With a growing nationwide reach following the recent opening of three additional offices in New York, Orange County and Charlotte, product liability litigation specialist firm Bowman and Brooke LLP has the strength-in-depth and geographical diversity to handle a wide array of mandates. The automotive sector is a well-established and core source of work for the team, with it regularly acting for many of the world’s largest manufacturers, including Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Yamaha, in their high-profile disputes. The firm is noted for its procedural and trial skills, as well as its product knowledge and firm grasp on the technical aspects of the sector. Arizona-based firm chair Paul Cereghini recently successfully defended Honda in a novel Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) ‘failure-to-equip’ case, with the jury finding that there was no defect in the system following an almost five-week trial. San Jose-based Vincent Galvin is also an accomplished litigator having led on more than 30 catastrophic injury and wrongful death trials, including acting as lead counsel for Tesla in 2022 in its first automotive product liability trial in the country. In Detroit, Thomas Branigan is also recommended, with a trial practice that sees him active defending auto companies in cases involving products as simple as seat belt buckles to cutting-edge technology like electronic throttle control systems and fully autonomous driving technology. Minneapolis-based Bard Borkon co-heads the automotive practice group alongside Branigan.

Led from Atlanta by Susan Clare and fielding practitioners from other nationwide offices, including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, King & Spalding LLP‘s automotive and transport litigation team has the expertise and resources to handle complex product liability and mass action cases for clients throughout the country. Appreciated for its deep knowledge, technical skills and outstanding litigation strategy and execution, the team regularly serves as strategic counsel for major automotive manufacturers facing potential reputational damage from litigation. The group’s comprehensive knowledge of the automotive subject matter and its evolving technology ensures that it is well-equipped to effectively handle all elements of trial work. Alongside Geoffrey Drake, who is also based in Atlanta, Clare continues to act as coordinating counsel for GM’s consumer litigation, consisting of a docket of approximately 6,000 plus breach of warranty and consumer fraud lawsuits. New York-based John Hooper is another key member of the team whose class action expertise encompasses work throughout the litigation life cycle, from pre-litigation and risk management expertise, through to trial and appeal. Hooper has longstanding ties with Toyota, which he continues to act as strategic counsel across a myriad of product liability and class action cases pending in various nationwide courts.

With a ‘team-focused approach to litigation’ which draws upon a cohesive unit of practitioners throughout the country, including a notable group in Virginia, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP provides ‘sound counsel and advice’ to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) seeking to resist customer and third-party product liability claims. Noted for its ability to ‘understand a product from inception to alleged failure’, the team combines exceptional subject matter knowledge with strategic and procedural litigation prowess, ensuring that clients are well served throughout the litigation process. Displaying ‘outstanding judgment on every aspect of a case’, Sandra Ezell is a popular choice among major manufacturers including Ford, Tesla, and Nissan, defending against catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims as a result of alleged product liability defects. Other recommended practitioners include Virginia-based Rob Wise, who is ‘great at what he does’, with standout work including  coordinating and planning the strategic aspects of high-profile automotive-related class and mass actions; Atlanta-based Richard North, who has developed significant experience as a first-chair trial lawyer in aviation and helicopter-related product liability cases; and Baltimore-based Mike Brown, who regularly handles toxic tort-related cases (including exposure to asbestos) in the automotive sector. Mark Jones and Alana Bassin co-head the overarching product liability team out of South Carolina and Minnesota respectively, and Terri Reiskin in Washington DC is a key contact for multidistrict litigation.

Appreciated for its ‘thoughtful approach’ and ‘excellent judgment on how to handle overall case strategy’, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP has a strong reputation among leading automotive companies across a range of product liability class actions and MDL. Much of this work is led from its California offices, where the team has developed notable expertise in cases alleging traditional product defects, as well as an increasing volume of mandates involving autonomous driving systems. ‘Highly skilled’ San Francisco-based litigator Amir Nassihi has secured favorable results for clients at trial and the appellate level through persuasive argument of issues issues including personal jurisdiction challenges and class waiver arbitration clauses. Also based in San Francisco, Amy Alexander, who joined the firm in September 2023 from Gordon & Rees, enhances its already strong reputation in issues facing autonomous vehicles, joining the ranks of expert litigators including Frank Kelly and Amy Maclear. Orange County-based Janet Hickson and Los Angeles-based Michael Mallow (who is ‘very creative in developing strategies to defeat class actions‘) co-head the overarching automotive and machinery litigation team, while the arrival of numerous accomplished litigators from Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C., including Michael Gallub and Homer Ramsey, enhances the firm’s ability to handle mandates from its New York office.

