicine, Physics and Chemistry, working as a Board-Certified Clinical Laboratory Scientist prior to law school. She is also a Certified Real Property Appraiser. Ms. Pearson is a frequent lecturer on complex litigation, water contamination and scientific legal topics.

RECOGNITIONS:

Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2015 - Present
Minnesota Top Women Attorneys
Martindale-Hubble AV® Preeminent rating™
2014, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers
2014, Top 100 Verdicts for 2013
Named to Million Dollar Advocates Forum
2013 Nominee, Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year
Outstanding Trial Lawyer, Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association
Outstanding Pro-Bono Service to Victims of 911, Recognized by Justice Stephen Breyerand Trial Lawyer’s Care, 2003
Consumer Attorneys of California, Award: “Valuable Contributions in the Field for ContinuingLegal Education and the Improvement of the Administration of Justice”

PRESENTATIONS:

Women’s Violence in the Work Place symposium: “Violence in the Workplace-Employer’sliability”
Women Against Silicone Poisoning Seminar: “Silicone Breast Implants: the Science and theLaw.”
Chicago, Illinois, ATLA Summer Seminar: “Evidentiary Issues of Phen-Fen Induced ValvularHeart Disease.”
New Orleans, Louisiana; ATLA mid-winter Seminar: “Statute of Limitations-A MinnesotaException.”
Alexandria, Minnesota, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, Summer Convention:“Epidemiology and Daubert.”
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association: “Ethics and Elimination ofBias.”
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association: “Federal Officer RemovalStatute;”
Phoenix, Arizona, ATLA Summer Seminar, “Whom to Sue and where in PPA Litigation”
Alexandria, Minnesota, “Should You Take a Tobacco Case?”
New Orleans, Louisiana, Mealey’s Propulsid Seminar. “Can your Propulsid Case Survive aDaubert Challenge?”
Seattle, Washington, “Driving a Truck Through the Defendant’s Claim of Safety and Efficacyin Clinical Trials”
Bismarck, South Dakota, “Medicare Secondary Payor Act, Compliance Under the NewStatute.”
Alexandra, Minnesota, “Medicare Secondary Payor Act and the Medicare Reporting Act,Contrasted and Made Simple.”
New Orleans, Louisiana, San Diego, California, “Cardiotoxicity of Dextroproposyphene andPropoxyphene, Darvon, Another 70’s Fad You Will Regret.”
St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota State Bar Association: “Litigating with EpidemiologicalEvidence”
Duluth, Minnesota, Minnesota Association for Justice: “Trial Strategies in Federal Court.”
Washington D.C., “The Use of Expert Witnesses in a Qui Tam Trial”
“A Quick Primer on the Cause of Hospital Acquired Infections.”
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota State Bar Association, “Generic Drugs and RecentPreemption Decisions,” American Association of Justice, San Francisco, California.
“Preemption and Medical Devices, a Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Minnesota State BarAssociation, Minneapolis, Minn.
San Francisco, California, “Minnesota’s Qui Tam Statute, Where’s the Teeth?”
“Evidentiary Issues of Valvular Heart Disease”, ATLA, Mealey’s.
“In the Minds of the Defendant: Defending a Daubert Challenge”, Mealey’s.
“Establishing Damages in a Drug Case”, Mealey’s.
“Can this Statute of Limitations be Saved”, November 2001, California Forum Trial Magazine
“Driving a Truck Through the Defendant’s Claim of Safety and Efficacy in Clinical Trials” July2006, ATLA.
“Medicare Secondary Payor Act, Protocol under the New Statute”, 2010, MinnesotaAssociation for Justice.
“Cardiotoxicity of Dextropropoxyphene and Propoxyphene”, 2011, Harris MartinConferences, New Orleans, San Diego.
“A Primer on the Use of Qui Tam in a Nursing Home Case.” Minnesota Association forJustice, 2012.
“Current Science and Regulatory Considerations in Contaminated Steroid Litigation”,American Association for Justice, January 25, 2013.
“Federal Court Do’s and Don’ts Panel”, Minnesota Association for Justice, February 22,2012, Duluth, MN.
“Preparing for a Qui Tam Jury Trial”, Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF), October 24, 2013,Washington, DC.
“Power Morcellator Litigation Webinar”, American Association for Justice, February 11,2015, Webinar.
“Theories of Liability, Benicar”, Mass Torts Made Perfect, April 15, 2015.
“Boot Camp for Plaintiff’s Attorneys, Mass Tort Med School” HB Conference May 7, 2015
“Reviewing Your Cases on Intake Under the False Claims Act”, American Association forJustice, July 11, 2015, Montreal, Canada.
“Novel Theories of Liability for Third Parties” HarrisMartin’s National Opioid LitigationConference, October 3, 2017, Chicago, Ill
“Respecting Our Resources,” Wisconsin PEO Women’s Group, February 5, 2018, EauClaire, Wisconsin.
“Trial Lawyer Medical School: Minnesota Association for Justice, April 13, 2018,Minneapolis, MN.
“Litigation Update, Taxotere” Mass Tort Medical School HB Conferences, May 10, 2018,New York, New York.
“Overcoming Preemption Challenges,” HarrisMartin’s “Bet the Company Litigation”, May 30,2018, Chicago, Ill.
“Surviving Preemption Challenges,” HarrisMartin’s Women’s Issues in Litigation Conference,October 25, 2018 Santa Monica, CA.
“Tools to Stop Sex Traffickers,” HarrisMartin, November 27, 2018.
“Water Contamination,” HarrisMartin’s January 30, 2019 Conference, Miami, Florida.
“Water Contamination”, Archer, February 27-28, 2019, Cancun, Mexico.
Co-Chair, PFAS Water Contamination Conference, HarrisMartin, October 31, 2019, Miami,Florida.
“Ethical Concerns in Settlement Language,” American Association for Justice, July 15, 2020.
“Science, Liability, and History of PFAS Water Cases,” Co-Chair, HarrisMartin WaterContamination Litigation Webinar Series, July 16, 2020.

