Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Fourteen Shook Hardy lawyers rank highly in the product liability chapter, representing the Kansas City, Irvine, Miami, Washington, DC, and London offices. The firm’s major engagements in this discipline include acting as coordinating counsel in smoking and health litigation for Philip Morris International in various jurisdictions around the world, as well as recently defending Philip Morris USA in the Engle-progeny cases in Florida, of which the firm has received more favourable verdicts than any other firm on the defence or plaintiffs’ side. Global product liability group head Gary Long is one of eight lawyers listed in this chapter from the Kansas City headquarters. A “hugely renowned, veteran litigator”, Long has extensive experience in handling both individual claims and large class actions in state and federal courts and also earns a listing in the life sciences chapter. Chair emeritus of the pharmaceutical and medical device litigation division Harvey Kaplan is a former recipient of our lawyer of the year award in this category and a “standard bearer” for product liability defence work according to peers, who also recommend him highly in the litigation and life sciences chapters. Marie Woodbury and Scott Sayler are also recognised for their life sciences work in Kansas City, as is London-based litigator Sarah Croft who focuses her practice on pharmaceutical liability actions.

Shook Hardy’s IP capabilities were recently bolstered by the lateral hire of John Garretson in 2011, a year which also saw the firm successfully represent the Coca-Cola Company in a major trademark infringement case. Trent Webb is the head of the firm’s IP lititgation practice group and a “leading light” in the Kansas City office according to peers whose votes assure him of a listing in the patents chapter. Among his recent engagements, Webb has represented Nike, Sprint Communications and Leggett & Platt in patent infringement litigation.

The firm’s environmental team is also represented, having recently been selected as the sole outside counsel for the Tennessee Valley Authority in defence of numerous environmental class actions and toxic tort cases arising from a fly ash containment dike failure at the Authority’s power plant in Kingston in 2008. A “key name” in the firm’s environment team is Miami’s John Barkett, a litigator and counsellor with almost 40 years of experience and a “leading reputation” in toxic tort matters.

Leader of the firm’s national employment litigation and policy practice William Martucci represents the Washington, DC, office in the corresponding chapter. He is a “very strong” practitioner according to sources, who highlight his work representing prominent corporate clients in court as well as advising on business and human resources strategies.

Alongside its “market-leading” work on behalf of corporate and government interests, Shook Hardy devotes a considerable amount of energy to pro-bono child advocacy. In 2011 the firm handled over 200 child advocacy matters – including work relating to guardianships, adoptions, juvenile court representation, guardian ad litem work, educational advocacy, immigration, impact litigation and public policy advocacy – and lawyers from the firm have also drafted numerous pieces of child welfare legislation that have become law.