Tornado sirens are going off in Kansas City, and this time it’s not a drill. Last month, a massive EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, resulting in over 130 deaths. Out west, several states had record snowfall. This past April, in the mid-west and south, storm systems dumped record rainfall on the Mississippi River watershed, causing a 500-year flood and billions of dollars in damage. Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan saw unprecedented floods in 2010 and 2011 as well. For those with allergies, warm seasons are longer, extending pollen seasons. Speculation is abounding that climate change caused these weather events, or made them worse. Whether or not this is true, one thing is certain: increasingly, regulatory agencies, legislatures, and the courts will be asked to address potential causes and impacts of climate change.

The International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers has brought together four of the leading practitioners in the world to discuss key issues facing lawyers today.

The globalised market for consumer products has been with us for a long time, and product manufacturers have thrived on the opportunities it has provided. However, the process of globalisation of liability and regulatory risks has been slower to follow.

The International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers has brought together four of the leading practitioners in the world to discuss key issues facing lawyers today

The New York Times billed Wyeth v Levine as a “blockbuster business case” (see Adam Liptak, ‘Justices Weigh Effect of FDA Approval of Drug Labels on Suits in State Courts’, 3 November 2008). For the pharmaceutical industry, the long-anticipated decision was expected to shape the future of its product-liability litigation.

In this section we analyse the findings of our research in greater depth to identify the firms and practitioners who stand out worldwide.

With the benefit of over 14 years of research and tens of thousands of votes from clients and private practitioners, Who’s Who Legal takes a closer look at developing trends in the product liability defence legal marketplace worldwide.

Our research has revealed 336 experts in 34 jurisdictions who can be considered to be leaders in the area of product liability law.

Faults or defects will arise periodically in all sorts of products, and this is an area in which manufacturers cannot afford to dispense with expert legal advice.

The presence of 31 lawyers from 17 firms bears out the vibrancy of California's product liability defendants' bar, which is at the forefront of legal developments in the US.

One firm stands pre-eminent in the research for this edition. Four-time winner of Who's Who Legal's product liability law firm of the year, Shook Hardy & Bacon fields 12 lawyers in this edition, a contingent unmatched by any other firm.

Tom Barnes takes a closer look at the issues facing product liability defence lawyers.

Texas's sophisticated litigation Bar sees a high concentration of product liability cases, especially in the automotive, pharmaceutical and medical device fields.

Illinois has a reputation for first-rate litigation expertise, which extends to its product liability defence lawyers, not only from large firms, but also from high-profile boutiques. This spread is reflected in our research, which identifies 26 leading practitioners from 16 firms.

Product liability lawsuits are as frequent as ever in Florida and the state’s lawyers have an international reputation for excellence. The recent RJ Reynolds litigation, in which a $145 billion verdict was overturned, has brought Florida tobacco litigation into the limelight and many of the state’s lawyers are particularly well known for their work in this area.