With a core environmental practice led by Brian Israel in Washington DC, and a product liability group overseen by Anand Agneshwar  and Daphne O’Connor in New York and Washington DC, Arnold & Porter is well-placed to represent a wide spectrum of businesses, with ongoing operations or legacy liabilities, on toxic tort matters involving a myriad chemicals and contaminated materials. In this context, the firm advises on a wide range of issues, including interactions with the relevant regulators – including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – responding to government investigations and addressing remediation requests, as well as handling complex aggregated civil litigation. Washington DC-based Michael Daneker maintains a vibrant practice alongside his duties as co-managing partner of the firm, regularly defending clients in personal injury, medical monitoring, and property damage actions across a range of contaminants. He has been particularly active of late in relation to “forever chemicals”-related issues and continues to act as national coordinating environmental counsel for Honeywell International. Washington DC-based Elissa Preheim has also been pivotal to the work for Honeywell on alleged PFAS contamination and is noted for her ability to litigate high-stakes matters involving parallel proceedings. Also in Washington DC, William Hoffman has deep trial and appellate experience across toxic tort and product liability matters; he continues to represent Bayer as national counsel for the ongoing litigation involving the legacy Monsanto product Round Up.

 

 

Combining exceptionally strong strategic and procedural prowess throughout the litigation process, with high-level substantive law and subject matter knowledge, Jones Day remains a popular choice among major domestic and multinational corporates when faced with high-stakes toxic tort allegations. As well as having exceptional firepower at a trial stage throughout the country, including in many plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions, the team, which is led from Atlanta by Stephanie Parker, also excels in achieving dismissals at a pre-trial stage, regularly prevailing at Daubert evidentiary hearings as well as at a class certification stage. New York-based Theodore Grossman is a key member of the team, with his ongoing work for Daikin in the PFAS litigation further reinforcing his reputation for handling important litigation with potentially industry threatening ramifications. New York-based trial lawyer Leon DeJulius is also regularly involved in high-stakes toxic tort matters, recently securing the dismissal for Chevron of all public nuisance claims asserted in the pending MDL addressing purported liability for sales of the pesticide paraquat.

King & Spalding LLP is well-versed in handling high-stakes, complex multi-pronged toxic tort matters involving a range of contaminants. The firm’s Atlanta and Houston offices regularly act for energy and industrial clients in the aftermath of environmental incidents – where the firm is not only well-placed to advise on ensuing litigation but also to limit any negative press coverage and to manage the immediate incident response. In Houston, Tracie Renfroe  has a ‘great track record in the field’, winning praise for her ‘excellent trial skills’, which extend not only to local and national toxic tort matters but also matters with an international complexion. Also based in Houston, Elizabeth Taber is a popular choice among energy and oilfield companies as defendants in relation to toxic tort suits (including MDLs and class actions) in Texas and beyond, where she excels at all stages of the litigation process, including at trial. In New York, both Kristen Fournier and Morton Dubin have exceptional trial skills which they bring to bear across a range of toxic tort matters, including as it pertains to asbestos exposure. San Francisco-based Matthew Blaschke  co-heads the toxic and environmental team alongside Fournier and has experience of handling both private litigation alongside governmental investigations and enforcement actions. Robert Meadows has retired.

Combining strong litigation experience with deep regulatory prowess, and appreciated for its ability to ‘work with their clients to collaboratively develop winning strategies’, Latham & Watkins LLP is well-positioned to advise energy and natural resources clients, among others, both from a risk management and compliance perspective as well as in the defense of high-stakes nationwide litigation. The firm is able to tap into a strong bench of versatile litigators throughout the country, many of whom have substantial experience of trying high-profile toxic tort matters, including in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. Based out of Chicago but with trial experience in federal and state courts throughout the country, Mary Rose Alexander  is well-known and liked by both chemical and energy sector clients for her ability to achieve favorable results, including in toxic tort and public nuisance cases involving complicated scientific matters, as well as in disputes involving alleged contravention of environmental regulations. Drawing upon significant environmental regulatory knowledge, New York-based Gary Gengel  is appreciated by clients within the defense, automotive and chemicals sectors, among others, for his ability to provide a holistic offering across compliance, remediation and toxic tort litigation matters. Boston-based Gwyn Williams heads up the overarching product liability, mass tort and consumer class action group which houses the underlying toxic tort offering. Kegan Brown left the firm during 2023.

