Praised as ‘incredibly talented and knowledgeable’, the product liability and mass torts practice at Latham & Watkins LLP is well known in the market for representing and defending high-profile clients in complex, high-stakes litigation, handling mandates such as personal injury, tortious interference, consumer class actions, and public nuisance cases. The practice’s clients span a wide array of industries, including pharma, tech, and software companies, medical devices, consumer products, and environmental matters. Recent significant cases for the firm include securing a major victory for Apple in a class action with the potential for multi-billion dollars in damages, representing Clorox in a pioneering public nuisance case involving 10 major companies, and successfully defending Philip Morris in a global litigation which centered on billion-dollar recoupment claims. Boston based Gwyn Williams leads the practice, handling multi-defendant and class action cases in state, federal, and appellate courts. Her expertise spans retail products, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Williams also advises on risk management, product warnings, and corporate liability assessments. Washington DC based Christine G. Rolph, the former global co-chair of the practice, specializes in representing clients in a diverse range of matters, including environmental and chemical litigation and defending major casino corporations. Mary Rose Alexander , managing partner of the Chicago office, specializes in multi-plaintiff and multi-state litigation, often representing Fortune 500 companies particularly in the energy and chemical sectors.
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Accolades

Client satisfaction

Key clients

  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Allergan
  • Apple
  • Camping World
  • Clorox
  • Jonny Pops
  • LG Energy Solution, LG Chem, and LG Energy Solution Michigan
  • NCAA
  • Philip Morris International, Inc.
  • The Shade Store

Work highlights

The firm is representing two Abbott Laboratories’ subsidiaries in connection with litigation brought against the parties by Cynergy, Inc. alleging tortious interference with a business expectancy. As part of those efforts, the firm successfully removed the case to Missouri Western District Court. Thereafter, the firm filed counterclaims against Cynergy and is continuing to litigate the claims. The motion for summary judgment is currently pending.

Lawyers

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Practice head

Gwyn Williams

Other key lawyers

Mary Rose Alexander; Christine Rolph