2025 Mass Torts Puerto Rico Speakers

Richard Arsenault

Attorney
Neblett, Beard & Arsenault

Richard has been recognized as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer Magazine. He was nominated for the 2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Public Justice Foundation and selected as a 2015 member of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. In 2014, he was selected by the National Trial Lawyers as the Trial Lawyer of the Year Civil Plaintiff Finalist. He currently serves as Lead Counsel in the Actos MDL where a jury rendered a historic $9 Billion Punitive Damage verdict against Eli Lilly and Takeda. This has been reported as one of the nation’s largest personal injury verdicts. He subsequently served on the team that negotiated a $2.4 Billion settlement which is the largest single mass tort settlement for a drug still on the market. He is also on the Pinnacle MDL Trial Team where a jury rendered a $502 Million verdict against J&J and DePuy. The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys selected Richard to receive their Top 10 Attorney Award for the State of Louisiana. The Wall Street Journal has described Richard as having “national notoriety” and as a “big gun” amongst attorneys in competition for leadership roles. BusinessWeek described him as “a Dean of the Louisiana Tort Bar.” The NYTimes has described him as one of the “big players” in the legal community. USA Today featured him as a member of the “Legal Elite,” – a diverse grouping of America’s leading attorneys and the New Orleans Times Picayune has referred to him as “an authority on class actions.” Richard’s commitment to legal excellence is reflected in the years of serving as a faculty member for LSU’s Trial Advocacy program, lecturing at judicial colleges and assuming leadership roles in local as well as national bar associations. Recently, the LA Supreme Court appointed him to serve on the Rules of Professional Conduct Class Action Committee. For over 25 years, Richard has held Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating.

Tristan Axelrod

Partner
Brown Rudnick LLP

Tristan Axelrod is a partner in Brown Rudnick’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Practice Group. Tristan concentrates his practice in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, focusing on mass torts, cryptocurrency and energy. Tristan is recognized as a leading bankruptcy/restructuring practitioner by Chambers USA and The Legal 500. His scholarship regularly appears in law reviews and industry publications, and he serves as co-editor of Chapter 11: Bankruptcy, a treatise for Massachusetts practitioners

Carlos R. Baralt-Suárez

Attorney
Baralt Law LLC

Carlos R. Baralt-Suárez is Of Counsel at Delgado & Fernández, LLC, where he focuses on securities litigation, litigation related to real estate, complex commercial litigation, appeals, and constitutional law controversies. The synergy between Baralt Law LLC and Delgado & Fernández, LLC allows for collaboration that amplifies our shared commitment to providing exceptional legal results and enables us to pool intellectual capital, technological assets, and industry experience. With over a decade of experience in the legal industry, Mr. Baralt-Suárez has successfully represented clients before federal and state courts, administrative agencies, and regulatory bodies.

James Bergener

Founder
The Bergener Firm

Recognized by fellow accident lawyers, he has been a guest lecturer at conferences, legal seminars, and law schools on topics involving injury tort litigation and practice management.Aside from his numerous academic and professional interactions, “Sweet James” Bergener provides weekly commentary as a legal expert on various radios stations and television programs across the nation.

Robby H. Birnbaum

Partner
Greenspoon Marder LLP

Robby H. Birnbaum began his law career with Greenspoon Marder in 1998 and has practiced with the firm ever since.  Mr. Birnbaum is a Partner and Practice Group Leader of the Regulatory Compliance and Financial Services Practice Groups and serves on the firm’s Management Committee.  Mr. Birnbaum also Chairs the firm’s Health and Consumer Insurance Sales Regulatory Group. For over 20 years, Mr. Birnbaum has provided proactive, successful compliance strategies and outcomes to financial and health industry clients. Mr. Birnbaum also has substantial experience in the travel and vacation resort industries, representing and counseling some of the largest travel providers and sellers of vacation and business travel services in the world. Mr. Birnbaum’s practice focuses on providing comprehensive legal advice and regulatory advocacy to a broad spectrum of clients, such as nonbank financial products and services providers; advertisers and marketers; health insurance and health-related service sellers; along with trade and professional associations.  Mr. Birnbaum practices before the CFPB, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), offices of state attorneys’ general, state banking and financial services departments and federal and state insurance regulators. A substantial portion of Mr. Birnbaum’s work involves assisting clients with proactive regulatory compliance to remain out of the cross-hairs of regulators and expensive class action lawsuits.  Mr. Birnbaum immerses himself in the industries of his clients, advising clients on how to minimize the legal risks related to providing, advertising, and marketing financial and health insurance products and services to consumers under federal and state consumer protection laws, including laws and regulations under the jurisdiction of the CFPB and FTC.  Mr. Birnbaum’s team also assists with state licensing and agency compliance reviews.  Mr. Birnbaum regularly advises on the design of compliance management systems tailored to specific client needs and government expectations. Mr. Birnbaum is an experienced advertising attorney who regularly advises clients on consumer protection issues, specifically with regard to advertising and promotions, including digital media and lead generation, as well as consumer credit and financial services laws, privacy laws and regulations. He has extensive experience in the issues surrounding mobile marketing, target marketing, lead generation, affiliate marketing, social media, and user-generated content.  Mr. Birnbaum has widely counseled clients on compliance with state and federal banking and insurance regulations, along with the sweeping wave of recent state privacy law regulations. Mr. Birnbaum focuses on defending clients in regulatory investigations and enforcement actions pursued by the CFPB, FTC, state attorneys’ general, and other state regulatory agencies, as well as advising in private litigation involving claims, such as false or misleading advertising, TCPA and telemarketing challenges, and unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices. Mr. Birnbaum is heavily involved as the “go-to attorney” for the debt settlement, consumer credit counseling, vehicle service contracts, seller of travel, and the credit repair industries, actively representing over 500 companies in those industries in all areas from lead generation to administrative licensing and contract fulfillment.  Mr. Birnbaum also counsels the financial partners and supporting vendors of those industries, and is active in their trade associations. Mr. Birnbaum regularly counsels private equity and venture capital funds, along with public companies on their potential investments and market activity in regard to his practice areas.  Mr. Birnbaum regularly supports and serves as lead counsel and advisor on multi-million dollar buyouts and investments.  Mr. Birnbaum serves as outside general counsel to many of the firm’s largest advertising, financial, insurance and other public companies. Mr. Birnbaum served as the elected president of the American Fair Credit Council, the National Association of Credit Service Organizations, and the Administrator of the Vehicle Protection Association. Mr. Birnbaum is exceptionally active in Congressional and legislative affairs groups, bringing those direct insights and current updates back to the firm’s clients.  Moreover, affiliate marketing, publisher/affiliate lead generation and sales, and network referrals round out Mr. Birnbaum’s practice areas. Over the last twenty years, Mr. Birnbaum has likely resolved, without the need for litigation and to the great satisfaction of his clients, more state and federal government investigations and inquiries than any other attorney.

Justin Brass

Co-CEO and Senior Managing Director
JBSL

Justin Brass is the Co-CEO and Senior Managing Director of JBSL, a Legal Finance Company.  Over the last half decade, Justin and his team have syndicated and managed billions of dollars in litigation investments with partners ranging from hedge funds, alternative asset managers, private equity, insurance companies, large family offices, and traditional litigation funders. The group’s unique and structured approach has helped institutionalize the asset class in a way that provides borrowers with facilities more akin to traditional commercial lending and provides investors the flexibility to put more money to work and fit varying investment needs.  JBSL is also the only desk on Wall Street that regularly facilitates secondary market trading of other financiers’ and plaintiffs’ litigation risk. JBSL frequently advises other litigation funders, hedge funds and their LPs concerning the secondary market and the structuring of investments.

Gregory A. Cade

Principal Attorney
Environmental Litigation Group, P.C.

Gregory Cade is a unique attorney, having a strong scientific background that enables him to efficiently assist clients injured by toxic exposure and defective products. He is the Principal Attorney at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. With over 20 years of experience, the attorney is also the founder of the law firm as it is today, as he expanded its practice area from asbestos exposure to other types of cases involving environmental contaminants. Gregory Cade began working at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. in 1990 as a paralegal while attending graduate school to obtain his Master of Public Health in Occupational Health, Safety, and Industrial Hygiene. The degree has been of utmost importance in allowing him to know his cases in depth and to find the most favorable legal options for his clients. Gregory Cade worked closely with toxicologists, epidemiologists, and other scientists at the UCLA School of Public Health, contributing to a thorough understanding of how environmental contaminants affect human health. Having represented thousands of individuals and communities over the Southeast, Gregory Cade is driven to help injured people obtain the compensation they deserve for their unjust suffering. The attorney had the vision to form a national trial law firm that litigates multidistrict environmental cases throughout the United States. A true understanding of the principles of toxic torts, quantitative analysis, and environmental law has carved a career for Gregory Cade in a practice area that is often avoided due to its complexity, time consumption, and financial risk. The attorney’s dedication and motivation are renewed daily while working with clients who have been negligently or intentionally injured by exposure to toxic contaminants in the workplace or the environment. While Gregory Cade is the Principal Attorney at the law firm, he always makes sure to allow everyone on the legal team to have a word to say on how to approach a case, as he works in a democratic and diplomatic capacity.

Daniel Callahan

Attorney
Callahan Consulting Group LLC

Daniel Callahan opened his own law office on St. Patrick’s Day in 1984. From there, he distinguished himself as one of the top trial attorneys in California and has repeatedly been recognized by his peers for his incredible accomplishments. Mr. Callahan was the winner of the prestigious OCTLA Trial Lawyer of the Year Award three times, in 2000, 2004, and 2012. Since founding Callahan & Blaine, Mr. Callahan has won many jury trials and obtained scores of seven and eight-figure settlements on behalf of his clients.

Vince Carnevale

Partner
Milberg

Vince Carnevale is a Partner at Milberg involved with the assessment and implementation of legal technology applications to improve firm operations. Mr. Carnevale graduated from Robert Morris University in 1995 with a B.S.B.A. degree in Finance/Economics. He attended The University of Pittsburgh School of Law and graduated in 2001. After law school, Mr. Carnevale joined an AMLaw 200 defense firm, working on electronic discovery projects related to multiple global mass tort pharmaceutical litigation matters. He went on to work as an Investigative Analyst/Legal Project Manager for Crivella West Incorporated, an advanced analytics and investigational research company. With over twenty years of experience managing all aspects of electronic discovery including collection, search, review and production, Mr. Carnevale has drafted various discovery pleadings including Document Preservation Orders, Legal Hold Notices, and Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Document Production Protocols. He has been the lead ESI project manager for some of the largest Mass Tort Class Action Pharmaceutical litigations in the country and has additional experience with Bankruptcy, Antitrust, Securities, Commercial, and Employment Law matters. Mr. Carnevale has attended numerous Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(f) Meet and Confer sessions to assist in the negotiation of ESI protocols and search criteria. He has also drafted declarations and affidavits regarding the quality and sufficiency of document productions and has attended status conferences in State and Federal court to support the related motions. Mr. Carnevale was selected to become a member of The Sedona Conference WG1 Brainstorming Group on Multidistrict Litigation and also on Possession, Custody, or Control. He is also a member of the EDRM State Rules project team with a mission to organize and publish a cross reference of State eDiscovery Rules with the US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Mr. Carnevale attained his Project Management Professional PMP® certification in March 2015. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Pennsylvania as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and is also a Registered Foreign Lawyer.

Eric Citron

Partner
Zimmer, Citron & Clarke

Eric Citron co-founded Zimmer, Citron & Clarke in 2025 after spending a decade at two leading Washington appellate litigation boutiques representing plaintiffs in high stakes litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. He teaches the Supreme Court Litigation clinic at Harvard Law School and has briefed and argued numerous cases across the state and federal appellate courts. Early in his career, Eric served as Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a result, he has become a particularly sought-after advocate for enforcement-side antitrust and competition appeals. His experience includes representing plaintiffs in several billion-dollar cases, including the Visa/Mastercard interchange fee litigation, appeals arising from the LIBOR-fixing and other financial-market manipulation scandals, and the opioid, Roundup, PFAS, and talcum-powder multidistrict litigations. He designed and executed the groundup litigation that resulted in the Supreme Court overturning Quill v. North Dakota. (South Dakota v. Wayfair, 585 U.S. 162 (2018)). And although he was in private practice, the U.S. government asked him to share its time and argue for the country’s leading antitrust scholars in the D.C. Circuit appeal over its effort to stop the AT&T/TimeWarner merger. (United States v. AT&T, 916 F.3d 1029 (2019)). In addition to his active legal practice, Eric serves as a managing director at TRGP Capital, a leading litigation finance fund. Through his work in private practice and at TRGP, Eric has extensive experience evaluating potential cases, advising on litigation-related investment strategy and case design, and handicapping potential legal outcomes in ongoing matters.

