Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
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Maura Z. Pelleteri is a Special Partner with the firm engaged primarily in commercial litigation since 1985. Ms. Pelleteri’s practice areas include Surety and Fidelity Law; Insurance Coverage Litigation; Life, Health & Disability Insurance; Labor and Employment Litigation; Class and Mass Action Litigation; ERISA Litigation; Securities Litigation; Construction Litigation; Errors and Omissions Litigation and Directors & Officers Litigation. Ms. Pelleteri represents clients, mainly...
Having tried nearly 20 cases to verdict, Ben Chesson is a trial lawyer with a proven record of winning when it matters. He has tried cases for corporate and individual clients in state and federal courts across North Carolina. Ben has also represented clients in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, all appellate courts in North Carolina, and the South Carolina Supreme Court. Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants, Ben understands that while disputes are resolved in courtrooms—cas...
William Keeler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. William, who practices law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice a...
John Jerry Glas is the Chair of the Civil Litigation Department at Deutsch Kerrigan and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has tried 114 civil or criminal trials, including 76 jury trials and 38 judge trials. Jerry has been admitted pro hac vice in 11 different states and had success on both sides of the aisle. In 2021, as lead trial counsel for the plaintiff (Lindale Pipeline, LLC), Jerry obtained a $26 million verdict in Houston. In 2012, as lead trial counsel for the def...
Will Manuel focuses his practice primarily on commercial and employment litigation. He has handled various disputes for both large and small businesses in both Mississippi and other jurisdictions. Will's clients include numerous manufacturers and commercial interests as well as various insurance and financial services companies. He has worked to defend these clients in both MDL litigation and individual actions brought in Mississippi. Will also has experience in advising businesses on issues ...
Larry Shea works primarily in the energy industry representing oil and gas producers and pipeline companies. He has handled numerous matters involving legacy litigation, environmental issues, oil and gas leasing rights, and operations. He commonly represents defendants, including the defense of clients in class actions and mass joinder litigation. Larry has played an integral role in landmark cases, such as AmCom v. Patterson, one of the first modern era decisions of the Louisiana Supreme Cou...
Mr. Lee is Chair of the firm's Commercial Litigation Practice Group. For the last 15 years, his practice has included a concentration in insurance and insurance class action lawsuits. He has experience in handling coverage issues, bad faith claims, mold claims, regulatory issues and class action claims with a myriad of substantial issues. Mr. Lee joined Stone Pigman, and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar, in 1974.
B. Rush Smith III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Financial Services Regulation Law, Litigation - Banking and Finance and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. B. Rush, who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2003. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which B. Rush is held by other top lawyers in the sa...
Corey has practiced law with Watkins & Eager since he was admitted to the bar in 2004. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Mississippi, all federal courts in Arkansas and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in numerous state and federal courts around the country. Corey's diverse litigation practice has involved representing clients in every phase of litigation-including trials, appeals and alternative...
A top-notch trial lawyer, Todd White has won notable, high-stakes verdicts for his varied business and governmental clients. In recent cases, he secured verdicts of $1.5 million and $3.1 in minority shareholder and personal injury disputes, and also won defense verdicts in several multimillion dollar contract and intellectual property cases. Focusing on personal injury, product liability, toxic tort, medical malpractice, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, and insurance defe...
Tanya D. Ellis is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Tanya D., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Tanya D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kimberly D. Young has been practicing law with Friday, Eldredge & Clark since 2003 and she concentrates her practice in the field of civil litigation, including products liability, intellectual property and premises liability. She has over a decade of experience representing electric and natural gas utilities in Arkansas, including the successful defense of catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims. While she has represented a diverse set of clients in personal injury litigation, most...
John Goodman has practiced in civil litigation since joining the firm in 1988. He tries cases in state and federal courts, and handles complex litigation in a variety of areas of the law. John's primary areas of practice involve commercial litigation (including antitrust, securities, competitive torts and contract and related disputes), class action and product liability litigation. John is the author and editor of the Alabama chapters of the Aspen publications Product Liability Desk Referenc...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.