Shook Adds Premier Class Action, Product Liability and Complex Litigation Team

LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shook, Hardy & Bacon welcomes to the firm four partners who bring a wealth of trial acumen and strategic litigation experience for a combined 100+ years of client success and complex problem-solving in the courtroom and in the boardroom. They are known for achieving defense verdicts and limiting potential liability for Fortune 100 companies in complex trial, appellate and litigation disputes. Together, the four represent name brand consumer product manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, along with technology, internet and software businesses.

"These top-notch litigators are a natural fit for our firm. We are known as the go-to firm for science, health, and technology, and these lawyers expand our presence on both coasts. We are excited to have them with us, and we are already getting requests from clients who know these lawyers and appreciate even greater depth and breadth in service," said Shook Chair Madeleine McDonough.

"We've had great admiration and longstanding relationships with many of the Shook lawyers for years," said Steven B. Weisburd from Los Angeles. "Shook's powerhouse offerings, including product liability and class action, fall right in our wheelhouse. I'm excited to be part of this nationwide highly respected team. It feels like home to us." 

"I have a great deal of respect for Shook's product liability team and look forward to collaborating with lawyers who have a winning reputation in the courtroom and finding solutions to very complex matters," said Jan Dodd from Los Angeles.

"Trial acumen, depth of talent, culture and warmth of the lawyers all attracted me to Shook," said Ryan Cobbs from Miami. "I've long respected Shook lawyers in the courtroom and look forward to collaborating with this winning team of litigators. It's a natural fit for me."

The new group includes the following lawyers:

• Steven B. Weisburd is a well-known trial and appellate lawyer with a winning record of high-profile cases in federal and state courts in California and across the country. He focuses on complex civil litigation, class action, product liability, mass torts and MDLs in the consumer product, mass media and entertainment industries, among other areas. He is ranked in Chambers USA, Product Liability & Mass Torts, and Best Lawyers in America for his appellate work; The Los Angeles Business Journal named him among Los Angeles' Top 100 litigators and also its 2023 Leaders of Influence: Litigators and Trial Attorneys. Weisburd was his prior firm's Los Angeles managing partner, and Shook's Class Action and Appellate Litigation team welcomes him.
• Ryan Cobbs represents manufacturers in mass torts and product liability litigation in a wide variety of industries, including consumer, chemical, automotive and pharmaceutical, and first-chairs trials in federal court and Florida. Cobbs chaired his prior firm's Mass Tort and Product Liability Practice. The Daily Business Review has named him among Florida's Most Effective Lawyers. Cobbs becomes a member of Shook's General Liability Litigation Practice.
• Jan Dodd was chosen by The American Lawyer as one of the top lawyers in the country under 45 and her defense verdict in an over-the-counter cold medicine case was picked as one of the Top 10 defense verdicts in the country. Chambers-ranked, Dodd has won verdicts in product liability and mass tort cases in state and federal courts in six states, including California. She joins Shook's Product Liability Litigation team.
• Ashley Drumm is a litigator and strategist experienced in mass tort and product liability. She manages large portfolios of litigation, overseeing mass tort teams for Fortune 100 companies in defense of personal injury and wrongful death actions. She has first-chaired two federal jury trials. The Daily Business Review has named her among Florida's Most Effective Lawyers. She will be part of Shook's General Liability Litigation Practice.

Shook represents some of the largest pharmaceutical, medical device, manufacturing, automotive and consumer goods companies in the world, with client relationships dating back many decades. These companies look to the firm to handle their most complex and contentious product liability cases—from MDLs, class actions, mass tort actions and multi-jurisdiction onslaughts of individual cases, as well as challenging individual cases. ALM selected Shook as a finalist for Litigation Department of the Year – Product Liability in 2023.

Multidisciplinary, the firm's lawyers collaborate across services to find the best solutions for clients. Partners Katie Gates Calderon, Hildy Sastre and William Geraghty, all trial lawyers, lead the Product Liability Practice. Partners Tristan Duncan, Michael Mallow and Amir Nassihi manage the firm's Class Action and Appellate team in addition to their trial work. Partners Rob Adams and Paul Williams guide the firm's General Liability Litigation Practice along with serving clients on litigation and trial matters.

To speak to a Shook attorney, contact Shook Director of Communications Heather McMichael, 816.389.0419, [email protected].

About Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Founded in 1889, Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. has 19 offices in the United States and London, with attorneys and professional staff serving clients in the health, science and technology sectors in areas ranging from product liability defense and business litigation to intellectual property prosecution and litigation, environmental and toxic tort, privacy and data security and regulatory counseling.

SOURCE Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.