Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation
Attorney Listing for Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation
About the Product Liability Practice • Cost-Effective Litigation Strategies • Services • Experts • Product List • Local Counsel
In today’s litigious environment, many think that product liability lawsuits are simply part of the cost of doing business.
At Quarles & Brady LLP, we disagree. With the right legal counsel, the likelihood of legal action can be minimized before lawsuits are even filed–and when legal action does occur, an aggressive, competent and efficient defense can significantly reduce the expenses associated with case administration, lost productivity and potentially large judgments or settlements.
The Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation Team at Quarles & Brady has the national experience, knowledge, resources and proven methods to help manufacturers identify potential product liability issues and concerns, take corrective action, and mount a strong defense both inside and outside the courtroom.
Nationwide, Complex Litigation
The Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation Team is comprised of experienced trial lawyers who have successfully handled cases in virtually all states and a large number of federal courts across the country. We have represented a broad range of manufacturers, distributors, lessors, insurers and others in both straightforward and complex cases that run the gamut of product liability, toxic tort, class action, breach of warranty matters, and which involve products of all types. Here is a short list of the types of products with which we have been involved:
- Aerial Lifts.
- Agricultural Equipment.
- Aircraft.
- Appliances.
- Asbestos.
- Automatic Doors.
- Automobiles and Components.
- Bicycles.
- Boats.
- Building Construction.
- Chemicals.
- Chemical Processing Plants and Equipment.
- Cigarette Lighters.
- Construction Equipment.
- Consumer Products.
- Cranes and Hoists.
- Diagnostic Equipment.
- Dock Levelers.
- Electrical Equipment.
- Food-Processing Equipment.
- Food Products and Beverages.
- Forestry Equipment.
- Forklifts.
- Gas-Handling Equipment.
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- Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning.
- Industrial Equipment.
- Infant Seats.
- Ladders.
- Lawn mowers (Residential and Commercial).
- Material Handling Equipment.
- Medical Devices and Equipment.
- Motorcycles and Accessories.
- Outboard Engines.
- Overhead Doors.
- Paper Machinery.
- Personal Watercraft.
- Pharmaceuticals.
- Presses.
- Small Engines.
- Tires and Related Devices.
- Tobacco.
- Tools (Hand and Power).
- Trucks, Trailers and Related Components.
- Vaccine.
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Please refer to our Product List for more details.
Courtroom Experience
Our experience inside courtrooms around the country is a major component of our overall strategy. Not only do our peers and opposing counsel recognize us as excellent, experienced and passionate trial lawyers, but our familiarity with the inner workings of these courts enables us to mount defenses that take the unique qualities of each court into account. Our strong relationships with court staff, our ability to present a compelling case and our understanding of how to move a case through the system can often make the difference between a favorable or an unfavorable result.
Jury Knowledge
When a case comes to trial, everything boils down to convincing the jury that your client should prevail. At that point, nothing else matters. Our trial lawyers have made—and continue to make—a careful study of juries’ and individual jurors’ behavior and decision making processes. Where allowed, we administer post facto questionnaires and conduct juror interviews to get a better understanding of what worked—and what didn’t. We continually apply and reanalyze these insights as we select jurors and craft our arguments for upcoming cases. We have also organized and participated in a wide variety of jury research projects tailored to the specific needs and economies of particular cases. These have included mock trials, focus group research, internet jury research and forum surveys.
Clear, Timely Communications
Responsiveness to clients is not only good business, it is critical to the development of the best possible defense. We pride ourselves on regular communication and prompt responses to client concerns, queries and unexpected developments. Often, a rapid, targeted response to a client issue or the actions of the court or opposing counsel can make a significant difference toward eventual victory.
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Prevention
We are sensitive to the potential costs of litigation. Although the best defense often is a strong offense, we counsel against a purely reactive stance that sees the courts as the arena of first resort. Rather, we work with clients at every step in the product development life cycle to identify potential issues and risks, and to minimize vulnerabilities. We regularly conduct in-house seminars and training sessions to help our clients’ key employees understand the myriad issues, actions and failures to act that can lead to an increased likelihood of product liability litigation.
