O’Melveny Worldwide
  • Served as trial counsel in a mass tort pharmaceutical matter; cases are pending in various federal and state courts; involved in strategy, discovery and case work-ups
  • Served as the head of a team defending an international pharmaceutical company in mass tort pharmaceutical litigation pending in a federal MDL, various state court coordinated proceedings, and in individual state courts; involvement includes strategy, discovery and the management of a team of lawyers throughout the country
  • One of two lawyers retained by a major pharmaceutical company to formulate and negotiate a mass tort settlement; a multi-billion dollar resolution program resulted, which led to in excess of 99% of the claims being resolved
  • Served as national trial coordination counsel in connection with defending an international pharmaceutical company. Trial cases are pending in a federal MDL, in various state court coordinated actions, and in various individual state courts.
  • Trial counsel in recent wrongful death lawsuit involving a pharmaceutical product. Defense verdict was obtained.
  • Served as a national team member and a trial team member in defending two major healthcare companies involved in and with medical products; matters were pending in various state and federal courts; managed a team of lawyers from multiple firms and served as co-counsel in trials involving the product at issue; all trials were successful, including one that resulted in a directed verdict for the client after a three-week trial; a successful settlement program was implemented after such trials
  • Served as a member of a team involved in a mass tort pharmaceutical matter concerning an anti-depression product; involvement included activities in both federal and state courts
  • Served as lead counsel in defending a company involved with line-locating services in the oil and gas industry; suits were filed after a gas line explosion involving a fatality and injuries to others; successful settlements were reached on the eves of trials and after extensive discovery
  • Served on national teams in large mass tort matters involving a cholesterol medication, a pain management medication, and a colon-cleansing product; involved in strategy, discovery, and trials
  • Served as lead trial counsel for a major manufacturer of construction equipment; one case, involving multiple plaintiffs was tried over a six-week period; results were favorable, which led to a successful settlement of the remaining 80+ claims
  • Served as co-counsel in a federal court trial involving a household product; a defense verdict was obtained after a weeklong trial
  • Assist and consult with in-house counsel (both US- and non-US-based entities) regarding litigation avoidance, preparation, handling and strategies. Advise clients on matters regarding discovery issues, document retention issues, trial issues, resolution issues and overall strategy matters.
  • Tried numerous personal injury cases to verdict in various Texas state and federal courts

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Texas

Court Admissions

  • US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • US District Court, Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas

Education

  • Southern Methodist University, J.D., 1985: SMU Law Review
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, B.A., History/Applied Life Sciences, 1982

Honors & Awards

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants and Commercial Litigation in Dallas, TX (2023-2026)
  • Named to the Who’s Who Legal, Product Liability Defense, Law Business Research Ltd. (2019)

Professional Activities

Instructor

  • National Institute of Trial Advocacy

Member

  • Defense Research Institute
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Texas Bar Foundation
  • Dallas Bar Association