Edwina Clarke

Partner
Zimmer, Citron & Clarke

Edwina Clarke co-founded Zimmer, Citron & Clarke in 2025. Edwina previously spent seven years at Goodwin Procter in Boston, where she was a partner in Goodwin’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice and focused on appeals and complex civil litigation. Her past work spans a range of areas, including patent litigation, administrative law, civil rights, and ERISA. She has litigated cases in federal and state trial courts, federal and state courts of appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Edwina also has extensive experience analyzing and handicapping cases in the Supreme Court and elsewhere for investment firms and litigation funders. Edwina was named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List” for 2023 and 2024. In 2024, Edwina was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for her work in appellate litigation.

Chris Coffin

Partner
Coffin Law, LLC

Chris Coffin is founder and partner of Coffin Law, LLC., located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has over 20 years of experience litigating complex cases involving defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices, environmental contamination, product liability, toxic torts and consumer fraud claims.   Before becoming an attorney over 25 years ago, Chris worked as a registered nurse. His combined background in nursing and law has provided him with a unique perspective when litigating pharmaceutical and medical device cases.   Drawing on this specialized knowledge and experience, he has successfully litigated thousands of cases addressing drug and device manufacturing defects, design defects, inadequate warnings, and fraudulent misrepresentations made by manufacturers. He has  taken on some of the world's largest pharmaceutical and medical device companies and has led national pharmaceutical cases involving clients from nearly every state in the country.  

Jayne Conroy

Shareholder
Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP

Jayne Conroy is a named shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy and oversees practice areas in the Complex Litigation Department. Under her leadership, the firm has become one of the country’s largest plaintiff law firms dedicated to helping those injured by corporate wrongdoing. With a legal career spanning more than three decades, Jayne has earned a superb national reputation as an elite trial lawyer, skilled strategist and decisive negotiator. She has consistently helped secure billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for thousands of individuals, families and communities in numerous courtrooms nationwide.

Mildred Conroy

Associate
Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP

Mildred Conroy joined the Lanier Law Firm’s New York office as an associate in 2018 and practices in the areas of toxic torts, pharmaceutical litigation, mass torts and product liability. Ms. Conroy proudly fights for injured clients and their families who have been harmed by defective products and corporate negligence. Prior to joining the Lanier Law Firm, Ms. Conroy was a legal assistant with the Madison County District Attorney’s Office, where she worked primarily in the felony division. Ms. Conroy is from Massachusetts and received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington College in Chestertown, MD. She then went on to attend Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol Rhode Island, where she focused on Maritime law. Ms. Conroy is a member of the American Association for Justice, American Bar Association and the Missouri Bar Association. When she is not passionately advocating for her clients, Ms. Conroy enjoys competitive sailboat racing, skiing and spending time with her family.

Erin Copeland

Partner
Fibich Leebron Copeland & Briggs

Mass tort litigator licensed in Texas and Missouri. Represents injured individuals nationwide. Largely focused on issues involving women's healthcare and litigation involving drugs and devices specifically for women. Appointed Co-Lead of the Paragard (birth control product) MDL pending in Atlanta, GA. Previously served on Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the Essure (birth control product) JCCP pending in Alameda County, California. Helped to facilitate a 1.6B settlement on behalf of nearly 30k Plaintiffs who claimed injury by the Essure device. Other appointments include: Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the Hair Relaxer MDL pending in Illinois; Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the Uloric consolidated action pending in Illinois; Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the Onglyza MDL pending in Kentucky; Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in all Transvaginal Mesh MDLs pending in West Virginia and Plaintiffs' Steering Committee/State-Federal Liaison in Pradaxa MDL in Illinois

Katherine Cornell

Owner
Cornell Law

Katherine Cornell is the owner of Cornell Law where she focuses on pharmaceutical and medical device cases nationwide. Since obtaining her Juris Doctor from Michigan State University in 2012, Katherine has worked exclusively on the front line of mass pharmaceutical and product liability litigation, representing tens of thousands of victims who have been harmed.

Katherine worked extensively on the transvaginal mesh litigation and served on the trial team against Mentor Worldwide and its parent company Johnson & Johnson, obtaining a $4.4 million dollar verdict for her client. She handled thousands of hernia mesh claims and was appointed to leadership by Judge Porto in the Proceed Mesh MCL in the Superior Court of New Jersey – Atlantic County. In addition, Katherine was appointed by Honorable Judge Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the 3M Combat Arms Earplug multi-district litigation where she served on multiple trial teams.  Katherine was also appointed to leadership by Judge Rowland in the Hair Relaxer Product Liability Litigation in the Northern District of Illinois.

In her spare time, Katherine is an active member of the legal community. She has been named a Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers. She serves on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Revitalization Board and is a member of the Voter Protection Action Committee and the National Finance Council.

Sharon Desh

Partner
Winston & Strawn LLP

Sharon is a courtroom-proven trial lawyer who specializes in the jurisdictional complexities of high-profile cases involving parallel proceedings in state and federal courts. Known for her ability to collaborate across the aisle, Sharon’s proactive viewpoint and unique ability to navigate the uncertain waters of mass torts has enabled her to deliver excellent results for her clients, and has earned her the respect of judges, opposing counsel, and joint defense groups in some of the most contentious litigation of this decade. Over the course of just the last year, Sharon helped secure a defense jury verdict on behalf of a multinational healthcare company in the NEC litigation in state court after the Plaintiff requested over US$6.2B in damages and later went on to obtain a complete summary judgment ruling in her client’s favor in the first three NEC MDL bellwether trials.

Robert J. Drakulich

Partner
The Drakulich Firm

Robert J. Drakulich (Bob) is a trial lawyer and partner at THE DRAKULICH FIRM, A Professional Law Corporation, with offices in California and Nevada. Mr. Drakulich’s primary practice is in the areas of product liability, medical device/ pharmaceutical drug mass torts, and catastrophic personal injury, including wrongful death. Mr. Drakulich is licensed to practice law in California, Nevada, Minnesota, and Washington D.C. and is admitted to practice before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Drakulich has actively participated as a member of the trial team on several multi-million-dollar cases. Mr. Drakulich has helped attain hundreds of millions of dollars for the firm’s mass tort clients. In addition to his work on the firm’s mass tort practice, Mr. Drakulich has also helped secure substantial verdicts and settlements on behalf of the firm’s single event cases.

Mr. Drakulich was honored to be appointed to the Plaintiff Steering Committee (PSC) in In re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2973, by the Hon. Brian R. Martinotti of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey and has been a key team member re: the depositions in the case as well as the science and efficacy of the drug.

Mr. Drakulich has extensively worked in Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) settings in nationally prominent Multi-District Litigations (MDL’s) against the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device corporations. In addition to In re: Elmiron, Mr. Drakulich has worked at the direction and request of lead counsel in other MDL cases, including In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 11- 2299 (United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana) and In Re: Incretin Mimetics Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2452, (United States District Court, Southern District of California). Mr. Drakulich has also worked on various state court coordinated proceedings, including cases in St. Louis, Missouri and the California Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP).

Mr. Drakulich is thankful to be an invited speaker at over thirty legal seminars across the country, including the prestigious Texas Tech MDL Judicial Summit, Western Alliance Bank's annual Class Action Law Forum (CALF) held in collaboration with University of San Diego School of Law, Mass Torts Puerto Rico, and numerous HarrisMartin MDL Conferences across the country.

Mr. Drakulich is grateful for the awards and distinctions that he has received throughout his career, including: San Diego Super Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers in California, AVVO’s highest rating of “Superb” (10.0 out of 10), and the Top 100 Attorneys in the State of Nevada by America’s Top 100 Attorneys.

Mr. Drakulich graduated (cum laude) from the University of San Diego School of Law. Before entering law school, Mr. Drakulich was a high school teacher and working artist. He graduated (cum laude) with a B.A. degree from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Drakulich endeavors to employ his creative skills and teaching background in law. Much like art, when handling a client’s case, Mr. Drakulich looks at it from every angle, reduces it to the simplest form and tries to think of the most compelling method to convey it to an audience.

Nicholas J. Drakulich

Founding Partner
The Drakulich Firm

Nicholas J. Drakulich (Nick) is the founder of THE DRAKULICH FIRM, A Professional Law Corporation, with offices in California and Nevada. Mr. Drakulich has been uniquely honored to have been appointed by several Federal Courts across the nation to serve as a member of Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee or Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in nationally prominent Multi-District Litigations (MDL’s) against the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device corporations, recovering several billions of dollars on behalf of injured plaintiffs. Mr. Drakulich was also selected to be the lead trial counsel in several of these cases and a member of the trial team in others. Mr. Drakulich was one of the core members on the trial team together with Mark Lanier, Richard Arsenault, Paul Pennock, and Neil Overholtz in the Actos MDL that secured a historic verdict of over $9 Billion Dollars, which was reported to be the seventh largest punitive damages verdict in U.S. history. The Actos MDL ultimately ended in a $2.4 Billion Dollar settlement. As the court noted following the successful resolution of the Actos MDL:  

Mr. Drakulich provided much oversight and input to the trial team throughout the trial. He was instrumental in the development of the case against Eli Lilly & Co. He attended the trial and was heavily relied upon for his advice and counsel through settlement due to his extensive experience in complex litigation. Mr. Drakulich maintained a day to day overview of most MDL activities and was literally consumed with the litigation  

In addition to his MDL work, Mr. Drakulich also successfully represented along with co-counsel in state court nearly two thousand individuals against the manufacturers of spinal implants that were alleged to have caused serious injuries. These cases ultimately resulted in a confidential settlement following several years of protracted and intensive litigation. Following a jury verdict against one of the world’s largest medical device manufacturers, the trial counsel for this giant corporation, opined that Mr. Drakulich is an “exceptionally able, senior, seasoned litigator who was extremely well prepared and clearly spent considerable time and effort to ensure the best possible representation of his client.” Mr. Drakulich has also been honored to be selected as a Super Lawyer, a member of the National Trial Lawyers, The Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. For many years, Mr. Drakulich has been consistently rated (“AV”) by Martindale Hubbell, America’s preeminent peer-reviewed lawyer rating service. He has been an invited speaker at several dozen legal seminars across the United States, including the prestigious MDL Judicial Summit, the Class Action Law Forum, Mass Torts Puerto Rico, and others sponsored by the AAJ, HarrisMartin, Mealey’s and numerous State Bar Associations. Mr. Drakulich focuses his practice in catastrophic personal injury, products liability, and mass torts. He has enjoyed a diverse and rewarding trial practice for more than thirty-five years having recovered several hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of his injured clients. Mr. Drakulich is proud to be a trial lawyer and humbled to champion his clients’ quest for justice.

John Driscoll

Attorney
The Driscoll Firm, LLC

John J. Driscoll founded The Driscoll Firm, LLC, in October 2008. John is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota. In addition, he is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, the Southern District of Illinois, the District of Minnesota and the District of Columbia. John has offices in St. Louis, Mo.; Chicago, Il.; Raleigh, NC and San Juan, Puerto Rico.  In 2020, during the pandemic, John moved to Puerto Rico. When in Puerto Rico, he enjoys long walks on the beach, and is becoming pickle ball curious.

Patrick J. Driscoll

Attorney
Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Patrick J. Driscoll is a member of the Mass Torts and Civil Rights legal teams at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC. Patrick works with those affected by police and prosecutorial misconduct, focusing on wrongful convictions and other serious violations of constitutional rights. In addition to his civil rights practice, he represents individuals and families in wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases, including those arising from defective products, motor vehicle collisions, and other forms of negligence. His work in mass torts litigation involves advocating for those harmed by toxic emissions and defective airplanes, ensuring they receive justice and compensation for their injuries.

Paul Farrell Jr.

Principal
Farrell & Fuller Law

Paul Farrell leads the vanguard of the next generation of mass tort lawyers. A West Virginia native, he filed the first transvaginal mesh (TVM) cases in the country resulting in the formation of MDL2807 styled In re Pelvic Repairs System Product Liability Litigation in Charleston, West Virginia. Paul served as Plaintiffs’ Liaison for some 80,000 cases from across the country and trial counsel for the bellwethers. Since 2016, his practice has focused on the opioid litigation after filing some of the first public nuisance cases on behalf of political subdivisions from the Ohio River Valley. Paul was appointed Co-Lead Counsel of MDL 2804 styled In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation which has been described as the most complex mass tort in American jurisprudence. Paul is considered one of the architects of the case against the distributors of prescription opioids and served as lead trial counsel in the first bellwether trial brought on behalf of his hometown in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. Paul is a co-founder of Farrell & Fuller, LLC, formed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and recently designed and filed the first anti-trust cases against Google and Facebook on behalf of newspapers from across the country. Paul is married to his law school sweetheart, Jacqueline Farrell, and they are the proud parents of Connor, Cahley and Casey.

