For The Defense, July 2010 - DRI Today

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D R I N E W SMembers on the MoveNelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLPhas announced that it will open its 12thlocation, in Huntington, West Virginia, onDecember 1, 2010. This is the second newcity for the firm since January and will beits first office in West Virginia.Joining the firm will be three wellknownWest Virginia attorneys, includingDRI Immediate Past President Marc E.Williams. Joining Mr. Williams are partnersRobert L. Massie and Melissa FosterBird. The new attorneys all have extensivelitigation practices. The offices of NelsonMullins will be located at 949 Third Avenue,Suite 200, Huntington.“This new office is geographically a goodfit for us because of our current work forclients in West Virginia,” said Nelson MullinsManaging Partner David E. Dukes,also a past president of DRI. “This new litigationteam also is a perfect complementto our national litigation practice, and weare excited that they will be helping us openour 12th office.” Litigation is Nelson Mullins’largest practice area, representing 55percent of the firm’s total practice.In other firm news, Nelson Mullins alsorecently received three national recognitions.Legal directory publisher Chambersand Partners has recognized the firm as anational leader in products liability litigationand gave Mr. Dukes, along with fellowpartner Stephen G. Morrison, nationalrankings for their products liability andmass torts practices. The American HealthLawyers Association also ranked NelsonMullins as having the fifth largest healthcare practice in the United States. The rankingswere published in Modern Healthcaremagazine. Finally, the 2010 U.S. edition ofThe Legal 500 calls Nelson Mullins’ productliability and mass tort defense practicesin automotive/transport and pharmaceuticalsand medical devices “excellent” and“cost- effective” and highlights the workof Mr. Dukes, Mr. Morrison, Richard K.Hines, and Marvin A. Quattlebaum, Jr.,for their litigation skills.Picadio Sneath Miller & Norton, P.C.,is pleased to announce that Kelly A. Williamshas become a partner. Ms. Williamsfocuses her practice on complexcommercial litigation, insurance cover-age and intellectual property law, handlingall phases of litigation in state and federalcourts. She also has experience with complexe- discovery and has presented on thistopic at continuing legal education courses.Ms. Williams is actively involved with theAllegheny County Bar Association, servingas the chair of the Public Service Committee’sVolunteer Recognition Event and onseveral committees for the Women in theLaw Division. Ms. Williams volunteers forAllegheny County’s mortgage foreclosureconciliation and child custody conciliationprograms. She also serves DRI’s Women inthe Law Committee as publications chairand on the Sharing Success Seminar SteeringCommittee.David E. Chamberlain, a partner inChamberlain McHaney in Austin, Texas,was recently elected president- elect of theAustin Bar Association, an association ofover 4,000 lawyers in the Texas state capital.Mr. Chamberlain also serves as a nationaldirector on the DRI Board of Directors. Hispractice focuses on the defense of productliability, construction defect, professionalliability and personal injury litigation.Providence, Rhode Island, firm Vetter &White is pleased to announce that its partner,George E. Lieberman, has been againrecognized as one of the best lawyers inthe field of Commercial Litigation by BestLawyers In America in its 2010 edition. Mr.Lieberman has also been named again as a“Super Lawyer” in the area of Business Litigationby the New England Super LawyersMagazine, 2010 ed.Stephen G. Rhoads of Gawthrop Greenwood,PC, in West Chester, Pennsylvania,recently addressed licensed marriageand family counselors, social workers andprofessional counselors at the PennsylvaniaAssociation for Marriage and FamilyTherapy Annual Conference, held April 9at the Union League of Philadelphia. In aprogram entitled “Ethics in the Life Cycleof the Marriage and Family Therapist,”he discussed ethical and risk managementissues to be considered when starting,maintaining and closing a private practice,including record- keeping, managing riskin client relationship, applicable privilegesand duties of confidentiality, and subpoenasfor records and testimony. Mr. Rhoadsconcentrates his practice in the representationof various licensed professionals andcommercial litigation.Thomas G. Plunkett of Williams, Williams,Rattner & Plunkett P.C. in Birmingham,Michigan, has been selected forinclusion in Law and Politics Media Inc.’sSuperLawyers 2010. Thomas G. Plunkettis a partner whose law practice focuses oncommercial litigation.Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. isproud to announce that the following attorneyswill be included in the September 2010Corporate Counsel Edition of Super Lawyers.Mary Ann Mellow, G. Keith Phoenix,Reed W. Sugg and Peter von Gontardwere named Super Lawyers for 2010 in thearea of product personal injury defense.The Ohio-based law firm of WestonHurd LLP is pleased to announce that DanielT. Downey has joined the Columbusoffice as a partner. Mr. Downey focuses hispractice on civil litigation, with an emphasison insurance defense, political subdivisionimmunity and civil rights defense. Mr.Downey also has admission before the U.S.District Court for the Northern District ofOhio, the U.S. District Court for the SouthernDistrict of Ohio and the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the Sixth Circuit.Mark D. Fullerton is pleased toannounce the formation of the law firmof Mark D. Fullerton PC, located in Mesa,Arizona. Mr. Fullerton and his associateswill continue to provide legal representationthroughout the state of Arizona in theareas of commercial litigation, product liability,motor vehicle liability and insurancedefense.Bullivant Houser Bailey PC, a leadingWest Coast business and complex litigationlaw firm, is pleased to announce thatJeanne F. Loftis has been admitted to theAmerican Board of Trial Advocates. Ms.Loftis is the chair of Bullivant Houser Bailey’sproduct liability practice. She has triedmore than 30 cases to verdict as first chairattorney. She represents companies in thePacific Northwest in a wide variety of commercialand casualty cases, with an emphasison asbestos product liability claims andother mass tort litigation. Ms. Loftis has6 n For The Defense n July 2010
D R I N E W SDRI joins Thompson &Knight LLP in congratulatingJohn H. Martinon being namedpresident of Lawyersfor Civil Justice (LCJ),a national organizationof defense lawyersand corporate counsel dedicated to fairnessand improvements within the civil justicesystem. Mr. Martin was inducted on May3, 2010, at the Spring Membership Meetingin Washington, D.C. He served as LCJpresident- elect in 2009.Mr. Martin is a partner in the Trial PracticeGroup of Thompson & Knight’s Dallasoffice. He is widely recognized for his legalwork and public speaking on the subjects ofPast DRI Leader John H. Martin Named President of Lawyers for Civil Justicecatastrophic injury, mass tort, and aviationlitigation. He is one of the state’s most distinguishedattorneys in the civil defense field.Mr. Martin has been named to The Best Lawyersin America by Woodward/White Inc.,Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters,Lawdragon 500 “Leading Lawyers in America”by Lawdragon Inc., and Who’s WhoLegal: Texas by Law Business Research Limitedfor numerous years. The Best Lawyersin America also named him “Dallas PersonalInjury Litigator of the Year” in 2010.Mr. Martin is a past president of DRI and afellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers,International Academy of Trial Lawyers,the Center for American and InternationalLaw, Texas Bar Foundation, and Dallas BarFoundation. He is also a member of the Collegeof the State Bar of Texas and the InternationalAssociation of Defense Counseland serves on the Board of Directors for theNational Foundation for Judicial Excellence.Created by defense trial lawyers and corporatecounsel, Lawyers for Civil Justice is anational coalition supporting excellence, fairness,and improvements within the civil justicesystem. It supports activities at both thestate and national level designed to achievereforms, which will ensure balance in thecivil justice system. Greater predictability indamage awards, streamlining the discoveryprocess, and improving the management oflitigation and scarce judicial resources are alllong-range goals of Lawyers for Civil Justice.For more information, please visit http://www.lfcj.com.represented businesses in many sectors,including construction, manufacturing,retail, food service, publishing and professionalservices.Linda G. Burwell, a founding partnerof Detroit- based employment law firmNemeth Burwell, P.C., was among eightwomen recently honored by the MichiganBusiness and Professional Associationat its 14th Annual Women and LeadershipSymposium and Awards Event at theFairlane Club in Dearborn, Michigan. Theaward recognizes extraordinary professionalwomen who have excelled in sevendistinct categories. Ms. Nemeth was recognizedin the small business category.After many years at a national litigationlaw firm, DRI members Bradley D. Fisherand Gerald H. Bren formed the law firm ofFisher Bren & Sheridan LLP, a full servicelitigation law firm in Minneapolis focusingon construction, product liability, environmental,employment, insurance coverageand personal injury defense.James McQueen, Jr., and Amanda J.Davis are joining Roy D. Baker, Jr., inan existing AV-rated firm in Huntington,West Virginia, that will now be known asBaker, Davis & McQueen, PLLC. The firmwill focus on insurance bad faith litigation,insurance coverage analysis, and insurancecoverage litigation, as well as self- insureddefense work involving mass tort situationsand general insurance defense workarising under CGL, D&O, and other commercialpolicies. They will also continueto represent professionals, such as lawyersand doctors, in the defense of disciplinaryFor over 25 years, LMI has provideddefendants with award winningrecord acquisition, medical recordanalysis, complex litigation anddocument management services,all delivered via LM[I]SIGHT,our secure client site designedexclusively for the defense.Our experienced medical and legalprofessionals stand ready to deliver theinsight you need, when you need it.complaints made by patients and clients totheir particular licensing agencies.Marge MotluckElizabeth B. Juliano, Founder & Chief Executive Officer1 9 8 4-2 0 0 9CELEBRATING 25 YEARSTRANSFORMING INFORMATION, DELIVERING INSIGHTwww.medicineforthedefense.com1 800.778.5424For The Defense n July 2010 n 7
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