Faegre Drinker Product Liability and Mass Torts Practice Named ‘Practice Group of the Year’ by Law360
Faegre Drinker’s national product liability and mass torts practice has been named a “Practice Group of the Year” by Law360. The recognition honors law firm practice groups that secured litigation wins and major accomplishments that resonated throughout the legal industry in 2021.
“We are pleased that our group continues to be recognized for the excellent legal work the team consistently provides year after year,” said Joe Tanner, leader of the firm’s product liability and mass torts practice group. “This is a talented, diverse and collaborative team of attorneys and professionals who are experienced in delivering best-in-class service and solutions to clients around the world. Whether we are handling mass torts and class actions, cross-border litigation, complex single-plaintiff actions or risk management, our team strives to know our clients’ goals and businesses as well as we know the courtrooms where we work. We are confident the new year will bring new opportunities and challenges for many of our clients, and we remain prepared and committed to support them in all aspects of litigation, risk management, and business counseling.”
Deputy practice group leader Michael C. Zogby added, “We are passionate about our clients and are dedicated to zealously defending them inside and outside the courtroom. When you combine that passion with our deep subject matter experience and depth from coast-to-coast, it truly makes this group a market leader.”
In an exclusive interview and profile, Law360 described the size and strength of the practice, which is home to approximately 150 professionals across the nation serving the world’s leading life sciences, agricultural, food, automotive, chemical and consumer products companies.
The publication also highlights that the practice stands out for its gender and racial diversity and inclusiveness efforts. The emphasis on diversity and training “puts our firm in a unique position that when our clients have trial opportunities or complex cases, we have a diverse bench to choose from to represent the client and the different perspectives that come to bear,” partner Andrea Roberts Pierson told Law360.
In its coverage of the group’s most significant achievements for clients in 2021, Law360 profiled the group’s work for major pharmaceutical, medical device and life sciences companies, including Zimmer Inc., Cook Medical and Johnson & Johnson.
For example, Law360 spoke with partner Michael Kanute, who was part of the Faegre Drinker team that represented Zimmer in its victory in the first bellwether case in multidistrict litigation over its hip implants, with a New York federal judge finding that the opinion by the patient’s expert witness was unreliable.
Kanute discussed the firm’s relationship with Zimmer, saying, “It really helps when you have a client that makes great products like Zimmer [does], and their engineers, their sales force and their in-house counsel are all really dedicated to defending those products, it makes our job a lot easier and a lot more gratifying.”
The product liability and mass torts practice and its professionals are also recognized in the legal industry’s prominent rankings and publications, including Chambers USA, which has included the group in its “Elite” category, Benchmark Litigation, LMG Life Sciences, The Legal 500 and others. The practice group, which was named a 2022 “Product Liability Litigation Powerhouse” by BTI Consulting, also has been identified by Lex Machina as one of the most active product liability defense firms over the last three years, having defended more than 21,000 product liability cases. In November 2021, The Am Law Litigation Daily called the practice a “juggernaut,” noting that the firm is home to “one of the biggest product liability and mass torts groups in the country.”