Yvonne Flaherty

Partner
Lockridge Grindal Nauen

Yvonne M. Flaherty focuses her practice on the representation of injured parties in complex litigation against pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, as well as class actions involving a variety of consumer and product defect claims. She has been appointed to serve as Lead Counsel in consolidated claims against national medical device manufacturers and serves on several Plaintiff Steering Committees on behalf of thousands of claimants in Multi District Litigation throughout the United States. Ms. Flaherty has also served on trial teams in two national class actions, both of which were tried to verdict. In Peterson v. BASF Corp., Ms. Flaherty was a member of the trial team who secured a substantial jury verdict for a nation-wide class of farmers seeking redress for violation of consumer protection statutes. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences concerning medical device and pharmaceutical litigation, including topics concerning mass tort litigation, preemption, electronic discovery, and the Learned Intermediary Doctrine. Yvonne M. Flaherty is a member of the American Association for Justice (“AAJ”) formerly ATLA, numerous AAJ committees, co-chairs the Electronic Discovery Committee, and is the past Chair of the Women’s Trial Lawyers Caucus. She also serves on the Minnesota Association for Justice Board of Governors and Executive Committee and is a member of the Minnesota State, Hennepin County and Federal Bar Associations.

Lee Floyd

Of Counsel
Meadow Law

Lee is a distinguished trial attorney with a reputation for fierce, client-centered advocacy. Lee focuses her practice on representing the most vulnerable populations in consolidated actions, with an emphasis on those who have been sexually abused. In 2024, Lee became the first female trial lawyer in the country to secure a nine-figure verdict on behalf of children who were sexually abused. As trial counsel in the groundbreaking case against Cumberland Hospital, Lee obtained a $360 million jury verdict on behalf of three female clients.

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In addition to her national sex abuse practice, Lee focuses on high-stakes mass tort litigation. She is routinely appointed by judges across the country to serve in leadership roles in mass tort and class action litigations, and currently holds leadership positions in the Paragard MDL, Hair Relaxer MDL, Suboxone MDL, and numerous data breach class actions.

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Before dedicating her career to protecting the most vulnerable, Lee spent a decade defending global corporations and was elected the youngest equity partner in the history of her former national law firm. Lee brings a unique perspective to every case she handles because she’s worked on both sides at the highest levels.

Daniel R. Flynn

Partner
DiCello Levitt LLP

Dan Flynn represents governmental entities, individual consumers, and corporate clients—all with one primary goal in mind: ensuring the protection of human health and the environment. His stewardship ensures not only that polluters be held responsible for contamination and clean-up, but that corporate entities understand their responsibilities under state and federal environmental laws. As a result of his advocacy in advising corporations on compliance, Dan’s clients lead their respective industries in environmental stewardship efforts under a number of rules and regulations including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Dan assists corporate entities, governmental agencies, and the public by ensuring that companies that have contaminated the environment and violated regulations take responsibility for their actions. Through contribution and cost recovery actions, common law claims, citizen suits, enforcement actions, and proper due diligence and contract negotiation, he ensures polluters and bad actors remediate the harm they have caused. Dan is part of the DiCello Levitt team working with several states in investigating and addressing poly- and perfluoroalkyl substance (“PFAS”) contamination.  DiCello Levitt’s PFAS team, along with other Special Assistant Attorneys General and the Illinois Attorney General, most recently filed a lawsuit against 3M for PFAS contamination from its facility in Cordova, Illinois. Cases involving these “forever chemicals” will have wide-reaching implications for state governments and their residents. Dan also represents public clients in groundbreaking litigation against the world’s largest fossil fuel companies and the American Petroleum Institute, alleging that the defendants, for decades, misled and failed to warn the public about the catastrophic consequences of climate change. Dan works with communities that have been impacted by years of exposure to polluted air, water, and soil. Recently, Dan and DiCello Levitt’s environmental team joined with co-counsel in representing several residents and former residents of Union, Illinois in filing suit against companies responsible for polluting the groundwater with carcinogenic chlorinated solvents. Dan also serves as interim co-lead counsel in a class action on behalf of the residents of Rockton, Illinois and surrounding communities for property damages they sustained following a catastrophic fire at a local chemical factory. In addition to his environmental work, Dan frequently counsels clients on developing and maintaining state-of-the-art safety and health programs that ensure all employees enjoy safe and healthful workplaces. He works closely with both his clients and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) to enhance employee safety and health well beyond OSHA’s minimum requirements.

Michael Fuller

Principal
Farrell & Fuller Law

Mr. Fuller is one of the founding member of Farrell & Fuller. Mr. Fuller spent decades holding the nursing home industry responsible for the abuse and neglect of the elderly. Now he has turned his attention to other corporate giants in the pharmaceutical industry by taking a key leadership role in the nationwide opioid litigation. Mr. Fuller along with Mr. Farrell have most recently began anti-trust litigation against Google and Facebook on behalf of our Country’s Newspaper Industry.

Marc D. Grossman

Senior Partner
Milberg

Marc D. Grossman is a Senior Partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, LLC with decades of experience representing large groups of plaintiffs against major corporate defendants, including in the areas of environmental torts, medical claims, class actions and mass torts, both domestically and globally. Mr. Grossman has also produced five Broadway shows, and is co-owner of the Puerto Rican professional basketball team Mets de Guaynabo.

Frances Haugen

Advocate for accountability & transparency in social media

Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Frances is the daughter of two professors and grew up attending the Iowa caucuses with her parents, instilling a strong sense of pride in democracy and responsibility for civic participation. Frances holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Olin College and an MBA from Harvard. She is a specialist in algorithmic product management, having worked on ranking algorithms at Google, Pinterest, Yelp and Facebook. She was recruited to Facebook to be the lead Product Manager on the Civic Misinformation team, which dealt with issues related to democracy and misinformation, and later also worked on counter-espionage. During her time at Facebook, Frances became increasingly alarmed by the choices the company makes prioritizing their own profits over public safety and putting people's lives at risk. As a last resort and at great personal risk, Frances made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on Facebook. Frances fundamentally believes that the problems we are facing today with social media are solvable. We can have social media that brings out the best in humanity.

Aaron Heckaman

Partner
Bailey, Cowan, Heckaman PLLC

Aaron graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information and Operation Management. He then attended South Texas College of Law, where he represented the school in the mock trial program, and served as an associate editor for the Corporate Counsel Review. Prior to joining the firm, Aaron worked for two nationally recognized trial law firms. Aaron has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers (2021), in addition to being named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers (2010, 2019-2020), a Thomson Reuters publication and was selected to Rue Ratings’ Best Attorneys of America (2016). He is a member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, the American Academy of Trial Attorneys, and the Texas Bar College.

Eric D. Holland

Owner/ Partner
Holland Law Firm

Taking on American and international corporate giants, Eric Holland’s litigation results are measured in the billions and billions of dollars recovered for his clients and in measurable societal good like getting unsafe firearms off the streets, triggering governmental investigations, and fighting against court secrecy. His work has been featured in Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Times, NPR, CBS, the L.A. Times, and CNBC, to name just a few. In just the last three years, he has been described to the media as a “legal mastermind” by his corporate opponents. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award and was also inducted into the Verdict Hall of Fame by the National Law Journal. Based in St. Louis, Eric has handled cases across the United States and obtained many record-setting jury verdicts and settlements. He obtained over 25 multi-million-dollar results in single injury cases in the first 20 years of his law practice involving railroad, product liability, and trucking matters. Over the last fifteen years, Eric has developed his firm’s complex litigation practice into one of the country’s leaders and has been instrumental in obtaining several eight-, nine-, and ten-figure verdicts and settlements, many of which have been litigated in courts in and around St. Louis. He has been appointed to leadership positions in mass tort and class action litigations, including lead counsel, steering committee, and executive committee posts in various state and federal courts. He is an active speaker and a member of several trial attorney associations, including the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA), AAJ, NTL, and many others. He has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” since 2006, holds the “A.V. Preeminent” rating of Martindale-Hubbell, is a “Top Rated Lawyer” (Mass Torts, Product Liability, and Class Action litigation), and has been a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” and a “Top 25 Mass Tort Lawyer” for several years. Eric currently serves on the Executive Committee for The National Trial Lawyers and the Lawyers Cabinet for the George Washington University Law School’s Complex Litigation Center.

Alexandra M. Honeycutt

Senior Associate
Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman

Bradley D. Honnold

Founding Partner
Goza & Honnold, LLC

Brad Honnold has more than 30 years of experience trying lawsuits and managing high stake litigation throughout the country. Brad has been recognized by his peers and clients for his outstanding work ethic and everlasting advocacy on behalf of his clients. When he takes on a case, Brad’s clients acquire the benefit of his seasoned legal experience, and extensive knowledge of the law, as well as his ready sense of humor. After graduating from the University of Iowa – College of Law, and before starting his own law firm, Brad was a partner at a large nationally known firm. He was a defense attorney from 1989 to 2004, representing hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and physicians in product liability and medical negligence litigation. In 2005 Brad made the switch to representing plaintiffs. He, along with his friend and law partner Kirk Goza, started Goza & Honnold, LLC. After working as a defense lawyer, Brad wanted to use his expertise to represent clients who had experienced an injury caused by medical malpractice. Because of his experience as a defense lawyer, Brad brings a different perspective to cases, and he felt a calling to do something different – something that would help people in their time of need. “I really just felt a calling to do something different,” he said. “There’s something very different about dealing with a person who has been injured or harmed in some way.” As a partner of Goza & Honnold, LLC, Brad focuses on medical negligence, pharmaceutical and prescription drugs, medical devices, and general personal injury cases. Since partnering and working on national litigations, Kirk and Brad have represented thousands of clients, including Vioxx, Bextra/Celebrex, Fleets Phospho Soda, Trans Vaginal Mesh, DePuy ASR, Zimmer Durom, Pradaxa, Fosamax, Actos, and Power Morcellator. Brad is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, The Kansas Bar, The Missouri Bar, the U.S. District Court – District of Kansas, the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, and The Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers. He is also a member of the plaintiff’s steering committee in the federal multidistrict litigations (MDL) for Xarelto, Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI), JUUL Inc., and 3M Military Ear Plugs, as well as a co-chair of the discovery committee for the PPI and JUUL MDLs. As a frequent speaker addressing medical malpractice, trial practice, and product liability, he is dedicated to teaching how to get the best possible outcome. While practicing, Brad has been acknowledged by Super Lawyers in Kansas and Missouri, Best Lawyers in America, and has earned the Martindale-Hubbell AV rating for 20-plus years. He was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Kansas City-KS and Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Kansas City-KS. He has also received awards from The Best Lawyers in America for work in Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Brad is recognized by his peers as hardworking and committed to his clients. He is endorsed by his colleagues, previous and past, on his work on mass torts, trials, and class action lawsuits. As a Kansas City resident for over 20 years, Brad spends his free time volunteering in his community. Currently, Brad is a member of and volunteers with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where he is a Vestry member, on the Rector Search Committee, on the Stewardship committee, and is a Sunday School teacher. For nine years, Brad served as a volunteer attorney at CASA of Jackson County, Missouri. He represented court-appointed special advocate guardians for children in Jackson County, Missouri Family Court abuse and neglect cases. He was also a board member focused on fundraising and volunteer recruitment training. Brad and his staff volunteer at Project 1020 – a cold-weather shelter in Olathe, Kansas. The team gathers meals and provides on-site staffing for the shelter. As Brad’s four sons were growing up, he also volunteered as a youth sports coach for Leawood Parks & Recreation, YMCA, 3&2 Baseball of Johnson County, Great American Basketball League, and Nall Hills Baseball. In his free time, Brad enjoys spending time with his wife, Colleen, and their four sons – Grant, William, Walter, and John Patrick.

