Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
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State
Steve Tucker is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the categories of Personal Injury Litigation and Railroad Law, and was recently named Best Lawyers’ 2014 Birmingham Railroad Law “Lawyer of the Year.” An Alabama native, he attended law school at the University of Kentucky College of Law, graduating in 1984. While attending law school, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Kentucky Law Journal. Mr. Tucker practices in both federal and state courts. His law practice is devote...
Michael Austin focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation matters, arbitration and regulatory investigation matters, with a particular emphasis in the healthcare industry. Michael serves as co-chair of the firm’s healthcare litigation team, and represents a wide range of healthcare clients, including health systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic imaging companies, home health agencies, and medical and physician practice. Mike handles a variety of complex ...
Andrew has a history of representing corporate clients in sophisticated, complex, and sensitive matters in a wide variety of industries and disciplines. He has tried cases to verdict in Ohio, Florida, and California and has served as lead appellate counsel in the defense of a class certification denial. For the past 15 years, however, his focus has been in spearheading insurance recoveries for corporate policyholders in a variety of business sectors, under various state and international laws...
Susan L. Steffey was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1987 and to the Mississippi Bar in 1991. She is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Mississippi and Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before joining Watkins & Eager in 1991, Susan practiced in Tampa, Florida, with the law firm of Sessums & Mason (1987-1990), and served as law clerk to the Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1990-19...
John T. Lay is a partner at Gallivan White & Boyd at the firm's Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, offices. He has over 30 years of experience managing complex, high-stakes litigation for clients, and has tried more than 100 cases to verdict. John T. has been recognized since 2008. John T. has handled appeals at the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the South Carolina Supreme Court, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. His practice includes class acti...
Steven (“Steve”) Pockrass is Co-Chair of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. In this position, he helps clients and attorneys throughout the firm deliver proactive and responsive solutions to federal and state wage-hour questions and concerns. Steve coordinates wage-hour resources within the firm and works on a variety of wage-related issues, ranging from evaluating whether certain job positions are properly classified to defending collective and class actions. In addit...
Mr. Grace joined Blue Williams as an associate in 2002. In 2006, he was elected partner at the firm. His practice primarily consists of motor vehicle and trucking litigation, environmental and toxic tort litigation, including asbestos and benzene litigation, personal/commercial property and casualty litigation, and products liability. Mr. Grace earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He was awarded a juris doctorate from Loyola University ...
Bob Riley is a trial lawyer. He has tried a broad array of complex, high-stakes cases and has argued appeals in state and federal courts across the country. His practice focuses on product liability, mass torts, and environmental cases; class actions; and general commercial litigation. Bob’s appellate work has given rise to over forty reported decisions concerning trial consolidations, punitive damages, civil conspiracy, class certification, and constitutional interpretation. He litigat...
Thomas P. Owen, Jr. is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Appellate Practice, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Litigation, Copyright Law, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Litigation - Real Estate and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Thomas P. practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized Thomas P. Owen, Jr. since 2016. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey o...
Sara Murphy focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and class action defense, representing clients from a number of different industries, including financial services, energy, pulp and paper, insurance, and professional services. Sara’s litigation practice includes disputes related to breach of contract, unfair trade practices, claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and other business-related torts. She also handles cases involving claims for ...
Chris N. Kolos focuses his practice on the defense of environmental contamination suits, CERCLA litigation, toxic substance exposure cases, and pharmaceutical, products liability, nursing home, assisted living facility, and many other types of personal injury cases. He has substantial experience defending cases involving industrial chemicals and asbestos. He also defends insurers in bad faith and insurance coverage cases. He has served as national coordinating counsel and regional trial couns...
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...
Walter G. Watkins III is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Walter G. practices law in Jackson, Mississippi Best Lawyers has recognized Walter G. Watkins III since 2011. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the profes...
David Whitaker is a member of Kean Miller ’s labor and employment law group in New Orleans, Louisiana. His practice focuses on representing employers and management in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including the defense of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. He regularly advises employers on compliance with state and federal employment laws, drafts employment contracts, non-compete and confidentiality agreements, and assists with the developmen...
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.