Able to field multi-faceted teams with expertise at the trial and appellate levels on civil litigation, as well as having the capacity to respond to any related governmental investigations that may occur, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is well-positioned to provide sophisticated defense strategies for manufacturing and energy clients across a range of toxic tort matters relating to contaminants in the air, water, and soil. The defense of asbestos-related claims remains a particular strength of the firm, an area where it was afforded even greater nationwide firepower following the arrival at the New York office in January 2023 of experienced trial lawyers Jill Berryand Paul Scrudato from ArentFox Schiff. On the West Coast, Los Angeles-based Yardena Zwang-Weissman exemplifies the flexible nature of the offering, excelling at handling work at the intersection between environmental, mass tort, and product liability litigation. She continues to be part of a multi-office team, led from Los Angeles by James Dragna, that represents Sempra Energy and SoCalGas in ongoing itigation and regulatory proceedings following a natural gas leak at its Aliso Canyon facility in Porter Ranch, California, in 2015 and 2016. Brady Edwards is one of several high-profile litigators in Texas with a focus on environmental/toxic tort disputes, another being seasoned Dallas-based trial lawyer Brad Nes, who co-heads the legacy liability litigation practice group alongside Berry.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP‘s trial-ready team, which is centered in its East and West Coast offices, continues to pick up high-profile leadership roles in many large aggregated litigation proceedings defending matters involving exposure, toxic poisoning, drugs and disasters. It has developed a particularly strong reputation defending clients against asbestos-related mass tort claims, regularly acting as national coordinating and trial counsel for high-profile companies, helping to secure favorable results in courts throughout the country. Washington DC-based Anne Malik has been pivotal to much of this work, as has New York-based Peter Bicks, who was a key part of a team which was recently brought in by a leading cosmetics company to assist another law firm, which was acting as trial counsel in a case where it had previously looked likely that punitive damages would be awarded, ultimately helping it to secure a verdict much lower than was expected. Based in New York, James Stengel is noted for litigating, trying and resolving cases involving procedural and scientific complexity, including as it relates to PFAS exposure. He also continues to represent an independent exploration and production oil company as national co-ordinating counsel in claims by both government and private entities relating to climate change as a result of the production and sale of fossil fuel products. Based in Los Angeles and New York respectively, William Oxley and Meghan Kelly also regularly handle toxic tort matters in their roles as co-heads of the firm’s complex litigation and dispute resolution practice.

 

Baker Botts L.L.P. generates a substantial amount of toxic tort and nuisance litigation work from clients in the energy sector, running the gamut from occupational exposure in relation to toxins released at manufacturing plants, personal injury and property damage caused by the alleged release of toxins and product liability claims regarding chemical products. The team also excels at defending companies following large-scale environmental incidents, including in crisis response, as well as to deal with the ensuing regulatory inquiries and in any follow-on class action litigation. Drawing upon a deep understanding of the operational issues and litigation risks facing companies in the energy and manufacturing industries, Houston-based Russell Lewis excels in handling these type of multi-faceted mandates, as well as regularly advising clients in the space from a risk management perspective. As well as handling toxic tort and class action litigation arising from environmental issues, Washington DC-based Kent Mayo also often assists clients on compliance and enforcement matters relating to environmental regulations including the Clean Air Act, adding deep insight, in part due to his previous tenure as a trial lawyer in the environmental section of the DOJ. Also based in Washington DC, Joshua Frank combines his legal and scientific background to good effect on behalf of clients seeking to prevail in the defense of citizen suits and government enforcement actions in relation to environmental statutes, as well as in conventional toxic tort matters. Mayo and Frank co-head the team alongside Houston-based Tynan Buthod.

 

Leveraging the expertise of ‘thorough, responsive and hardworking’ product liability and mass torts experts, including many with significant trial experience with regard to cutting-edge and unsettled areas of law, Dechert LLP is ‘effectively able to get the job done’ for chemicals, manufacturing and life sciences clients facing down a range of toxic tort and environmental litigation matters. Douglas Fleming has experience throughout the litigation continuum and is a key member of leadership teams for the firm across many of its highest-profile toxic tort mandates, including several in the PFAS space. Team head Sheila L. Birnbaum  has vast experience handling mass torts, including many with a toxic tort and environmental angle; she was part of the team along with Fleming and Mark S. Cheffo  that recently secured a vital victory before a State Supreme Court when it ruled that the defendant in a large water contamination PFAS case would not be held liable for medical monitoring costs of plaintiffs if they are not currently sick. All named practitioners are based in New York. Kimberly Branscome left the firm in February 2024.  