John P. Hooper

Partner
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's 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 Hoyle

David Hoyle
Trial Lawyer
Motley Rice

David has a lead role in litigation involving per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These synthetic chemicals are “forever chemicals,” which do not biodegrade and are extremely persistent in the environment. In 2017, David began representing communities in western Michigan concerning PFAS-containing tannery waste. He took dozens of liability depositions of witnesses from 3M Company as part of that litigation. Building on this work, David was entrusted with leading the 3M Discovery Team for the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873, involving AFFF firefighting suppressant products. Within the AFFF MDL, he currently represents public water systems as well as individual fire fighters who have brought personal injury claims because of PFAS exposure. David is also litigating cases involving alleged harm to natural resources and property damage. Outside the AFFF MDL, David represents residents of Elkton, Maryland, in litigation alleging PFAS contamination from W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. manufacturing facilities. Additionally, he represents the International Association of Fire Fighters in a lawsuit against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for its alleged role in promulgating a standard that effectively mandated the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear. David’s experience representing communities impacted by environmental contamination involves litigating citizen suits under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in addition to litigating individual and class cases based on nuisance and negligence theories. David was co-lead counsel in In re New Indy Emissions Litigation, C/A No. 0:21-cv-01480-SAL (D. S.C.) which resolved environmental and nuisance claims involving a pulp and paper mill in Catawba, South Carolina for $103 million* in cash and remediation. In its order approving the settlement, the Court acknowledged “the vital work of Class Counsel and the residents of the area in safeguarding the natural beauty and resources of their state for future generations.” As a leader of Motley Rice’s toxic tort practice, David has litigated chemical exposure cases involving methylene chloride, benzene, and other chemicals and represented governments and businesses harmed by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He has also litigated complex personal injury cases involving catastrophic burns, brain injury, loss of limb and paralysis, as well as wrongful death cases resulting from negligence, fires, industrial accidents and defective products. David began his career at Motley Rice representing asbestos victims across North America suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. David holds a Foreign Legal Consultant (FLC) permit issued by the Law Society of Ontario to give legal advice in Ontario about the federal law of the United States and he continues to represent Canadian provincial workers’ compensation boards concerning asbestos claims. David’s wide-ranging curiosity, genuine empathy, unwavering convictions, and versatile litigation skills make him comfortable in a variety of settings and have allowed him to handle all aspects of litigation, from initial client meetings to first chairing jury trials and making appellate oral arguments. An AV® rated attorney in Martindale-Hubbell®, David is a frequent presenter at seminars on PFAS litigation. He has also presented on the economic loss rule in environmental case, trends in federal practice, ethical issues involving social media, NFL concussion litigation, and asbestos disease awareness. He is the author of "Seal of Disapproval: International Implications of South Carolina's Notary Statute," 3 S.C.J.Int'l. L. & Bus. 1 (2006). As chair of the South Carolina Association for Justice PAC, David helps lead the organization. Active in his community, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Lowcountry Autism Foundation, the Episcopal Church Province IV Court of Review, and as a volunteer for over a decade with the Lowcountry AIDS Legal Clinic.

Evan M. Janush

Managing Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm

Evan M. Janush is the Managing Attorney of the New York office. Evan oversees the firm’s pharmaceutical and product liability mass tort litigation practice. He also oversees business litigation matters for The Lanier Law Firm’s New York office, and he is the practice group leader of the firm’s employment litigation practice. Recently, Evan has been in charge of third party discovery on behalf of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the Opioid Litigation (MDL 2804), and he has been one of the lead MDL attorneys overseeing the liability case against Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Noramco. Evan has significant experience representing clients in complex business litigation, pharmaceutical mass tort litigation, antitrust and class-action litigation, and representing employees in discrimination and whistleblower actions. Prior to joining The Lanier Law Firm, Mr. Janush practiced law at the firms of Weitz & Luxenberg and Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin. Evan is the proud father of three daughters and he lives in Westchester County with his wife, Debra. In his spare time, Evan enjoys his role as a stage actor with Westchester Collaborative Theater, as well as boating and snowboarding.

Robbert-Jan Kamstra

Managing Partner
Milberg

Robbert-Jan, "RJ",  specializes in resolving complex commercial international disputes and collective actions. Before joining Milberg, he worked as a clerk in the commercial law section of the Amsterdam District Court, he joined the legal team of ASICS’ European headquarters and was part of the litigation department of Baker McKenzie. Robbert-Jan has registered general civil law (algemene praktijk, burgerlijk recht) as principal legal practice areas in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister). RJ is the Managing Partner of Milberg Amsterdam where he focuses on environmental, PFAS and vehicle emissions cases.

Seth A. Katz

Shareholder
Burg Simpson

Mr. Katz joined Burg Simpson in September 2005 after six years with the New York law firm of Seeger Weiss LLP, in which he was a partner. Mr. Katz focuses his practice primarily in the areas of complex, pharmaceutical mass tort, and class action litigation including consumer protection, securities fraud, products liability, and commercial litigation. In addition to his varied professional experience, Mr. Katz is a frequent speaker on electronic discovery, class actions, and pharmaceutical litigation. Additionally, Mr. Katz has spoken on New York state franchise law and class action litigation at the invitation of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association. Mr. Katz's current practice involves primarily complex and class action litigation on behalf of aggrieved consumers, corporate shareholders, and property owners, and pharmaceutical mass tort litigation on behalf of those injured as a result of their ingestion of prescription medications and the implantation of medical devices. Most recently, on August 23, 2017, Mr. Katz was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in In re: Proton Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2789) by the Hon. Claire C. Cecchi, which is pending in the District of New Jersey.  In August 2014, Mr. Katz was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2524) by the Hon. Matthew F. Kennelly, which is pending in the Northern District of Illinois.  In that MDL, he also serves as the Co-Chair of the Discovery Committee overseeing the discovery against 5 manufacturers of six different products involved in that MDL.  In September 2012, Mr. Katz was appointed as Co-Lead Counsel in the In re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2385) by the Hon. David R. Herndon (Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois).  In May 2014, the Pradaxa MDL announced a $650 million settlement program on behalf of approximately 4,000 claimants after 21 months of litigation.  Mr. Katz was one of the primary negotiators of that settlement and as Co-Lead Counsel in the MDL played an active role in the administration of the settlement, including the resolution of private and government medical liens.  In January 2011, Mr. Katz was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the In re DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2197) by the Hon. David A. Katz, in the Northern District of Ohio.  Mr. Katz was one of the primary attorneys who prosecuted the In re Zyprexa Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 1956) that resulted in a $700 million settlement, where he not only held a leadership role in conducting discovery but he also served as chair of the law and briefing committee.  Mr. Katz has been recognized by the Legal 500 as “œhighly experienced, excellent”¦ in all phases of the mass tort and class action practice areas.” Mr. Katz also served as the chair of the Discovery Committee in the In re Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2100) pending in the Southern District of Illinois, before the Honorable David R. Herndon.  In August 2015, Judge Herndon appointed Mr. Katz to the Negotiating Plaintiffs' Committee as part of the team that negotiated a global settlement with Bayer of the arterial injury cases.  Mr. Katz has also served as one of the Co-Chairs of the Discovery Committee in the In re Gadolinium Based Contrast Agent Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1909), pending in the Northern District of Ohio.  Mr. Katz was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee by Justice Helen Freedman for the ReNu with MoistureLoc litigation pending in New York State Supreme Court.  Mr. Katz was one of the lead attorneys prosecuting the In re Ortho Evra Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1742) on behalf of women who suffered serious adverse events as a result of the use of the Patch, where he held a leadership role in conducting discovery.  At the 2006 AAJ Annual Convention in Seattle, Mr. Katz was elected as Co-Chair of the Ortho Evra AAJ Litigation Group.  While Mr. Katz was at Seeger Weiss, he served as co-chair of the law and briefing committee in the In re Neurontin Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (MDL No. 1629), pending before the Hon. Patti Saris, in the District of Massachusetts.  Additionally, Mr. Katz represents or has represented those injured by Testosterone Replacement Therapies, Power Morcellators used during laparoscopic uterine surgery, Pradaxa, Xarelto, Actos, Invokana, Gadolinium Based Contrast Agents, YAZ/Yasmin/Ocella birth control pill, Zimmer Durom Cup artificial hips, DePuy ASR and Pinnacle artificial hips, Wright Medical artificial hips, Biomet artificial hips, Vioxx, Zyprexa, the Ortho Evra birth control patch, Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution, AMO's Complete MoisturePLUS contact lens solution, Zicam nasal gel, Bextra, Celebrex, Propulsid, Rezulin, Baycol, PPA, Ephedra, Trileptal and Guidant and Medtronic defibrillators as well as other drugs and devices. Mr. Katz served as Liaison Counsel to the court in a nationwide class action pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado against Western Union stemming from Western Union's practice as it relates to unclaimed funds and failing to provide notice to customers that the funds they wired could not be delivered and failing to adequately return the funds to the sender in a timely fashion.  A class settlement was reached and approved by the District Court in 2013 and was implemented in 2016 after appeal by an objector.  During his time at Seeger Weiss, Mr. Katz and Seeger Weiss also served as lead counsel in Manavazian v. ATEC Group, Inc., a securities fraud class action, which resulted in a significant settlement for the class, as well as serving as counsel in several other consumer fraud cases against some of the nation's largest companies such as Apple, IBM, Firestone Tires, Progressive Insurance Company, Allstate, State Farm, and Panasonic.  In 2004, Mr. Katz was one of the lawyers who tried a class action to jury verdict against Allstate Insurance Company due to its failure to fully compensate its policyholders in accordance with the terms of its policy in St. Clair County, Illinois (Sims v. Allstate, 99-1-393-A). Mr. Katz was the inaugural President of The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association, until July 2013.  The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association is made up of attorneys who are dedicated to obtaining fair compensation for clients who have been injured by defective products, dangerous pharmaceuticals, or other conduct causing large-scale injuries.  The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association's goal is to enable members to draw upon the association's strong training, educational, and networking resources so they may derive benefits that were either unavailable or difficult to find on their own.  In addition, Mr. Katz is on the Board of the National Trial Lawyers Association.  Mr. Katz served on the Editorial Board of the Corporate Observer Blog, a blog dedicated to protecting consumer rights. After graduating from law school, Mr. Katz served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City. During his time as an Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Katz handled thousands of cases and successfully prosecuted both felonies and misdemeanors through jury verdict. Mr. Katz successfully tried cases ranging from DWI prosecutions to narcotics cases and assisted in the prosecution of homicide trials, including one against two members of the Latin Kings, one of New York City's most violent gangs. In addition to trying cases, Mr. Katz conducted homicide investigations on behalf of the District Attorney's Office leading to the arrest and conviction of some of New York City's most serious criminals. In addition to his duties as a trial lawyer, Mr. Katz also volunteered to handle appellate matters for the District Attorney's Office's Appeals Division. Prior to joining Seeger Weiss, Mr. Katz was an Associate at Loeb & Loeb LLP in New York City. There he represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies and banking institutions to individuals in a wide variety of complex litigation and pre-litigation matters. Mr. Katz was part of a small group of lawyers that often performed internal investigations in order to design or modify corporate compliance policies on behalf of Loeb & Loeb's clients. Mr. Katz was also part of Loeb & Loeb's white-collar criminal practice where he represented clients in a variety of different securities fraud and money laundering matters.  He represented a Fortune 500 company in a governmental investigation of the allegedly illegal transfer of missile technology to China. Some of Mr. Katz's representative cases include: Dacey v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., 263 F.Supp.2d 706 (S.D.N.Y. 2003); Lester v. Percudani, 2003 WL 22132790 (Sept. 15, 2003 M.D. Pa.); Namer v. America Networks Int'l, 2001 WL 30663 (Jan. 12, 2001 S.D.N.Y.); Funrise Canada (HK) Ltd v. Zauder Bros., Inc., 1999 WL 1021810 (July 2, 1999, E.D.N.Y.); Manavazian v. ATEC Group, Inc., 2001 WL 951779 (Aug. 23, 2001, E.D.N.Y.); In re Starlink Corn Products Liability Litigation, 211 F.Supp.2d 1060 (N.D. Ill. 2002); In re Starlink Corn Products Liability Litigation, 212 F.Supp.2d 828 (N.D. Ill. 2002). Mr. Katz was born in New York, New York. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1990 and earned his law degree, cum laude, from Boston University School of Law in 1993. Mr. Katz is admitted to practice law in state courts in Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New York as well as the United States District Courts for the District of Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, the 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.  Mr. Katz is Preeminent AV rated by his peers in Martindale Hubbell, and he has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America, and a Colorado Super Lawyer from 2012-2021.

