King & Spalding has a comprehensive rail and road offering, with experience advising on a range of intellectual property, government investigations, and corporate transactions. In particular, the group excels at environmental regulatory, policy, and enforcement matters. Geoffrey Drake, in Atlanta, undertakes a range of high-profile product liability and mass tort litigation. Specializing in regulation, Granta Nakayama is a key contact; likewise, Ilana Saltzbart is a key contact for environmental issues, both of whom are based in Washington. Drake, Nakayama, and Saltzbart head the team. Atlanta’s Susan Clare is well-versed in representing automotive manufacturers and transportation companies in a broad range of safety matters. In Chicago, Livia Kiser is regarded for her work on issues involving automotive cybersecurity, alternative fuel technology, and autonomous vehicle technology. With experience in the federal and state courts, Adam Reinke is noted for his work in consumer fraud class actions. Working alongside Reinke in Atlanta is Anneke Shepard, who excels in a range of personal injury and product liability matters involving automotive companies.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team is known for its responsiveness, and its bench strength is unparalleled.’
- ‘What stands out is hands down is the team's responsiveness.’
Key clients
- AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI AMERICA
- Bentley Motors Limited
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) group companies
- Ford Motor Company
- General Motors LLC
- Kia Motors America, Inc.
- Motive Technologies
- New Jersey Governor's Office
- Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
- Tesla
- Toyota Motor Sales and Toyota Motor Company
- Volkswagen AG
Work highlights
Won a complete defense verdict after an eight-day trialon behalf of Motive Technologies, Inc. against Omnitracs, XRS Corporation, and SmartDrive. The plaintiffs alleged that several Motive products infringed eleven patents. Plaintiffs sought damages of over $100M in lost profits and royalties as well as an injunction.
Defending three truck manufacturers – General Motors Co., Isuzu Technical Center of America, Inc., and Stellantis N.V./FCA US LLC – in a lawsuit that seeks to void the Clean Truck Partnership agreement these companies (and others) entered with the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”).
Representing GM as lead counsel in various litigation matters throughout the country, including amultidistrict litigation in the Northern District of Georgiaalleging that GM and its subsidiary OnStar, and data broker LexisNexis Risk Solutions, collected personal driving information without consent.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Geoffrey Drake; Granta Nakayama; Ilana Saltzbart
Other key lawyers
Livia Kiser; Adam Reinke; Anneke Shepard; Susan Clare