With a ‘deep bench of tenacious litigators’ at its disposal, many of which display an ‘exceptional breadth of expertise’, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is well-equipped to handle a myriad product liability matters in state and federal litigation throughout the country. While being adept at handling all stages of the litigation process, the firm is particularly praised for its trial readiness, ensuring that clients receive a robust defense in the event of a trial but also favorable settlements. Chicago-based Mike Brock and Renee Smith are both ‘impressive trial lawyers’, whose subject matter versatility includes handling high-stakes auto-related product liability matters. Notably, Smith regularly represents GM in class actions and MDLs alleging damage caused by a range of product defects, including recently securing summary judgment putting an end to a class action and thousands of individual cases asserting that the auto manufacturer had conspired to install Volkswagen-type 'defeat device' software in hundreds of thousands of trucks.

Co-led from the firm’s Virginia stronghold by Justin Howard and Samuel Tarry, McGuireWoods LLP‘s product liability and mass tort practice group has garnered a strong reputation for defending large regional, national and global companies in high-stakes litigation throughout the country. The firm’s versatility across subject matters is a strength, with transportation clients – both automotive and aviation – providing a regular source of work. As well as litigation, the team also excels in providing risk management guidance. Recent highlights include Tarry’s work for CSX Transportation, when he secured summary judgment in a case involving medical-leave discrimination and retaliation claims brought by dozens of CSXT employees. As part of his wide-ranging product liability expertise, Perry Miles has gained strong experience advising automotive manufacturers in class actions and MDLs throughout the country, achieving success across a myriad of alleged defect claims (including those relating to airbags and high pressure fuel pumps). Former practice head Dianne Flannery retired in December 2023.

Automotive-related mandates form a significant proportion of Ballard Spahr LLP‘s workflow for its overarching product liability and mass torts group, which is led out of New Jersey by Neal Walters. As well as handling work in the aftermath of litigation, including motions and at trial, the firm is also a popular choice at a pre-emptive stage, regularly working with clients from a counseling perspective to ensure effective guardrails are established to better avoid litigation. Walters is at the forefront of the most significant product liability defense work handled by the firm, and has achieved scores of successes for clients at the motions stage, as well as handling jury trials through to verdict. Drawing upon recent experience in-house at an autonomous vehicle technology developer, New Jersey-based Casey Watkins is central to the firm’s success, from a litigation and regulatory perspective, on behalf of emerging clients in the sector.

Centered in Philadelphia with further access to broader products and mass tort competence throughout the country, DLA Piper LLP (US) provides ‘outstanding representation’ to multinational automotive and automobile component part manufacturers in complex litigation in federal and state courts across the US. Matthew Goldberg heads up the automotive subgroup and has recently secured a number of victories for Hyundai Mobis, including in multi-party actions (MPAs) regarding alleged defective airbags. Nathan Heller, who is praised for his ‘capacity to ask the right questions to get to the heart of the matter’, also has experience in handling auto-related product liability and consumer fraud class actions, as does associate Timothy Pfenninger, who is active across all phases of litigation. Automotive clients also benefit from the experience of Washington DC-based Paul Hemmersbaugh, who can draw upon vast risk management and regulatory expertise (including in relation to autonomous vehicles) for clients due to his experience both in private practice as well as his former roles at GM and as Chief Counsel to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All named practitioners are based in Philadelphia unless otherwise indicated.

Primarily led from the firm’s Texas offices, Norton Rose Fulbright has considerable experience strategizing trucking and automotive litigation across numerous jurisdictions and states, as well as coordinating discovery on a nationwide basis. The firm combines deep industry and subject matter knowledge to ensure that clients are well protected throughout the litigation process. The firm continues to handle a significant volume of work for clients throughout the automotive value chain, including automotive component part manufacturers, dealers, rental companies and retail outlets. San Antonio-based US head of litigation Steve Jansma is at the forefront of the most significant mandates handled by the team, and has represented Walmart and Sam’s Club in their automotive and tire litigation docket. Also based out of San Antonio, Jeffrey Webb heads up the firm’s automotive practice and is a popular choice for the defense of product liability claims and is also a popular choice for clients seeking to minimize the risk of litigation through effective risk management processes. Brett Young heads up the overarching products and mass tort offering from Houston.