Rayna Kessler

Partner
Robins Kaplan LLP

Rayna E. Kessler is a partner in the New York office of Robins Kaplan LLP. Her practice focuses on complex civil and multivenue litigation in a range ofmatters that span products liability, mass tort, medical malpractice, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and child sex abuse involving large institutions.She is admitted to practice in federal and state courts in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the ThirdCircuit.After earning her J.D. from Temple University School of Law, Rayna clerked for the Honorable Carol E. Higbee, J.A.D. and worked on several high-profilepharmaceutical and medical device matters, including In re: Pelvic Mesh Litigation, In re: Accutane Litigation, and In re: Vioxx Litigation. Since herclerkship, Rayna has dedicated her career to holding corporations and institutions accountable for the harm that they have caused her clients.Rayna is known for trailblazing new litigation, often being among the first to file in emerging mass tort litigations. Underpinning her work with cutting-edgeinvestigations, Rayna collaborates with a wide network of well-established experts across the country, as well as other plaintiffs’ lawyers, to developcreative and successful litigation strategies for her clients.An experienced complex civil litigator, Rayna has served in court-appointed lead liaison counsel roles in several New Jersey Multicounty Litigations,including In re: Benicar (Olmesartan Medoxomil) New Jersey Multicounty Litigation, Case No. 299; In re: Abilify, Case No. 626; and In re: TaxotereLitigation, Case No. 628. On the MDL front, Rayna served as the State/Federal Coordination Chairperson for the Plaintiff Steering Committee in the In re:Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606. In addition, Rayna served as the State/Federal Coordination Chairperson for the PlaintiffSteering Committee in the In re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606.When the law changed in New Jersey and New York to allow survivors to bring claims that were previously time barred, Rayna was honored to begin representing survivors of child sex abuse against large institutions, including the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Boy Scouts of America.Rayna is no stranger to how powerful interests have dissuaded those who are most injured from coming forward, and how courageous our clients are tos eek to protect others. Rayna is trained in trauma-informed advocacy to ensure that her representation provides transparency, predictability, client empowerment, reliability, and proactive support for all her clients.For her achievements in representing individuals, Rayna has been recognized both as a New Leader of the Bar and as a Top Woman in Law by the NewJersey Law Journal, and she was named a New York Metro Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2021 and 2022.Rayna is also committed to preserving access to justice through active involvement with nonprofit advocacy organizations. Currently, Rayna serves as anExecutive Committee Board Member and Chair of the Case Development/Special Projects Committee for Public Justice, the country’s leading nationalnonprofit consumer legal advocacy organization. Rayna is also actively involved with American Association for Justice (AAJ) as a Section & LitigationGroup Coordination Committee and Membership Oversight Committee Member. Rayna also volunteers her time as a Founding Board and ExecutiveCommittee Member for the anti-human trafficking nonprofit, Collective Liberty.Understanding the importance of collaboration and collegiality among our bar, Rayna hosts plaintiff attorney networking events in New York City that invite plaintiff lawyers to learn about each other’s practices and foster a referral network.

Robert Kinsman

Co-Founder, Attorney
Krause and Kinsman

Robert L. Kinsman serves to bring large-scale results to a wide arrange of clients. Robert has been at the forefront of some of the most unique cases in the country. He plays a significant leadership role in each of his cases, whether it be case investigation and development, science and expert development, bellwether selection, settlement negotiation and coordination, trial and trial preparation, or briefing case-defining motions and case management orders. His peers often see him as a multi-purpose, versatile advocate that is always ready to jump in and help on any task so his clients are able to find a just and fair result. Robert’s recent appointments have been to the Executive Committee in the Camp Lejeune Water Litigation – EDNC 7:23-cv-00897; Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee as the Co-Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee in MDL 2846: In Re: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation; and, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in MDL 2974: In Re: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation.

Dedication to Client Success

Robert practices throughout the country litigating mass tort and complex litigation cases involving environmental disasters, defective products, and pharmaceuticals. His trial experience encompasses civil cases as well as felony criminal prosecutions. Along with developing and executing winning litigation strategies, Robert has managed some of the largest dockets of cases in the country from client sign-up thru settlement. Tens of thousands of clients have entrusted Krause & Kinsman with their stories. Scores of co-counsel and referral law firms have called Krause & Kinsman their partners.

Client-First Approach

The clients that choose Krause & Kinsman come from near and far. Robert, and his firm as a whole, take extreme pride in representing the people that choose Krause & Kinsman as their advocates. Robert’s firm has a strong belief in the motto “No Client Left Behind.” Krause & Kinsman has developed some of the most innovative client relations systems in the legal space. Krause & Kinsman consistently looks for ways to improve the client relationship to better tell their individual stories. Robert’s knack for knowing and understanding his individual client’s stories has paved the way for his clients to routinely be selected as lead bellwether plaintiffs in major, national litigations. He finds the most joy advocating for the people that put their faith and trust in him.

Life Beyond the Law

Outside of law, Robert enjoys traveling and cooking with his beautiful wife (Ali) and daughters (Leighton and Scarlett). In college, Robert was close to transferring to culinary school. His favorite recipes center around flavorful pastas and perfectly grilled meats. Robert and his family call Puerto Rico home. They love all of the natural beauty, vibrant culture, delicious cuisine, and friendly community that Puerto Rico offers. Sunscreen is a must!

Gary Klinger

Senior Partner
Milberg

Gary Klinger is one of the most well-known and respected data privacy attorneys in the United States, settling more than thirty class actions involving privacy violations as lead or co-lead counsel. In addition, Mr. Klinger is well-versed in both sides of class action litigation. Working with several big firms, serving as defense for Fortune 100 clients, he eventually discovered he wanted to join the plaintiff’s side of the practice. As Milberg Senior Partner, his privacy practice includes: data breaches, ransomware attacks, unlawful collection and/or disclosure of personal information, and violations of privacy statutes and/or laws, such as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act, California Consumer Privacy Act, California Medical Information Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and General Data Protection Regulation. Mr. Klinger also represents consumers in class actions and mass arbitration for claims involving false advertising, defective products, consumer fraud, violations of the antitrust laws, and other torts. He has won hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. In 2025, Mr. Klinger was recognized among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America for the second consecutive year. In 2024, he was featured in the Chambers & Partners nationwide guide for his esteemed contributions to Privacy & Data Security Litigation. Currently, he is pursuing his Masters of Laws (LLM) in Data Privacy and Cybersecurity from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Ari Kresch

Founder & Chief Visionary Officer
1-800-LAW-FIRM

Ari Kresch is the founder of 1-800-LAW-FIRM and has been on the national radar during most of his 45 years practicing law. His visionary approach to the business of law has set him apart by being the first national advertiser, the first intake center run by trained paralegals, the first law firm to use artificial intelligence to qualify prospective clients, the first law firm to brand itself using a toll-free vanity number, the first transplanted law firm from the mainland to choreograph class action lawsuits in Puerto Rico and the second mass-tort law firm to move to Puerto Rico. His progressive approach to legal partnerships has allowed him and his partner firms to aggregate the highest quality dockets in the industry, in addition to designing unique and creative causes of action to protect our sacred environment and go after those who contaminate and destroy it in the name of profits.

Bradley M. Lakin

Founding Partner
SL Chapman LLC

Brad has practiced civil litigation since 1997.  He concentrates his practice in complex litigation, nursing home cases, personal injury, product liability, mass tort, Jones Act, and railroad (FELA) injuries. He is recognized for his skills as an attorney, as a leader, and as an advocate at both the state and federal levels for the legal clients he serves. The courtroom is his passion.  He has tried cases to verdict in Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. He is aggressively pursuing justice for clients in the RoundUp®, Zantac®, and 3M® Earplug litigations.  Brad is also representing injured veterans  against the Islamic Republic of Iran for injuries inflicted by terrorist organizations who were funded, supported and/or trained by Iran.  He has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN regarding his cases and has been written about in newspapers throughout the country.  Brad has repeatedly been recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer, a Rising Star, and in 2006 as one of Forty Illinois Lawyers Under Forty to Watch.  He has also been honored as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers.  These honors are a direct result of his successes in the courtroom. Brad began trying nursing home abuse cases after a family member was neglected and injured in a nursing home. He tried a suit against Fayette County Long Term Care which resulted in a $1.5 million judgment for the plaintiff.  His experiences led him to write two books on the subject of nursing home abuse and neglect. Brad has successfully obtained a $46.75 million verdict for a former electrical foreman who suffered serious and permanent injuries after Dyno Nobel Inc. (a subsidiary of Incitec Pivot) released excess levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) from its Louisiana, Mo. nitric acid plant.  The April 29, 2022 jury verdict in the Eastern District of Missouri. It was the 2nd largest personal injury verdict in Missouri in 2022. Another notable jury verdict resulted from his representation of two burn victims in a product liability suit against Ford Motor Company culminating in a $43 million verdict.  It was the 2nd largest verdict in Illinois and 30th nationwide in 2005. The case was featured throughout the country and Brad appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.

Sarah Lanier

Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm

Sarah Lanier is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and is now an attorney at the Lanier Law Firm. Sarah’s practice areas include personal injury, toxic torts, mass torts, products liability, and pharmaceutical liability. She worked on Ingham v. Johnson & Johnson et al in Missouri State Court, where the Lanier Law Firm represented 22 women who suffered from and/or died from ovarian cancer caused by talcum powder exposure and played a role in obtaining the unanimous $4.6 billion verdict on behalf of the plaintiffs.

Mark Lanier

Attorney & Founder
The Lanier Law Firm

Mark Lanier is consistently recognized as one of the top civil trial lawyers in America. Best known as a zealous advocate for individuals in personal injury and product liability claims against major corporations, Mark brings passion, creativity and an unparalleled ability to connect with juries in courtrooms across the nation. During the past 30 years, Mark has taken on some of the biggest challenges in the legal field. In doing so, he has achieved some of the largest verdicts in history, accomplishments that have changed business practices to protect the public and have gained justice for the victims of dangerous drugs, medical devices, and other consumer products. In addition, he has successfully represented a select number of clients in claims involving fraud, breach of contract and other forms of business litigation.

Linda Lipsen

Chief Executive Officer
American Association for Justice (AAJ)

Ms. Lipsen was named Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), in April 2010. She joined the organization in 1993 to direct AAJ’s Public Affairs department. Ms. Lipsen has led the trial lawyers’ highly regarded Washington lobby team and successfully fought back efforts that would limit access to America’s courts and make it impossible for the victims of negligence or willful wrongdoing to be fairly compensated for harm. She has directed countless legislative campaigns on behalf of a host of issues including patient, worker, and investor protections. Ms. Lipsen has received prominent recognition and numerous awards for her advocacy on behalf of injured Americans, including, among others, the “Senator Paul Wellstone Award” from U.S. Action, the “Esther S. Weissman Eternal Optimism Award” from Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), and the Marie Lambert Award. She is regularly recognized in leading Capitol Hill and legal publications such as The National Law Journal as one of Washington’s most influential women lawyers, The Hill as a top lobbyist in recognition of her outstanding professional achievement, and Roll Call as one of Washington’s most effective lobbyists. Following the tragedy of September 11th, she led the fight for enactment of a compensation program for the victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The September 11th Victims Compensation Fund established by Congress allowed thousands of families to recover compensation for the loss of their loved ones. Following enactment of the Fund, Ms. Lipsen’s leadership helped ATLA establish, Trial Lawyers Care, the nation’s largest-ever pro-bono legal representation program. Prior to joining AAJ, Ms. Lipsen directed the legislative advocacy program for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. In that capacity, she represented consumers on Capitol Hill on a host of issues including antitrust, insurance reform and health care. Ms. Lipsen earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and her J.D. from the Antioch School of Law.

Victoria Maniatis

Senior Partner
Milberg

Vicki's plan to become a lawyer started in third grade when she decided to confront the class bully. That tenacity for taking on big dogs for underdogs never stopped. It was only natural that her practice led to focusing on plaintiffs' pharma and environmental litigation. One of the original founders of Mass Tort Med School, Vicki is proud to see the program mature and grow into one of the "go to" events of the year, even better teamed with Trial Lawyers of Puerto Rico. Vicki spends her free time triathlon training and watching her son Alex, now a junior in high school, play baseball. Her dream is to one day own a brewery.

Jean Sutton Martin

Attorney
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.

Jean is a key player in leading Morgan & Morgan’s Complex Litigation Group. Jean is one of the few lawyers in the group whose caseload spans multiple disciplines, including mass torts, data privacy, consumer goods, medical products, and environmental disasters.

In November 2024, after a contested leadership process, Jean was the only woman appointed as interim co-lead class counsel in consolidated litigation arising from the BioLab chemical plant fire in Conyers, GA that released a plume of toxic substances into surrounding communities.  Shepresently leads a class action against CSX for chemical exposure and property damage stemming from a train derailment that occurred in 2023. Webb et al. v. CSX Transportation, Inc. Case No. 6:23-cv-00211-REW (E.D. Ky.).