Leveraging ‘a deep bench of experts’ throughout the country including in California, a hotspot for environmental-related matters, DLA Piper LLP (US) provides a ‘very responsive’ service to clients in the defence of a range of toxic tort matters, including on cutting-edge climate change issues, and with regard to the proliferation of claims being brought through the courts with regard to PFAS  contamination.  Co-headed out of Boston and Baltimore by Matthew Holian and John Wellschlager, the firm is currently defending BASF in a high-profile PFAS MDL. Washington DC-based Buffy Mims is also part of this team, and as part of her broad trial practice, regularly represents clients in relation to toxic tort matters. In Los Angeles, first-chair trial lawyer Jayme Long  also regularly handles single and multi-plaintiff toxic tort and product liability cases, including for energy, chemical and manufacturing clients. In San Francisco, George Gigounas is a popular choice for clients seeking to comply with federal and California-specific environmental regulations, and is also regularly engaged in litigation and enforcement actions when litigation is challenged. Also located in San Francisco, the ‘exceptionally responsive’ Greg Sperla  combines regulatory and litigation skills to good effect in the context of Prop 65 work, consumer class actions and similar labeling claims, and is praised for his ability to ‘play the role of both tough litigator and careful negotiator very well’. Los Angeles-based trial lawyer Angela Agrusa, who co-heads the overarching mass torts and class action group with Christopher Campbell in Atlanta, is particularly skilled at defending clients in the food and beverages space, including recent work relating to alleged heavy metals in baby food and PFAS in food packaging.

 

 

Led from Tampa by David Weinstein and drawing upon environmental regulatory and litigation experts spread throughout the country, Greenberg Traurig LLP is well-positioned to help clients fend off multi-plaintiff civil litigation suits, as well as regulatory enforcement actions, irrespective of geographical location. The firm is particularly adept at handling MDLs, regularly working the case up and also representing the client at the trial stage, if necessary. Based in Chicago, seasoned trial lawyer Francis Citera is ‘an excellent legal strategist’, who excels in handling environmental/toxic tort MDLs/class actions, where he is noted for his ability to achieve favorable results at the motions stage, often obtaining summary judgments and outright dismissals prior to trial. Tampa-based Christopher Torres is also recommended and regularly helps to dismiss or limit claims relating to environmental and toxic torts at the motions stage, through the decertification of a class as well as the exclusion of expert witnesses.

‘The best of the best for mass tort litigation’, Kirkland & Ellis LLP regularly has a fulcrum role in class actions and MDLs in major environmental and toxic tort disputes throughout the country. Recognized as the ‘epitome of creative lawyering’, the team, which is more generalist than many in the ranking, has an excellent perspective throughout the litigation continuum, using its feared trial lawyers as effective leveraging tools to achieve beneficial settlements for clients, as well as being dogged and effective advocates in federal and state courts throughout the country. Washington DC-based litigator Mike Brock is a distinguished advocate whose versatile practice has included some high-profile environmental and toxic tort mandates; he continues to act as lead trial lawyer for BP in ongoing cases emanating from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Other recommended lawyers include Chicago-based litigators Renee Smith, Leslie Smith, and Donna Welch, all of whom have experience advising manufacturers and life sciences clients in toxic tort matters.

Leveraging strong core products and toxic tort litigation capability, as well as being able to call upon the expertise of lawyers in complementary areas including appellate law and governmental investigations/white-collar, Mayer Brown frequently has leadership roles in high-profile matters, requiring multi-faceted and comprehensive protection from both a private litigation and governmental angle. The team is a popular choice to act as national co-ordinating counsel on big-ticket MDLs/class actions, helping to drive results and strategy across states and jurisdictions. The team has been at the forefront of many prominent current toxic tort threats to defendants, including ongoing work in the asbestos field, as well as on PFAS matters. Expert trial lawyer Michael Olsen is front and center of many of these, including his work for Veolia as one of the remaining defendants in the Flint Water litigation. Noted for his knowledge of the scientific and technical issues that are key to many of these cases, Craig Woods is central to many of the firm’s successes, working behind the scenes organizing multi-disciplinary expert teams and mounting expert testimony admissibility challenges under Daubert/Frye. Daniel Ring and New York-based Henninger Bullock co-head the overarching product liability and mass torts group alongside Olsen. All named practitioners are based in Chicago unless otherwise noted.