PUBLICATIONS:

“Unlearning the Costly Lessons of West,” Waco Tribune-Herald, December 7, 2019.
“Bias in Clinical Trials,” Trial Magazine, September 2007.

Symone Shinton

Associate with Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP

Private Practice

Associate, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP
Associate, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Education

Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., with honors)

Valedictorian
Order of the Coif; summa cum laude
Chicago-Kent Law Review, Executive Articles Editor
Moot Court Honors Society, Member
Ilana Diamond Rovner Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy
Trial Advocacy Team, Member
Best Oral Advocate, Stetson National Pre-Trial Competition

Florida State University (B.S. in International Relations and Spanish Language, with honors)

Summa cum laude

Symone has broad experience in a variety of commercial litigation matters, with a focus on complex products liability cases. Symone has taken and defended the depositions of fact and expert witnesses in an environmental mass-tort multidistrict litigation. She has also prepared analytical chemistry experts for deposition and trial and authored examinations and demonstratives to guide the jury through complex technologies like chromatography and mass spectrometry systems. And Symone has drafted and argued key motions and briefs, including spearheading Daubert evidentiary arguments.

Symone’s advocacy is driven by principles of human connection. She interprets the complex languages of science and technology for juries in a way that authentically meets them where they are. As a first-generation American raised by her mother, Symone is passionate about using the privilege of practicing law to create a more equitable society for under-resourced groups. Symone leads the firm’s antiracist book club, guiding discussions of books that unpack the edifices of institutional racism. She also serves as a board member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Media and Civic Education Board, which supports the Lawyers in the Classroom Program. Symone has directed the firm’s partnership with the Lawyers in the Classroom Program serving middle school students in Chicago’s Bronzeville community since she joined the firm in 2019.

Symone came to the firm after practicing at another leading national law firm. She was the valedictorian of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she received awards for her written and oral advocacy skills on both the moot court and trial teams. She obtained her B.S. summa cum laude from Florida State University.

Of Note

Board Member, Chicago Bar Association’s Media and Civic Education Board (Lawyers in the Classroom Program) (2023-2024)
Selected by Super Lawyers as an Illinois Rising Star (2021-2023)
Board Member, Step Up Women’s Network (2020-2021)
Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Outstanding Pro Bono Alumni Award (2019)

Representative Litigation

Zantac Litigation

Represents GSK in products liability litigation consolidated in Cook County, Illinois involving over-the-counter heartburn medication.

PFAS Environmental Litigation

National counsel for chemical manufacturer in thousands of environmental and products liability claims in state and federal courts nationwide brought by individuals, municipalities, and states alleging groundwater contamination and personal injury as individual claims, consolidated proceedings, and class actions.

Speakers

Our Speakers

Hon. Martin Barash

United States Bankruptcy Judge, Central District of California

Hon. Charles Breyer

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of California

Hon. Edward Chen

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of California

Hon. James Donato

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of California

Hon. Philip S. Gutierrez

United States District Court, Central District of California

Hon. William Highberger

United States District Court Judge, Central District of California

Hon. Jane Milazzo

United States District Court Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana

Hon. Rebecca Pallmeyer

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of Illinois

Hon. Casey Rodgers

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of Florida

Hon. Richard Seeborg

United States District Court Judge, Northern District of California

Hon. Melanie Cyganowski

Retired Judge

Anand Agneshwar

Partner with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Michael Andolina

Partner with White & Case LLP

Christopher Ayers

Partner with Seeger Weiss LLP

Bryan Aylstock

Founding Partner of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis, & Overholtz PLLC

Lisa Blue Baron

Partner with Baron and Blue

Mollie Benedict

Partner with Tucker Ellis LLP

Esther Berezofsky

Member of Motley Rice LLC

Kimberly Branscome

Partner with Dechert LLP

Saul Burian

Managing Director of Houlihan Lokey

Elizabeth Cabraser

Partner with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Tom Cartmell

Founding Partner of Wagstaff & Cartmell

Kimberly Channick

Partner with Walsh Law

Katherine Charonko

Partner with Bailey & Glasser LLP

Christopher Chorba

Partner with Gibson Dunn

Clayton Clark

Partner with Clark, Love & Hutson

Bryan Clobes

Partner with Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP

Terry Coates

Managing Partner of Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, LLC

Lori Cohen

Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig

Shayna Cook

Partner with Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP

Jay Edelson

Founder & CEO of Edelson PC

Sean Fahey

Partner with Troutman Pepper

Amy Fogle

Chief Executive Officer of Milestone

Matt Francis

CEO of Pattern Data

William M. Gage

Attorney with Butler Snow LLP

Matt Garretson

Founder of The Garretson Law Firm

Paul Geller

Managing Partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Lisa Gilford

Partner with Sidley Austin LLP

Brian Glasser

Partner with Bailey Glasser