Over the last few years, Jean has lead some of the biggest cybersecurity victories, including Inre: Morgan Stanley Data Security Litigation (S.D.N.Y., No. 1:20-cv-05914), which resulted in a $60 million common fund settlement for 15 million class members. Jean also obtained a landmark federal ruling in the Eleventh Circuit that strengthens data privacy protections. The U.S. Supreme Court effectively upheld this decision in April 2024 when it declined to hear an appeal in Brinker International, Inc. v. Steinmetz et al. This case arose from a 2017 data breach of Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar. In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued a first-of-its-kind order certifying the class of impacted consumers. Brinker appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which agreed that one of the named plaintiffs had standing and that the case could continue. The ruling means plaintiffs are entitled to compensation because of the damages arising from data breaches and enshrines in federal case law a path toward justice for everyday people when corporations mishandle their sensitive information. Jean argued both the motion for class certification as well as the appeal before the Eleventh Circuit.

Beyond her work at Morgan & Morgan, Jean founded and organized the Class of Our Own summit, an invitation-only event for female attorneys handling plaintiff class actions. Last year’sconference in Nashville featured a table chat with U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, Chair of the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), as well as a private listening-room style performance by Grammy-winning country artist Natalie Hemby. More than 120 women from multiple class-action disciplines came from all over the country to attend the successfulannual event. 

Richard D. Meadow

President
Meadow Law Firm

For more than three decades, Richard "Rick" Meadow has stood as a beacon of excellence in civil litigation, championing the rights of injured individuals and their families with unwavering dedication. Having served as the National Mass Tort Leader and Director of Business Development for The Lanier Law Firm, he transitioned to an Of Counsel role when he founded The Meadow Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona in 2023. This strategic move represents the latest chapter in his distinguished legal career, while maintaining his valued relationship with The Lanier Law Firm.

Tobi Millrood

Partner
Kline & Specter, PC

Tobi L. Millrood, a partner, joined the firm to chair its Mass Tort Department. Millrood is a national leader in the trial bar and has 25 years of complex litigation experience, including in court-appointed leadership positions, and has won a number of major jury verdicts in complex litigation. His focus is on pharmaceutical, medical device and complex personal injury litigation. Most recently, in October 2023, Millrood was co-counsel in a case that resulted in a $175 million verdict against Monsanto Co. for an elderly Philadelphia man who was diagnosed with cancer after years of using the company's herbicide Roundup. The verdict in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court was the bellwether case among hundreds awaiting trial in the Philadelphia mass tort program over Roundup. The verdict included $150 million in punitive damages. (Read article) Millrood is past president of the world’s largest trial bar, the American Association for Justice (AAJ), where he completed his term in July 2021 and currently serves as Immediate Past President. As a result of his leadership within AAJ, Millrood has received numerous awards including Distinguished Service, Heavy Lifting and the prestigious President’s Award in 2015. In addition, Millrood has won many accolades and enjoys a national reputation in the field of mass torts. He has been named among the best attorneys in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers* every year since 2009, including for 2024. Among his numerous highlights in the field of prescription drug and medical device litigation is his perseverance and success against Wyeth, Pfizer and numerous other Fortune 100 companies in the landmark Hormone Therapy litigation. In 2002, Millrood was the first in the nation to file a Hormone Therapy lawsuit and he dedicated the next twelve years to the litigation, serving as Plaintiffs’ Lead Liaison Counsel for the matter in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, presiding over thousands of cases. He also served on the plaintiffs’ executive committee In Re Prempro Products Liability, and was chair of the AAJ Hormone Therapy Litigation Group. Millrood tried four hormone therapy cases, winning jury verdicts in all four, including those of $72.6 million and $34.3 million. He also played a major contributing role in critical appellate victories in the litigation, ranging from the state courts of Pennsylvania and Minnesota, to the U.S. Eighth Circuit. He also served in numerous court-appointed leadership positions in other pharmaceutical and medical device cases, including co-Lead counsel in In re Zofran (Ondansetron) Products Liability Litigation MDL 2657, and as co-lead counsel in In re Zimmer Nexgen Knee Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2272. Millrood was named a co-lead counsel in Pennsylvania opioid litigation, Del. Cty. vs Purdue Pharma, et al. Working in combination with leaders both locally and nationwide, Millrood served on a leadership team that produced a settlement that can bring more than $1 billion to Pennsylvania municipalities and communities devastated by the opioid epidemic. In addition, he has served in other court-appointed leadership positions, including the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committees of In re Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and ABG Modular Hip Litigation, Bergen County, N.J., and In re Consolidated Fresenius Cases in Superior Court in Massachusetts, where in both he was also appointed as Discovery Chair. Millrood is often called upon within mass tort litigation for his strategic planning and discovery architecture. He is a frequent speaker at various seminars on the topics of Mass Tort Litigation, Expert Witnesses, Direct and Cross-Examination, Closing and Rebuttal at Trial, the Ethics of Settling Mass Tort Cases, Trial Strategies and Electronic Discovery. Millrood has testified before the Federal Civil Rules Committee on proposed rule changes and has authored numerous comments to the Rules Committee and Subcommitee on MDL litigation. He is an invited lecturer at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and an invited trial team coach at the Tulane Law School. Earlier in his , Millrood garnered several notable achievements and verdicts, including serving as co-counsel in a $22 million medical malpractice verdict, among the largest in state history at that time. Millrood is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice Board of Governors and the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Board of Directors. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the federal District of New Jersey, the U.S. Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Third Circuit. Millrood earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.

Lea Morris

Vice President of Strategy
Bespoke Capital Partners

Lea Morris is an attorney and business development visionary who brings a focused, unique perspective to every project she embarks upon.  Lea serves as Vice President of Strategy for Bespoke Capital Consulting. Bespoke is the first of its kind to take a consultative approach to deploying capital in the legal field. With more than 60 years of collective industry knowledge, Bespoke’s management team leverages their expertise to provide a wide spectrum of consulting services including operational best practices, financial core competencies, and business development with a goal of helping firms build strong foundations and increase efficiency to better represent their clients. Lea received her Juris Doctorate from the Cumberland School of Law in 2006 and is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida. After graduating law school, Lea practiced law at Levin Papantonio Rafferty Proctor Buchanan O’Brien Barr & Moughey in Pensacola, Florida where she was an attorney in the firm’s mass torts department. Lea oversaw and ran multiple litigations and their subsequent settlements during her time at the firm. From 2012 to late 2022, Lea served as Vice President of Client Development at the industry’s largest mass tort legal administration, leading its sales team to back-to-back years of record-breaking bookings. During this time, her role also involved providing advisory and consulting services to mass tort firms. In that role, Lea worked to revolutionize the way the mass tort industry thought of outsourced back-office support. Lea’s idea of providing end-to-end support to mass tort law firms, spanning from case inception through resolution resulted in the industry’s first end-to-end mass tort support solution. Lea moved to Puerto Rico in January 2022.

Peter Mougey

Attorney
Levin Papantonio Rafferty

Peter Mougey is a shareholder and the Chair of Levin Papantonio’s Securities and Business Litigation department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of complex litigation, financial services, and securities litigation, and whistleblower or qui tam litigation. Mr. Mougey has been recognized as one of Florida’s top 100 trial lawyers and a Florida Super Lawyer and has dedicated his career to championing individuals’ rights against the world’s largest companies.Mr. Mougey has represented over 1,500 state, municipal, and institutional entities, as well as tribal sovereign nations, in litigation and arbitration around the globe. In addition, he has represented more than 3,000 individual fraud victims in state and federal court and arbitrations. Most recently, in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL, he was selected to serve as Co-Lead of the Distributor case and serves on the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee in what has been called “the largest and most complex case in the history of jurisprudence” by the Washington Post. Mr. Mougey has been recognized as a transformational leader in and out of the courtroom and is often called up to simplify the country’s most complex cases.

James Murdica

Partner
Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Jim Murdica is the chairman of Barnes & Thornburg’s Product Liability and Mass Torts practice. Jim's practice focuses on the defense of pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer product litigation in state and federal courts nationwide, particularly consolidated mass torts and multi-district litigations. He serves as national coordinating counsel and MDL counsel for consolidated litigations across the U.S., involving thousands of plaintiffs as well as in numerous single-plaintiff cases involving pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and medical devices. Jim has coordinated the resolution of some of the largest mass torts of the last decade and counsels clients on product liability due diligence related to potential acquisitions and divestitures. Since 2016, he has been recognized by Chambers USA for his work in product liability and mass tort in the nationwide category. In Chambers, clients describe Jim as having "an incredible ability to synthesize complex scientific issues into very persuasive arguments that can be used both in court and in negotiations with the other side."

Majed Nachawati

Managing Partner
Nachawati Law Group

Majed Nachawati is a founding partner of Nachawati Law Group and is heavily involved in the law firm’s mass tort and public client practices. Majed currently serves on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in In re Texas Opioid Litigation, No. 18-0358. In addition to his work on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, Majed leads the firm in representing the State of Utah as well as more than 50 counties, cities, and hospital districts in Texas, North Dakota, New Mexico, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, and Mississippi in the opioid litigation. The firm's public entity practice under Majed's leadership is also representing the States of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Nevada against social media giants such as Facebook and TikTok, and the State of Arkansas against Temu. Contemporarily, he serves as Co-liaison in Paraquat cases, JCCP 5031, pending before the Honorable Judge Edward G. Weil, as well as on the Official Committee of Talc Claimants in the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy of Red River Talc LLC (LTL III), No. 24-90505. Previously, he served on the Official Tort Claimants’ Committee in the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, LTL Management (LTL I), No. 21-30589, and as Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in the Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream litigation in the Northern District of California, Nos. 3:11-cv-2910-EMC and 4:11-cv-3164-EMC. Majed has led the firm developing a strong mass tort and class action practice. The firm has held leadership positions in the Winter Storm Uri MDL, Bard Hernia Mesh MDL, the Bard IVC Filter MDL, the Cook IVC Filter MDL, the Cordis IVC Filter MDL, and the Paragard IUD MDL. In addition to filing one of the first class actions against Dreyer’s Ice Cream for false advertising, the firm filed the first class action in the nation against Midstream Media for privacy violations arising from an invasive computer tracking technology known as “history sniffing,” one of the first class actions against Apple for privacy violations arising from tracking of consumers on their iPhones, and one of the first known consumer class actions against Loreal arising from the company’s failure to warn consumers about the flammability of a particular hair care product. Under Majed’s leadership, the firm provided onsite trial briefing support for a three-week Cook IVC filter trial and was part of the team that received a $3 million design defect verdict—the first in the country against an IVC filter manufacturer. In 2018, the firm tried a case against the perpetrators of a murder-for-hire scheme involving millions of dollars in life insurance and obtained a verdict of approximately $166 million. The son of a first-generation Middle Eastern immigrant father and a Hispanic mother, Majed did not growup in a life of privilege. He discovered the law as a way to make a difference in his own life and in the lives of his clients. He began his legal career as a two-year judicial law clerk with the Thirteenth Court of Appeals of Texas. Majed works tirelessly to build relationships and do the work that will create change. He sees practicing law as a calling—not just a career. Majed has served on the State Bar of Texas Committee on Professionalism and was the District Chairman for the Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas, District 6. He has also served as a Committee Member for The Dallas Bar Association’s Legal Ethics Committee and Lawyer Referral Service Committee. Majed also serves as member of the Board of Directors of Public Justice and the Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, is an appointed member of The William ‘Mac” Taylor American Inn of Court, and is a former member of the State Bar of Texas Committee for Diversity in the Profession. Majed also serves as a mentor to law students at the University of North Texas School of Law. He has sponsored the Junior League of Dallas, the Attorneys Helping the Community 5K, Feed My Starving Children, the Texas Crime Victims Compensation Fund, and the Lone Star Race Benefiting Children with Disabilities. Through the law firm, he has also participated in relief efforts to address natural disasters, including Humanitarian Relief for Families Affected by Hurricane Harvey, and volunteered with DFW Detained.  

Paul Napoli

Founding Member, Partner
Napoli Shkolnik

Paul J. Napoli brings more than 31 years of legal experience to his primary areas of practice, including governmental affairs, environmental law and mass tort litigation. He is widely recognized as one of the country’s top litigators, having successfully led numerous high-profile cases such as the World Trade Center litigation, the Flint Water Crisis and claims brought on behalf of local cities and states involving the Opioid Epidemic. Paul is well-known for his ability to oversee large-scale complex cases involving large multi-billion-dollar corporations, including contamination caused by PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’. Notably in the AFFF litigation affecting America’s public water systems, Paul has succesfully negotiated settlements over $15 billion with defendants to date. He is annually selected to the invitation-only Super Lawyers® list and is recommended as a leading lawyer by Best Lawyers in America, Lawyers of Distinction and Legal 500 US. Mr. Napoli serves on the Board of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, was named to Law360’ s 2024 Editorial Boards in the Product Liability Category and was chosen as a recipient of Law360’ s 2024 MVP Awards: Environmental.