McDermott Will & Emery LLP remains a popular choice among energy, agrichemical and life sciences clients seeking representation in the defense of high-profile toxic tort/environmental claims. Many of these are in the form of large-scale aggregated litigation, with the firm able to amass cohesive multi-office teams working with clients on cases brought in federal and state courts throughout the country, including in traditionally-plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. In this context, the firm is not only able to drive the overarching litigation strategy, frequently achieving notable victories at the motions stage, but also has the courtroom firepower to succeed in high-profile trial situations. A testament to the firm’s skill in the area is the longevity of its client relationships, with clients including ExxonMobil choosing the firm as national strategic and trial counsel in class action, mass tort, environmental and product liability cases litigated in state and federal courts throughout the country. New York-based litigator James Pardo has been at the forefront of this work, representing not only ExxonMobil but alongside Lisa Gerson, who is also based in New York, the entire petroleum industry in relation to their past use of MTBE in reformulated gasoline. Splitting his time between Washington DC and Miami, team head Anthony Upshaw is also a key member of the team and continues to try cases for Monsanto/Bayer in relation to alleged PCB contamination and on Roundup-related matters.

 

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has an ‘extensive depth of experts with whom a client can rely to build either a formative defense or winning offense’, irrespective of geographical location. Toxic tort work runs the gamut from allegations of lead paint poisoning, harm caused by weedkiller through to issues of forever chemicals in the groundwater. The firm’s work relating to asbestos contamination in talc products has gained acclaim - here, Baltimore-based Mike Brown, who is ‘one of the absolute top trial lawyer talents in the country’, has had successes in trials throughout the country and is ‘one of the rare people who strike fear in the hearts of plaintiff’s counsel, even when the trial is held in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions’. Located in South Carolina, David Dukes has experience acting as national trial counsel in MDLs in many locations, and as well as his strength at handling pharmaceutical-related product liability cases, is also regularly engaged in toxic tort matters, including alleged PFAS groundwater contamination. The arrival in May 2023 of the ‘extremely smart, creative and hardworking’ Barbara Harding from Jones Day bolsters the firm’s presence in Washington DC where she is appreciated for her ‘desire to acquire a deep understanding of her clients’ businesses and objectives in order to tailor a litigation approach that works best for them’. South Carolina-based Mark Jones and Minneapolis office head Alana Bassin co-head the team.

Much of Norton Rose Fulbright‘s toxic tort work is generated from its Houston office, with energy sector clients accounting for the majority of the workflow. Under the guidance of Brett Young, the team is particularly accomplished at providing an all-encompassing crisis response service in the aftermath of an environmental accident. Aided on the regulatory front by Eddie Lewis, Young helps clients manage any reputational issues and to effectively deal with media inquiries, as well as to respond to any attendant governmental investigations and ensuing private litigation. On the West Coast, Los Angeles-based Jeffrey Margulies regularly handles product safety and litigation mandates for consumer product manufacturers, including as it relates to California’s Proposition 65 environmental legislation.

Drawing upon the firm’s acclaimed overarching trial skills and also benefiting from enhanced toxic tort and environmental subject matter expertise, following a number of key hires in recent years, including in its Missouri stronghold, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP continues to gain traction in the market, handling private and government-initiated cases involving toxins affecting air, land, groundwater and surface water. The firm has a ‘strong understanding of scientific and technical issues’, as well as forming the basis of many of the firm’s motion successes, regularly striking out the testimony of opposition expert witnesses. Kansas City-based litigator Brent Dwerlkotte is particularly adept at handling litigation involving complex scientific issues related to chemicals; he has been at the forefront of many of the firm’s highest-profile MDLs and class actions regarding alleged damage caused by PFAS contamination. Also based in Kansas, Dave Erickson has vast experience at handling class action and toxic tort litigation as well as environmental regulatory issues, including work relating to Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act proceedings. A ‘strategic thinker’ with ‘tonnes of trial experience’, Adam Miller  in St Louis co-heads the team alongside Erickson following the recent retirement of Mark Anstoetter .

With a robust bi-coastal disputes offering which draws from strong core toxic tort/product liability expertise as well as broader general complex commercial litigation prowess, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is regularly seen in high-profile class action and MDL litigation in venues throughout the country, including many traditionally plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. In addition to being well-versed in leading the overarching strategy on cases involving accusations of damage caused by toxins in the soil, air and water, as well as a result of topical and oral use, the team is frequently brought in on the eve of important bellwether trials, often where another firm is national coordinating counsel. In this regard, New Jersey-based litigator Diane Sullivan regularly achieves success in bet-the-company trials in mass tort cases throughout the country, including in cases involving first-of-its-kind, novel issues of law. Along with Silicon Valley-based co-head David Singh, Sullivan recently successfully represented Burger King in a high-profile case brought by a class of plaintiffs regarding “forever chemicals” in the packaging. An ‘excellent problem-solver’, New York-based Theodore Tsekerides is also recommended and has recently been integral to the firm’s work for Johnson & Johnson regarding its liability in relation to asbestos poisoning in its talc products, particularly in light of his combined product liability and toxic tort and restructuring expertise.

