Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
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Jim Swanson represents state and local governments, corporations, and individuals in cases involving municipal finance, derivatives, CDOs, Ponzi schemes, corporate tax, coastal land loss, industrial and environmental accidents, and a range of other subject areas. Jim’s efforts are recorded in over 100 reported decisions. Jim is particularly known for his securities practice and has obtained multimillion-dollar judgments for his clients in jury and bench trials and commercial arbitration...
John Weinholtz is a member of the Products: Class Action, Trade & Industry Representation group. He represents companies in federal and state court litigation and counsels companies on regulatory and industry compliance matters. What do you focus on? Today I focus my practice on three main areas, leveraging more than 20 years of experience to help clients manage their most complex litigation and significant regulatory compliance issues. Complex Tort & Commercial Litigation I represent...
Sean Mount defends corporate clients and insurance companies in a variety of litigation claims that can arise as a result of today’s competitive legal environment. With a special interest in defense litigation, Sean Mount enjoys addressing client problems and crafting a solution that is best suitable for their business. Building upon his extensive courtroom experience, he has successfully litigated a variety of matters in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas for various corporate and insur...
Eric P. Hall is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Eric P., who practices law in Edwardsville, Illinois, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Eric P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Hugh focuses his practice on business and intellectual property litigation. His business litigation practice focuses on complex financial transactions and commercial disputes across multiple sectors. His intellectual property litigation practice includes patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation in diverse technological areas across many industries. Hugh has more than two decades of experience utilizing his considerable knowledge to counsel clients in a wide variety of industr...
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy is creative and results-oriented. She uses strategic analysis and innovative thinking to develop legal solutions that work for her clients. She has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies throughout the United States and abroad in numerous trials, arbitrations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Allegra is known for her skill in trying cases and working through complex settlements with tenacity and patience. Allegra also develops processes, tools and ...
Dorothy H. Wimberly is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Environmental and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Dorothy H., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dorothy H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Alicia N. Ritchie 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. Alicia N., who practices law in Baltimore, Maryland, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alicia N. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Chuck has over 30 years of experience litigating complex commercial cases, with particular emphasis on the trial and appeal of insurance coverage disputes, including breach of contract, declaratory judgment and bad faith actions. Chuck was named in 2025, 2021, and 2016 by The Best Lawyers in America as its Minneapolis Mass Tort Litigation/Class Action – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year.” He was also named as its 2019 and 2014 Minneapolis Insurance Law “Lawyer of the Year...
Darryl primarily practices in areas of toxic tort and environmental law, representing defendants in asbestos litigation in Louisiana and other states. He also practices general insurance defense, particularly first party claims for disability and life insurance benefits. Darryl has successfully obtained multiple defense jury verdicts in favor of Monsanto, including a six week jury trial involving six plaintiffs claiming asbestos related disease from working in a paper mill, and a trial of nei...
Richard E. Sarver is a founding member of the law firm of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C., a New Orleans litigation firm ranked among the top litigation firms in Louisiana. Rick has extensive jury trial experience, including trials in thirteen different states. He has served as lead trial attorney in more than 100 jury trials, including complex multidistrict litigation. Many of his trials have been in bet-the-company litigation, where he repeatedly has succeeded before j...
Calling on over 35 years of experience, Mr. Stout's practice includes insurance defense and general litigation in the areas of products liability and toxic torts. Mr. Stout mainly defends clients in toxic tort cases involving long-term latent disease, personal injury, and death claims involving silicosis or asbestosis and also has experience with asbestos property damage and building abatement claims. Mr. Stout also defends clients in products liability and maritime personal injury claims def...
Alex Rothenberg’s practice focuses on oil, gas and energy litigation and complex commercial and construction litigation. He also has experience in the areas of admiralty, insurance defense and family law. Alex was heavily involved in the multi district litigation concerning Chinese drywall and helped obtain the dismissal of one of his clients pursuant to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. In re Chinese Manufactured Drywall Prods. Liab. Litig. , 168 F. Supp. 3d 918 (E.D. La. 2018). Al...
Mark Dodart is a partner in the litigation group of Phelps Dunbar who practices primarily in the areas of general litigation, insurance coverage and tort litigation. He counsels clients, manages disputes and tries cases involving personal injury, products liability, class actions, toxic tort exposure, premises liability, and property damage. Mr. Dodart also serves as local, regional and national coverage counsel for domestic insurance companies in matters arising from bad faith, construction ...
Howard Shapiro is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation - ERISA and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Howard, who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 1993. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Howard is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.