Marie Napoli

Founding Member, Partner
Napoli Shkolnik

Ms. Napoli continues to be at the forefront of complex litigation nationwide and has been appointed to leadership roles in various state and federal multi-district case. She is a leading media commentator and author on topics ranging from mass torts to workplace discrimination. For her work, she has been industry and peer recognized, notably Ms. Napoli was named to National Trial Lawyers Women’s Rights Top 10.

Coral Odiot-Rivera

Partner
Napoli Shkolnik

Ms. Odiot’s practice primarily focuses on environmental class actions and mass tort litigations. As a Partner, she played an integral role in the negotiation of the two landmark settlements for $12.5 billion and $1.185 billion with 3M and DuPont, Chemours and Corteva in the AFFF Multi-District Litigation. She also leads several environmental litigations representing individuals and entities nationwide affected by air, soil, and/or water contamination encompassing a wide spectrum of hazardous substances, including lead, per- and polyfluoroakyl substances (PFAS), 1,4-Dioxane, and smelter plant by-products. Coral graduated cum laude from the Interamerican University School of Law where she also was Editor in Chief of the school’s Law Review. She began her career clerking for the Hon. Anabelle Rodríguez Rodríguez, Associate Justice for the Puerto Rico Supreme Court (2012). After clerking for the Supreme Court, she worked as a legal advisor for the Civil Rights, Democratic Participation and Social Economy Committee of the Senate of Puerto Rico. Prior to joining her current firm, Coral was a legal advisor for the Independent Consumer Protection Office (“ICPO”) representing the Puerto Rico energy consumer in matters before the Puerto Rico Energy Commission and Puerto Rico courts. As a legal advisor for the ICPO, Coral became knowledgeable in matters of Energy and Environmental Law and was given a scholarship by the National Conference of Regulatory Attorneys for a Georgetown Law Course about Regulating Public Utility Performance.

Gale Pearson

Attorney
Nachawati Law Group

For more than 25 years, Gale Pearson has represented thousands of plaintiffs in a range of complex litigation, from environmental law to pharmaceutical litigation to Qui Tam prosecution. Before receiving her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Gale attended California State University, where she studied laboratory medicine, physics, and chemistry. She spent years working in the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center and is a nationally recognized clinical laboratory scientist. As such, Gale plays a substantial role in Nachawati Law Group’s representation of those harmed by environmental polluters, as well as the bad acts of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Throughout her career, Gale has played a pivotal role in several MDL litigations, serving on science committees or, as in the case of a Certified Class Action against Phillip Morris, Co., and its parent company, as lead counsel. In United States Absher v. Momence Meadows Nursing Center Inc., she served as co-lead counsel and helped achieve a substantial verdict for her clients. In addition, she was asked to serve as Plaintiff’s liaison counsel in the Minnesota State Medtronic Cases and was appointed to the same position in the Minnesota State Guidant Cases. A member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Gale’s legal success has earned her peer recognition across the country. In 2003, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer presented her with the Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award for her work with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. In 2005, she was recognized by Forbes Magazine as among America’s top attorneys, and she has been named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list by Thomson Reuters from 2015-2019. Gale is frequently invited to speak on scientific issues related to pharmaceuticals, as well as complex interstate civil procedures.

William J. Pintas

Founder & CEO
Aspen AI

William is the Founder and CEO of Aspen AI, a conversational and workflow AI solution that mimics paralegal performance, transforming client intake and communication for law firms. He earned a computer science degree from NYU in just 2.5 years, demonstrating his deep passion for technology and innovation.

William’s journey began in the personal injury space, where he witnessed firsthand the inefficiencies of traditional client intake, with only 5–10% of inquiries converting into viable cases. With the emergence of GPT-3.5 in 2022, he saw the opportunity to revolutionize legal intake. That vision led to Aspen AI, which gives AI a voice, enabling it to engage with clients over the phone, text, and email — having real conversations instead of relying on static forms. By handling initial screenings and outbound communication, Aspen AI saves law firms thousands of hours, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and enhanced client engagement through timely alerts and summaries for high-quality cases.

Today, Aspen AI partners with some of the largest mass tort and personal injury law firms, including PersonalInjury.com, Ben Crump Law Firm, and Pintas & Mullins, screening tens of thousands of calls each month. At this conference, William will play live calls and demonstrate how law firms of all sizes can leverage AI-driven intake solutions to streamline operations, reduce overhead, and remain competitive—without sacrificing the human touch.

Warren Postman

Managing Partner
Keller Postman LLC

Warren Postman is the Managing Partner of Keller Postman LLC. He combines a deep understanding of the civil litigation system with broad substantive expertise to solve complex litigation challenges for the firm’s clients. Warren has helped build Keller Postman’s arbitration practice, which devotes unparalleled resources to resolving the claims of consumers and employees who are subject to forced arbitration clauses. The firm’s commitment to arbitration allows it to aggressively pursue individual arbitrations for tens of thousands of clients simultaneously and, as described by the New York Times, has left defendants “scared to death.” Warren has won numerous precedent-setting victories requiring defendants to comply with their obligation to arbitrate under agreements they drafted. Due in large part to the arbitration practice Warren has built at Keller Postman, the rise of “mass arbitrations” has been one of the most significant recent developments in civil litigation. In the last two years alone, Keller Postman has secured millions in settlements for more than 500,000 individual clients. Before joining Keller Postman, Warren was Vice President and Chief Counsel for Appellate Litigation at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center. In that role, he managed appellate strategy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which participates in more than 150 cases each year to shape the law on a wide range of issues affecting businesses. Working closely with senior in-house lawyers at some of the world’s largest companies, Warren gained unique insight into the dynamics and trends that shape business litigation. Warren was previously an attorney in the Issues & Appeals practice at Jones Day, where he helped guide trial and appellate strategy in some of the firm’s most complex and high-stakes cases. Warren served as a law clerk for Justice David H. Souter at the Supreme Court of the United States and Judge William A. Fletcher at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was Articles Editor on the Harvard Law Review, and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University. Warren was named Law360’s 2022 Technology MVP for leading one of Keller Postman’s largest mass arbitration litigation efforts against Amazon—and for his work to spearhead operational and technological efficiencies for mass claims litigation. He was named Law360’s 2021 Employment MVP for his work to represent hundreds of thousands of gig economy workers in arbitration. He was also named a 2021 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazer by the National Law Journal and is ranked as Band 1 by Chambers and Partners in the District of Columbia. Warren is listed on Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100, and District of Columbia Super Lawyers. Warren is licensed to practice law in California and the District of Columbia only.

Shery Ramezanian

CEO and Co-Founder
LitPro LLC

Shery Ramezanian, a legal, compliance, and MBA-qualified executive, is the CEO and co-founder of LitPRO, a leading mass tort lien resolution company. Following a successful legal career in the United States, Ms. Ramezanian worked globally in legal consulting with Huron Consulting Group and later with the global law firm Eversheds. Prior to founding LitPRO, she served as a director of legal and compliance at Conduent, a leading legal process outsourcing company, and worked for a Charlotte, North Carolina–based mass tort settlement administration company that specializes in mass tort and class action litigation. Ms. Ramezanian, who is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a J.D. from the Michigan State University College of Law, an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a governance, risk, and compliance diploma from the University of Manchester Business School.

John M. Restaino, Jr.

Senior Partner
Milberg

Dr. John M. Restaino, Jr., joined Milberg as a Senior Partner working out of the Denver, Colorado area. A non-practicing podiatric surgeon and an attorney with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Restaino focuses on Mass Tort and environmental cases.     Dr. Restaino practiced podiatric surgery from 1980 until 1990. In 1991, he began the practice of law after receiving his JD. Relying on his unique experience and perspective, Dr. Restaino enjoys looking “outside the box” in the development of specific aspects of litigation, including the science pertaining to each litigation, the development of expert witnesses, and the cross-examination of defense expert witnesses.     Dr. Restaino received his Master of Public Health degree from the Division of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, he actively conducts pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology. He frequently lectures at legal seminars and has lectured at the University of South Carolina, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Northwestern College of Medicine, and Harvard Medical Center.     Dr. Restaino as a member of the Diet Pill MDL and Chair of its Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Propulsid MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Rezulin MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Vioxx MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Zyprexa MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Ortho-Evra MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Gadolinium MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the Yaz/Yasmin MDL Science Committee; Co-Chair of the DePuy ASR Hip Prosthesis  MDL Science Committee; member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and Co-Chair of Science Committee, Pradaxa Multi-District Litigation; member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and Co-Chair of Science Committee, Transvaginal Mesh Multi-District Litigation; member of the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee, Plaintiff’s Steering Committee and Chair of the Science Committee, In Re: Incretin Mimetics Products Liability Litigation; Member of the Lipitor MDL Plaintiff Steering Committee and co-chair of its Science Committee and member of the Science Committee, Talc MDL     Outside the office, Dr. Restaino enjoys martial arts and holds a Black Belt in Kenpo karate and a 2nd degree Black Belt in Okinawan karate. He is a two-time winner in the Kenpo Internationals Black Belt Heavyweight division/senior division. He also enjoys SCUBA diving and holds an “Instructor” rating from the North American Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). He is both Dive Master and Rescue Diver qualified, having previously taught Dive Medicine at the NAUI College in Laguna Niguel, California.  

Joseph F. Rice

Founding Member
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 30 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.” His alma mater, the University of South Carolina School of Law, rebranded in his honor in November 2023, and is now known as the Joseph F. Rice School of Law. 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 in securities and consumer fraud, anti-terrorism, human rights, environmental, and medical drug and device cases, as well as catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He is recognized as an AV Preeminent® rated attorney in Martindale-Hubbell®.

Andy Rogers

Chief Revenue Officer
Shield Legal

Andy Rogers is a proven revenue strategist, driving eight-figure revenue growth at Shield Legal. With 20+ years of expertise in mass tort litigation, ethics, legal marketing, and lead generation, he is trusted by the top minds in the industry. Known for his leadership and ability to navigate complex legal landscapes, Rogers is a sought-after speaker.

Scott M. Rosenberg

Scott M. Rosenberg
Private Wealth Advisor
UBS

Scott is always looking for new ideas and more innovative strategies to help clients achieve their goals, that can include structured note offerings and hedge fund custodial arrangements, when appropriate. Scott joined UBS in 2015 after spending 17 years at Credit Suisse. He focuses on financial planning, tactical investment management and client portfolio analysis for individuals and family offices. Although his recommendations often reflect creativity and an “out of the box” point of view, Scott invests for his clients with the same care as he would for his own family—with prudence and a long-term perspective.

Ed Scanlan

Founder & CEO
Bridge Legal

Ed Scanlan is the Founder & CEO of Bridge Legal, an AI-enabled workflow platform purpose-built to power end-to-end operations for plaintiff law firms and litigation funders. Bridge Legal’s first-of-its-kind platform automates compensable case assembly, streamlines docket management, and empowers firms to maximize efficiency and profitability. A seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in legal technology, Ed has a long track record of building and leading high-growth companies at the intersection of law and innovation. His work has earned him recognition from Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40, the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies. Known for anticipating industry shifts and delivering scalable solutions, Ed is leading Bridge Legal in its mission to transform plaintiff operations through AI, helping firms modernize workflows and unlock operational efficiency at every stage of litigation.

Chris Seitz

Chris Seitz
Director of Business Development
Broughton Partners

Chris Seitz has been with Broughton Partners since close to its inception. He is an innovative Sales Representative and client consultant, specializing in creating unique solutions for client’s needs for the life of their firm. Once a law firm works with Chris, they tend to be a customer for life. With over eight years of experience in legal marketing, Chris has developed a deep understanding of the diverse market dynamics. Chris is renowned for his creative strategies, not only externally but internally as well, that are tailored to each client’s unique needs, ensuring they receive maximum value from our services. His innovative methods have led to over a 95% retention rate and the 2020, 2021, & 2022 awards for client satisfaction. This track record earned Chris a promotion to Director where he educates and trains the rest of the team on his unique approach to maximize value for our customers. Chris believes in prioritizing client needs first and fostering long-term relationships over immediate sales. Chris lives with his wife Melissa in Naples Florida, where he likes to fish, volunteer at his church, and cheer on his Miami Dolphins.

