Best Edwardsville, Illinois Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyers
John Barnerd is a Partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy. He joined the firm in 2002 as mesothelioma and asbestos attorney, and today is a member of the firm’s management committee. He previously served for two years as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Madison County, Ill. John earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois College and graduated with his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. In 2010, Chicago Lawyers Magazine recognized him as a top 40 Under 40 ...
Conard Metcalf has successfully represented hundreds of men and women diagnosed with asbestos-caused cancers, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer, as well as individuals suffering from asbestosis and other occupational diseases and toxic injuries. Mr. Metcalf has been invited to speak about asbestos-related diseases at medical conferences and legal seminars and has published articles about occupational diseases in several legal journals. Mr. Metcalf received his law degree from the Universit...
Partner Melissa Crowe Schopfer joined Simmons Hanly Conroy in 2005 as an asbestos and mesothelioma attorney. In November 2012, she became an asbestos trial team leader, where her responsibilities include managing a team of attorneys and legal staff. She has worked on over 500 cases in the past 10 years and helped recover over $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of individuals and families impacted by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. She has represented clients ...
Attorney Taylor Kerns is a partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy who focuses his practice on asbestos litigation. He oversees a team of attorneys and legal staff, who represent individuals across the country suffering from asbestos-related diseases. He has helped secure millions of dollars on behalf of individuals and families impacted by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. As a trial team leader, Taylor is responsible for directing the legal strategy necessary for each case. He and h...
As a Partner in the Asbestos Department, Paul supervises a team of attorneys and legal staff who handle mesothelioma cases filed throughout the United States. Paul and his team have represented hundreds of mesothelioma victims, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on their behalf. Managing the trial team is only part of Paul’s responsibilities. As an asbestos attorney, he personally handles all aspects of his clients’ cases, which can include inve...
John Simmons founded the firm in 1999 with seven employees and a focus on asbestos litigation. Under his leadership, the firm has expanded to more than 250 employees, including more than 80 attorneys, spread between five offices in Alton, St. Louis, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. John has overseen some of the biggest verdicts and settlements in the history of asbestos litigation. The firm’s first trial involved a roofer and former Shell Oil employee diagnosed with mesothelioma...
Shareholder Perry Browder is head of the Asbestos Department at Simmons Hanly Conroy. He has worked for more than 30 years helping numerous families resolve hundreds of million dollar-plus cases. He started at the firm in 2001 and played a key role in helping the firm develop a national reputation. Within a few years, he had successfully secured one of the largest asbestos verdicts in the country, a $250 million verdict against U.S. Steel. Today, Perry manages the firm’s more than 50 as...
Attorney Luke Pfeifer is an associate at Simmons Hanly Conroy, where he focuses his practice on helping families affected by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. He joined the firm in 2019. Knowledge, Empathy and Passion Luke decided to become a plaintiffs’ lawyer because he wanted to be a voice for those who do not possess the means to speak for themselves. “My clients should expect me to handle their case as though I was representing one of my own family members,&rd...
Payal A. Gurnani is an attorney at Simmons Hanly Conroy. She joined the firm in 2019, focusing her practice on mass torts and class actions, with an emphasis on cases involving internet privacy and dangerous drugs and devices. A member of the Complex Litigation Department, Payal draws on more than 15 years’ experience as an attorney and a former career in information technology to help her clients. She directs a team of e-discovery attorneys, performs pre-trial evidentiary analysis, dra...
Philip E. Proud is an attorney at Simmons Hanly Conroy, where he focuses his practice on helping those affected by asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma. Philip works directly with clients from the start of their case to its resolution and helps with all aspects of the legal process in between. “Once I receive a case, my clients can expect open communication, due diligence, honesty and empathy,” Philip explained. “My clients are individuals, families, and I make ev...