Cost Control
Quarles & Brady has taken the lead in fee and cost control. We invite active client participation in all phases of litigation, including strategic planning, discovery, budgeting and trial. We firmly believe that our philosophy does not come at the expense of litigation efficiency. To the contrary, Quarles & Brady believes that much of litigation—especially traditional discovery practice—is reflexive, unfocused and wasteful. By concentrating on what is necessary to win on summary judgment or prevail at trial, our attorneys move cases through the pretrial phase more quickly and efficiently.
Alternative Forms of Resolution
Where appropriate and cost effective, we also fully support the use of alternative forms of resolution. Our attorneys are experienced in arbitration and mediation and in summary trial proceedings.
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The Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation Litigation team at Quarles & Brady believes that product liability lawsuits are not simply a cost of doing business. We work closely with our clients to identify and rectify potential liabilities, minimizing the likelihood of legal action. However, when lawsuits do arise, we respond aggressively and effectively, tapping into our experience, knowledge, resources and proven methodology to achieve positive results.
National Resources
As product liability cases become increasingly complex and regularly cross jurisdictions, borders and areas of expertise, clients need attorneys with proven, national case management experience. With the Firm’s resources and more than 400 attorneys practicing from offices in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin, we are able to provide quality, full-service legal counsel without resorting to third-party attorneys for support in highly specific and sometimes arcane areas of law.
Knowledgeable Staff
Our legal assistants are some of the most experienced in the field. Carefully selected and well-trained, they have a broad range of scientific, technical, information management and communications experience, which they regularly bring to bear on the development, presentation and management of cases in a manner that effectively reduces and controls costs.
Technology
We take full advantage of available technology to manage the vast amount of information that is an essential component of an effective defense. We use a range of electronic databases, information and legal libraries, and document tracking and docketing systems. We have developed numerous templates, standard processes and analytical tools, and apply the lessons learned from past cases to the challenges of new lawsuits.
Subject-Matter Expertise
We help clients work with outside consultants, including risk management professionals and consultants with expertise in ergonomics, product design, hazardous materials and processes, environmental issues and warning development, drawing on their knowledge and expertise to conduct product audits and develop proactive solutions.
Smart, Effective Staffing
We assign attorneys to client cases based on their knowledge of the industry, jurisdiction and the issues at hand. Many of our team members have specific, significant experience with certain types of cases, products and technology. What’s more, our attorneys almost always remain on the case for its duration, ensuring an exceptional continuity of representation and knowledge rarely seen in other firms.
Our Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation attorneys can assist you with any of the following:
- National Counsel—monitoring.
- Recalls.
- Warnings/Instructions.
- Warranty Advice.
- Work with agencies (e.g., Consumer Product Safety Commission).
- Risk Avoidance, Risk Management, Preventative Advice.
- Product Safety Audits.
- Disaster Response/Public Relations.
- OSHA Compliance.
- ADR.
- Lobbying.
- Lemon Laws.
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Network of Experts. Expert witnesses are a major component in complex, technical product liability lawsuits. Over the years, we have developed a network of knowledgeable and effective experts from a variety of fields, whose experience in the courtroom and in-depth expertise enable us to develop winning case strategies. In addition, our library of transcripts and other information on opposing experts is unmatched.
Our national Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation Team has handled cases involving a broad variety of products. Below is a representative sampling of just some of the products our team has handled.
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Aerial Lifts:
Boom lifts.
Cherry pickers.
Scissor lifts.
Agricultural Equipment:
Bale conveyors.
Bale handlers.
Balers.
Combines.
Corn pickers.
Forage harvesters.
Grinder-mixers.
Hay wagons.
Manure spreaders.
Round baler.
Tractors.
Aircraft:
Aircraft pressurization systems.
Aviation fuel pump.
Jet bridges.
Asbestos.
Automatic Doors.
Automobiles and Components:
Automobile lifts.
Crashworthiness.
Lemon Law Claims.
Vehicle restraints.
Bicycles.
Boom cranes.
Building Construction.
Chemical Processing Plants and Equipment.
Chemicals:
111 trichloroethane.
Aluminum.