‘The team you bring in when you know you can’t avoid trial and you need to win’, Washington DC-based litigation boutique Wilkinson Stekloff continues to gain market visibility, regularly being parachuted in on some of the highest-profile toxic tort matters to help shape strategy ahead of trial, as well as in critical hearings. ‘Tremendously likeable and skilled in court’, name partner Brian Stekloff continues to act as national trial counsel for Monsanto in relation to Roundup litigation, and is noted in general for his ability to simplify often complex scientific concepts to juries. Recognized as ‘one of the finest trial lawyers in the country’, co-founding partner Beth Wilkinson has also been key to the firm’s success, including her work alongside Stekloff and New York-based Keri Arnold, praised as ‘the real-deal as a rising-star trial lawyers’ for 3M on the PFAS MDL.

With in-depth procedural and substantive law expertise, as well as drawing upon vast scientific knowledge, Winston & Strawn LLP is regularly active in high-profile toxic tort class actions/MDLs in federal and state courts throughout the country. Many of these are in the role of lead trial counsel, where the firm is able to call upon the skill of a vast reservoir of highly acclaimed first-chair trial lawyers among its ranks, including many who are adept at handling complex toxic tort cases. For example, both San Francisco-based team head Sandra Edwards and the vastly experienced George Lombardi in Chicago, continue to handle many of the key trials for Monsanto as defendant in the long-running Roundup litigation. Lombardi is also involved in relation to PFAS litigation, particularly where trials are set. At a more junior level, Chicago-based Bryce Cooper is also key to the firm’s success in many of the highest-profile toxic tort MDLs and has a core involvement in the aforementioned Monsanto matter, as well as for Abbott Laboratories in relation to the infant milk mass tort litigation. The arrival in February 2023 of both Eric Knapp and Troy Yoshino from Squire Patton Boggs enhances the firm’s growing status in the Bay Area, with both regularly involved in toxic tort/environmental class action litigation in the immediate geographical area and beyond.

Bowman and Brooke LLP is best known for its product liability litigation prowess, defending manufacturers in toxic tort matters. The team, which has offices throughout the length and breadth of the country, has experience in federal and state courts throughout the US, regularly acting as national, regional and trial counsel on large-scale mass torts relating to exposure and contamination claims regarding myriad toxins. Drawing upon the firm’s overarching automotive sector knowledge, the team regularly handles toxic tort work for leading automotive manufacturers, including Ford, where under the leadership of experienced Dallas-based trial lawyer Tori Levine, it is defending the automotive giant in relation to injury or wrongful death matters where plaintiffs allege injuries due to exposure to asbestos at a Ford facility. Larry Ramsey and William Auther co-head the team from Los Angeles and Phoenix, respectively.

 

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP provides ‘very practical and strategic’ advice to clients from a wide range of industry sectors, including energy, where the firm has strong and longstanding roots. Asbestos-related contamination work remains a strength, with numerous lawyers spread across the national network adept at defending clients in direct occupational exposure cases, bystander claims and para-occupational, or “take-home” cases. Appreciated for her ability to ‘explain very complex scientific information in an understandable way’, Richmond-based litigator Alexandra Cunningham is very experienced at handling asbestos matters, as well as cases involving alleged chemical contamination. She also handles PFAS matters and is part of a firmwide interdisciplinary group that knits together regulatory, litigation and technical expertise to good effect for clients seeking to navigate the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape and to effectively respond to litigation and enforcement actions and advise on PFAS regulatory compliance and clean-up. Georgia Lucier and Thomas Waskom co-head the overarching product liability and mass tort litigation group with Cunningham from Houston and Richmond, respectively.

Husch Blackwell LLP is a popular choice among regional and national companies in the defense of claims alleging exposure to PCBs, benzene and PFAS, among others. The firm has, however, gained most visibility in relation to its work defending clients exposed to mass nationwide asbestos-related litigation. J.Y Miller is frequently at the forefront of many of these national coordinating counsel roles. Brandan Mueller, who is also based in St Louis, co-heads the team alongside Miller and is noted for his ‘very strategic’ approach and his willingness to go ‘the extra mile into achieving the best possible outcome for his clients’.

