Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
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"He is an effective negotiator and effectively uses relationships to obtain optimal results for clients. He has early recognition of cases for trial settings and/or settlement, sees the big picture and creates strategies for the future to protect the client." -Patricia Bligh, Chubb & Son, Inc.
Richard C. Polley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Richard C., who practices law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Richard C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jeffrey M. Croasdell 505.766.7563 jcroasdell@rodey.com Education University of New Mexico, (J.D., cum laude, 1993) University of California, San Diego, (B.A., Political Science, 1990) Mr. Croasdell is a Director in the Albuquerque office. He practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and is the Group Leader of the Products/General Liability practice group. Having litigated jury and non-jury cases at all levels of state and federal courts in New Mexico, he has significant trial experi...
Walter G. Watkins III 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. Walter G., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Walter G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice...
Barry Miller is a Partner and Office Chair in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Lexington, Kentucky office. He has spent 30 years in the courtrooms of Kentucky. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2013, and also has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the field of Commercial Litigation. Mr. Miller’s coverage and bad faith practice includes matters involving thoroughbred horses, coal mining, trucking and transportation, pollution, municipal liability, and alleged pol...
Leigh Ann White is a Partner at CDF Labor Law LLP (CDF), a California focused labor, employment, and immigration defense law firm with five offices throughout the state. In her two decades of defending and advising employers, White has successfully resolved complex litigation and disputes, ranging from individual claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour class actions, and trade secret allegations. When defending clients against these types of claims, White brings her f...
Joel D. Adler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Joel D., who practices law in Coral Gables, Florida, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joel D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Beth A. Bauer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Beth A., who practices law in Edwardsville, Illinois, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Beth A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
John Rocco is a Shareholder in the Litigation and Risk Management Practice Group. John serves as national, regional and local counsel for a number of corporations, providing legal services in the areas of toxic tort and product liability defense, contractual indemnity, insurance placement and insurance coverage, commercial litigation, risk management and due diligence investigations. He manages and directs the work performed by lawyers and law firms on behalf of many of these corporations acr...
Known both as a gifted leader and a consummate team player, Joe Cancila is a highly regarded, experienced, and tenacious litigator who has dedicated his career to defending clients in complex commercial class actions. He is a creative strategist, thorough investigator, and effective communicator—all qualities that make him a worthy adversary in and out of the courtroom. And as the leader of many practice teams, he has mastered the art of working collaboratively with co-counsel to best a...
Tim Eagan enjoys a diverse legal practice concentrating on complex commercial litigation in the trial and appellate courts in both the state and federal court systems. He has represented business clients in a range of industries including energy, securities, exploration, health care, banking and construction. Tim has served as lead counsel in national and state class actions, multidistrict litigation, regulatory actions, antitrust, RICO, securities fraud, shareholder disputes, corporate dispu...
Maria Alexander is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Maria, who practices law in Hartford, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Maria is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Liz Broadway Brown is a business and commercial litigator who concentrates her practice on the defense of high-stakes class action and privacy litigation matters, primarily in the health care, technology, and financial services industries. Liz has significant experience litigating complex disputes in trial and appellate courts across the county. She has defended matters involving the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, ERISA, R...
Marc J. Kessler is an experienced trial lawyer who is widely regarded as one of the nation’s preeminent business litigators. He has extensive experience with large scale, “bet-the-company” matters and is widely recognized for his ability to handle the most complex and critical litigation issues . Marc’s expertise includes complex commercial transactions, procurement, healthcare, trade secrets and non-competition, product liability, business torts, real estate, intellec...
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.