Chlorine.
Fertilizer.
Grain fumigant.
Hydroquinone.
Mercury.
Methylene chloride.
Pentachlorophenol (wood preservative).
Perchloroethylene.
Polychlorinated biphenyls.
Potassium Bromide.
Propane.
Sodium hydroxide.
Toluene Diisocyanate.
Trichloroethylene.
Cigarette Lighters.
Construction Equipment:
Asphalt rollers and compactors.
Asphalt spreaders.
Concrete mixers.
Concrete pumps.
Front end loaders.
Hydraulic excavators.
Motor graders.
Pavers.
Skid steer loaders.
Consumer Products:
Children’s clothing.
Exercise equipment.
Firearms.
Personal watercraft.
Cranes & Hoists.
Crane Clutches.
Dock Levelers.
Electrical Equipment:
Circuit panels.
Electric cords.
Electric switches and buttons.
Switchboards.
Food Processing Equipment:
Bottle cappers.
Meat blenders.
Pasta-making machines.
Spice blenders.
Food Products and Beverages.
Forestry Equipment:
Bark bins.
Cut-to-length systems.
Delimbers.
Feller bunchers.
Felling heads.
Forwarders.
Harvesters.
Loaders.
Log skidders.
Tree trimmers.
Forklifts and Materials Handling:
Chip conveyors.
Converter dollies.
Conveyor belts.
Conveyor systems.
Dock levelers.
Sit-down forklifts.
Stand-up forklifts.
Walkies.
Rough terrain forklifts. |
Gas Handling Equipment:
Gas cylinders.
Gas tanks.
Gas valves.
Oxygen cylinders.
Propane tanks.
Propylene and acetylene tanks.
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning:
Industrial air conditioning systems and components.
Industrial refrigeration systems and components.
In-wall electrical heaters.
Pool heaters.
Industrial Equipment:
CNC machining center.
Compressors.
Concrete batch plants.
Plastic extruders.
Plastic molding machines.
Ladders.
Lead Paint.
Lawn mowers (Residential and Commercial):
Medical Devices Equipment:
Amalgam dental materials.
Anesthesia machines.
Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) devices IUDs.
Wheelchairs.
Miscellaneous:
Battery chargers.
Cardboard boxes.
Commercial dishwashers.
Drilling rigs.
Dynamometers.
Fire extinguishers.
Forwarders.
Go-peds.
Hanging file folder making machine.
Hydraulic cylinders.
Laminated wood products.
Mobile trash compactors.
Painting applications.
Rail car dumpers.
Trash compactors.
Trolley booms.
Yachts.
Motorcycles and Accessories:
Handling and stability.
Crashworthiness.
Recall issues.
Overhead Doors:
Commercial doors.
Door enclosures and surrounds.
Garage door openers.
Truck dock doors.
Overhead doors.
Paper Machinery:
Paper mill equipment.
Paper winders.
Printing presses.
Sheeters.
Pharmaceuticals:
Non-prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs.
Vaccines.
Presses.
Small Engines:
Gas caps.
Tires and Rims:
Tire changing machines.
Tires.
Tobacco.
Tools:
Chain saws.
Hand tools.
Mobile grinders.
Power tools.
Tool storage units.
Tube benders.
Trucks, Trailers and Components:
6x6 military truck.
Cargo trailers.
Concrete trucks.
Chip trailers.
Class 8 tractor (semi tractor).
Diesel engines.
Fire trucks.
Semi tractor trailers.
Truck axles and components.
Utility truck body. |
Local Counsel
We have developed an extensive network of skilled, loyal attorneys in most jurisdictions around the country. Consult your Quarles & Brady Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation team attorney for more information.
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Biographies
Our team of Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation attorneys is extremely diverse and experienced. We’ve tried scores of cases in virtually every state in the past 20 years. Please select the “Attorney Listing” link here or at the top of the page for information regarding specific attorneys.
For additional information on how our Product Liability, Toxic Tort and Personal Injury Litigation team can help you with your product liability issues and concerns, please contact Patrick W. Schmidt at (414) 277-5375 /
or your local Quarles & Brady attorney.