Hunter Shkolnik

Founding Member, Partner
Napoli Shkolnik

Hunter J. Shkolnik leads the discovery and trial teams of various mass tort litigations, including pharmaceutical and medical device litigations for Napoli Shkolnik. He is also active in managing national litigation and plaintiff litigation groups including for the American Association for Justice. Mr. Shkolnik is currently serving as a chairman, leader, or court-appointed representative on Plaintiff Steering Committees in various drug and other mass torts, including the MultiPlan Health Insurance Provider Litigation, the Self-Funded Payer Track Insulin Pricing Litigation, and National Prescription Opiate Litigation. He also regularly lectures and organizes seminars on issues involving Environmental Risk and PFAS, Healthcare Litigation, and Ethical Considerations in Mass Tort Litigation. Hunter is a legal and political news analyst with extensive experience in areas such as civil and criminal law as well as election-related issues.

Matthew J Sill

Attorney
Fulmer Sill

Matthew J. Sill focuses his practice on pharmaceutical and medical device mass torts, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and class action litigation. He is frequently selected for leadership positions among large groups of attorneys representing hundreds or thousands of injured parties. Matt currently represents over 75 cities, counties, and tribes in the nationwide opioid litigation, In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL No. 2804, Case No. 17-md-02804. Matt also recently filed the first case in Oklahoma regarding the marketing and sale of JUUL, In Re: Juul Labs, Inc. Marketing, Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation. Matt regularly accepts invitations for faculty positions and speaking engagements at seminars and continuing legal education programs. He has lectured in numerous locations, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and Texas, with programs typically being attended by lawyers from several other jurisdictions. He was chosen to co-chair HarrisMartin Publishing’s 2013 CAT Flood and Windstorm Litigation Conference. In the practice area of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, Matt has been a featured instructor or moderator at educational programs devoted to Actos®, GranuFlo®, Topamax®, pre-emption in generic drug cases, and several other topics. He authors a number of articles, and up-to-date information on relevant publications and published legal opinions are available by request from admin@fulmersill.com. Representing plaintiffs with cases pending in several different jurisdictions, Matt’s ability to practice pro hac vice is often based on the recommendation and sponsorship of local attorneys. See; e.g., MDL 2244, In Re: DePuy Hip Implant Litigation; MDL 2738, In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Liability Litigation. He is fully admitted to practice in the State of Oklahoma (2007), where out-of-state lawyers often retain him as local counsel for high-profile matters ranging from product liability to securities and antitrust. See; e.g., In Re: Chesapeake Energy Derivative Litigation. Matt has successfully helped families and individuals involved in opioid litigation, diabetes drug litigation, birth control litigation, gadolinium-based contrast dye litigation, hip replacement litigation, fentanyl pain patch litigation, heart defibrillator lead litigation, Las Vegas hepatitis litigation, Chinese drywall litigation, hormone replacement therapy litigation, denture cream litigation, heart surgery products litigation, dialysis products litigation, and aircraft crash litigation, to mention only a few.

Melissa K. Sims

Senior Counsel
Milberg

As Senior Counsel at Milberg, Melissa Sims maintains her own practice in Illinois with offices in Chicago and downstate. She represents communities nationally, helping them seek redress for public nuisance, using her vast experience as a municipal trial lawyer. Ms. Sims was born and raised in a small town in North Central Illinois. After graduating from college at Illinois State University and while attending law school, she worked as a part time employee at the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department and as a legal advocate for the local domestic violence sexual assault shelter, Freedom House. She received an appointment from the Illinois Supreme Court and volunteered license to practice law while in law school, prosecuting traffics and misdemeanor cases to gain experience in the courtroom. After graduating from Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb, Ms. Sims joined the Wimbiscus Law Firm in Spring Valley, Illinois. There, she represented units of local government including sheriffs, counties, cities, villages, school districts, zoning boards, and townships. Ms. Sims has been engaged in the general practice of law for more than twenty years. Her representation of clients has encompassed every possible facet of law: banking, hospitals, corporate, not-for-profit, tax, divorce, child support, probate/estate, trust, real estate, probate, civil rights, patent infringement, criminal, and municipal law. She has drafted municipal legislation and has represented units of local government in trial, appellate, and federal courts. She once argued a precedent setting probate case before the Illinois Supreme Court. Ms. Sims prosecuted hundreds of municipal ordinance violations for the towns she represented. The late William J. Wimbiscus, Jr., began practicing municipal law in 1950; Ms. Sims learned from his vast experience in her municipal practice. As a tenacious municipal prosecutor, Ms. Sims utilized a local ordinance against Exxon, CBS and Viacom for a Superfund site for one of her municipal clients. In that case, she set national precedent before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on whether a non-home rule unit of local government could exercise its nuisance powers during the course of a Superfund cleanup. Following this case, Ms. Sims represented the Village of Roxana, Illinois, against Shell and Conoco Phillips using her DePue precedent and fined the polluters for every lot, street, and alley which contained benzene from the refinery. Both cases settled. Ms. Sims has served for ten years on the board of directors of Freedom House, also having been its President. She volunteers for local not-for-profits and religious organizations. She also serves as a director on the board of a local bank. She is licensed in Illinois.

Steve Smith

VP, Business Development
Broughton Partners

Steve Smith is the VP of Business Development at Broughton Partners and has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development. Ten-plus years of that focused solely on the legal marketing industry. He has consulted with the nation's top leading firms regarding intake, marketing, case management, and strategy, earning a reputation as an expert in the business of law.

Alex R. Straus

Partner
Milberg

Larry Taylor

Managing Partner - Texas
The Cochran Firm

Larry oversees our Mass Torts, Criminal, Employment and Civil Rights practice areas as well as leads our community involvement efforts. While Larry is active daily in Mass Tort litigation he continues to play a role in client communications, and those cases that involve everyday folks. He is an active coach in youth sports and sits on a number of diverse community stakeholder entities. Between growing up in Duval County Florida and Harris County Texas (3rd Ward, Acers Homes, Greenspoint) and raising his kids in rural Texas, Larry has gained an appreciation for those who struggle for a sense of fairness. From the client in urban America seeking to be heard, to the small town rural American wanting fairness, it all resonates with Larry's need and desire to fight for them. Having once needed a lawyer to represent him against a goliath of a corporation, he understands the complexities and care needed to make sure his clients are informed and made comfortable during the most vulnerable time of their lives.

Alexandra Walsh

Shareholder
Anapol Weiss

Alexandra Walsh is a nationally recognized trial attorney, with extensive experience trying and winning cases in courts throughout the country. Her successes have been recognized by the American College of Trial Lawyers, Chambers & Partners, and the New York Journal Verdict Hall of Fame, among other organizations.  While Alex began her career defending corporate clients, in 2021 she began a new chapter in her practice by launching Walsh Law, a firm dedicated to fighting for plaintiffs. In 2024, Alex brought the team she built at Walsh Law to Anapol Weiss where she has helped the firm expand its trial practice to the national level.   Today, Alex dedicates much of her practice to representing survivors of sexual assault.    She is co-chair of the Trial Committee in the MDL In re Uber Technologies, Inc. Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, which has brought to light Uber’s failures to prevent thousands of sexual assaults every year.  In addition, Alex represents hundreds of men and women who survived childhood sexual assault while in custody of the various states’ juvenile justice systems.  Alex and her team are also fighting to hold Roblox, Discord, and Snapchat accountable for the predatory grooming, sexploitation, and sexual assault that these companies knowingly enable through their online platforms.  Most recently, Alex has joined the fight against the Alexander Brothers, real estate moguls who for years used their wealth and prominence to engage in a sprawling sex trafficking scheme.     Alex plays a leadership role in various other national litigations as well, including the MDLs concerning toxic contamination of commercial baby food products; the hidden risks of Ozempic, Wegovy, and other weight loss medications; and the intentionally addictive effect of social media platforms.   Before beginning her law practice, Alex was honored to serve as law clerk to two of the country’s top jurists: the Honorable Merrick B. Garland, then a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the Honorable Stephen G. Breyer, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Alex earned her law degree at Stanford Law School, where she was awarded Order of the Coif, and graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College.   Alex serves on the board of D.C.’s Legal Aid Society, the city’s oldest and largest civil legal services organization and represents Legal Aid clients in landlord-tenant disputes. Alex is also a board member for LIFT-DC, a national non-profit dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for families with children through targeted career, education, and financial coaching.

Shean Williams

Managing Attorney Atlanta
The Cochran Firm

Dedicated to battling injustice, Shean Williams is an accomplished trial attorney who prides himself on his strong work ethic and determination. Williams excels at persuading the jury to be protectors of their own community as they also correct the injustice to his clients. For the last 20 years, Mr. Williams has earned a formidable reputation for successfully obtaining verdicts and settlements totaling more than $150 million – in cases involving trucking and automobile collisions, medical malpractice, negligent security, maritime injuries, civil rights and police brutality, and medical devices and pharmaceutical litigation. Williams is also nationally renowned for his expertise in commercial vehicle litigation. His command of the motor carrier regulations and standards have led to record verdicts in trucking cases across several states. In fact, Williams led his firm’s legal team when winning a substantial $22 million verdict – the largest amount of compensatory wrongful death damages ever awarded in the state of Georgia, in a trucking case. Eight figure verdicts are not rare for Williams. In 2016, he obtained a $20.5 million verdict against Emory University – stemming from a wrongful death where a 23-year-old man died, as a result of a botched sleep study. He also led a trial team that was awarded a $17.5 million verdict against Grady Memorial Hospital for a young man who suffered brain damage during an elective surgery. In another record-breaking win, Williams received the largest settlement from a Georgia municipality, for a police brutality case where the civil rights of Kathryn Johnston were violated. These victories were all featured in The National Law Journal’s TOP 100 Verdicts.

Alexander Wolf

Senior Associate
Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman

Mr. Alexander Wolf is known for his ability to develop complex legal arguments and achieve favorable results in consumer class action and business litigation. He is an innovative, strategic lawyer, a skilled legal writer, and advocate. He joins Milberg as a Senior Associate with a focus on class action litigation. Prior to joining Milberg, Mr. Wolf was a litigator at DLA Piper LLP and Akin Gump Straus Hauer & Feld LLP in Los Angeles for over eight years where he represented public and private companies in consumer class actions and other complex commercial disputes. His practice included counseling Apple, Danone, Chipotle, Bayer, and other companies across the food and beverage, consumer electronics, and hospitality sectors in false advertising, unfair competition, and data privacy matters. His experience extends from obtaining complete pretrial victories to defending favorable judgments on appeal. Building upon this perspective, Mr. Wolf turned his focus to representing aggrieved consumers in class action litigation. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Wolf is a proud husband and father of a wonderful daughter. He enjoys mixed martial arts and fantasy sports.

Ernesto J. Zayas García, Esq

Ernesto J. Zayas García, Esq
Director-Office of Incentives, Attorney, LL.M. in Taxation, Notary Public & Agronomist
Department of Development Economic and Trade

Ernesto Zayas-García is a tax attorney, agronomist and professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown Law Center, is a former Partner at the tax division of Reichard & Escalera, and is admitted to the Bar for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. As of March 2025, Ernesto is now the Director of the Office of Incentives for Businesses in Puerto Rico ascribed to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.

David Zimmer

Partner
Zimmer, Citron & Clarke

David Zimmer co-founded Zimmer, Citron & Clarke in 2025. David previously spent eleven years at Goodwin Procter in Boston, where he was a partner in Goodwin’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice. David is also a Lecturer at Harvard Law School, where he teaches the Federal Courts Clinic and Clinical Seminar. David has extensive experience representing clients in appeals and complex civil litigation. David has argued or second-chaired seven merits cases at the U.S. Supreme Court and dozens of appeals in federal and state appellate courts across the country. He also regularly assists with dispositive motions in federal and state trial courts. David is ranked in Chambers USA in the Nationwide Appellate Rankings and was one of Law360’s Appellate Rising Stars in 2021. David’s work has also been recognized by Benchmark Litigation, the American Lawyer, the Financial Times, and the Legal Aid Society, among others. David dedicates a significant portion of his time to pro bono work and public service, with a particular focus on immigration law. He successfully argued two of the most important immigration cases the Supreme Court has decided in the last decade and is one of the few two-time winners of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association’s Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for Excellence in Litigation. David is also the Chair of the AILA Amicus Committee; a member and the former co-Chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Amicus Committee; a member of the Legal Services Corporation’s Leadership Council; and a member of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Massachusetts and Lawyers for Civil Rights.