Drawing upon experts from within the firm’s product liability and broader environmental offering, McGuireWoods LLP is well-positioned to represent clients facing down high-profile private mass tort litigation, as well as to advise on accompanying regulatory issues and governmental investigations and enforcement. The firm is also adept at providing a crisis management service in the aftermath of environmental accidents, quickly mobilizing resources to deal with often multi-pronged state and federal regulatory inquiries, as well as ensuing private litigation which invariably occurs in its wake. Atlanta-based Adam Sowatzka excels in this kind of circumstance and has expertise handling environmental matters in all media, including air, water, and waste. Los Angeles-based Gregory Evans, who co-heads the environmental litigation practice alongside Eugene Mathews in Richmond, has excellent trial credentials, including securing recent federal court successes which have helped clarify and affirm key aspects in the US federal environmental laws promoting early cleanup of the environment.

 

Morrison Foerster‘s toxic tort and environmental offering is well-versed in representing clients, including consumer goods, technology, and aerospace companies, in class actions and mass torts relating to alleged personal injury and property damage caused by a variety of toxins. Led by William Tarantino from San Francisco, the firm is currently representing a multinational aerospace and defense company in a putative class action and separate individual mass tort matters seeking to hold it accountable for damage to local residents from exposure to toxic chemicals allegedly caused by its historic manufacturing operations in New York. Tarantino is also at the forefront of the firm’s efforts helping clients navigate California’s unique environmental legislation, Proposition 65, both from a compliance perspective and in any enforcement actions. San Diego-based Erin Bosman chairs the firm’s class actions and mass torts practice and has toxic tort experience, including in the context of defending clients in alleged misleading advertising regarding products containing traces of PFAS.

With a deep bench of litigators on both East and West coasts, Nixon Peabody LLP often acts as regional, national, and trial counsel in class action/MDL toxic tort cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. As well as achieving success at trial, the team also regularly prevails at the motions stage, including defeating class certification relating to personal injury, and narrowing the claims to property damage only, on behalf of a national laboratory in a chemical contamination class action. Asbestos-related disputes are also a particular strength, an area in which San Francisco-based litigator Jennifer Kuenster is particularly adept, regularly helping clients to manage their exposure to large dockets of claims. Also based in San Francisco, Lauren Michals provides ‘strong and useable advice’ for clients across a range of toxic exposure cases, as well as in the context of compliance with and litigation relating to Proposition 65.  As part of his eclectic trial practice, Joseph Ortego regularly handles toxic tort matters, including those relating to pesticide and asbestos exposure. Ortego co-heads the team alongside Vivian Quinn, who takes on regional and national cases. All named practitioners are based in New York, unless otherwise indicated.

 

Housed within the firm’s overarching product liability and mass torts team, which is co-headed by Steven Brody in Washington DC and Sabrina Strong in Los Angeles, while it may be less specialized than some in the space, O'Melveny & Myers LLP is able to lean into market-leading capabilities for sprawling class action cases gleaned from its product liability prowess. Many of the firm’s mandates take place within the life sciences sector, with work often straddling both product liability and toxic tort areas. Here, the firm is also well-placed to represent clients in multi-pronged investigations, being as comfortable handling private litigation as it is when dealing with the government.

Reed Smith LLP has a strong national profile defending clients from a range of industry sectors against single plaintiff and class action toxic tort claims relating to chemical and specialized materials. Princeton-based Melissa Geist excels at gaining an edge in complex technical litigation through working closely with defendant expert witnesses on their depositions and at trial, and is one of many lawyers in the team with expertise in defending clients against asbestos claims. Janet Kwuon and Robert Roth co-head the overarching product liability team from Los Angeles and Chicago respectively.

Based out of its Cleveland, Chicago and San Francisco offices, Tucker Ellis LLP regularly picks up key roles as national, regional and trial counsel on mass tort disputes throughout the country. Toxic tort work runs the gamut from defense against claims alleging personal injury, wrongful death and property damage caused by  exposure to benzene and formaldehyde, as well as newer toxic torts including Super Absorbent Materials. The firm is particularly noted for its defense work in relation to asbestos contamination, with Cleveland-based team head Laura Kingsley Hong perhaps the most visible in the area as a result of her work as national counsel, including in trials.