Press Room

New York, NY – July 26, 2018 – ALM and The National Law Journal are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2018 Elite Trial Lawyers. The lawyers chosen demonstrate exemplary performance in cutting-edge work on behalf of plaintiffs over the last 18 months. ALM’s editors and reporters reviewed about 300 submissions across 23 categories to arrive at the list of finalists. The winners will be announced at the Elite Trial Lawyers event on October 5, 2018, at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

“Our national team reviewed a vast collection of firm submissions in order to arrive at this list of finalists and the competition among these leading plaintiffs’ firms was particularly fierce. We are elated to recognize these lawyers and law firms that are handling outstanding work on behalf of plaintiffs across the U.S.,” said Lisa Helem, Editor in Chief of The National Law Journal.

In addition to celebrating the Elite Trial Lawyers of 2018, ALM will present the Keith Givens Visionary Award at the ceremony. This inaugural award in Givens’ name will honor him this year and be presented in future years to those whose work meets the standard he has established. Givens’ career includes more than 30 years as a civil trial lawyer representing consumers and injury victims. He has been recognized by the Public Justice Foundation for his work on the environmental case of Perrine v DuPont, which resulted in a $390 Million verdict, the highest consumer verdict in the U.S. in 2007. He was also the attorney for plaintiffs in a $700 Million settlement of an environmental case involving PCB, the largest settlement in the history of the state of Alabama. Givens is an Executive Committee Member of the National Trial Lawyers and was previously its president and serves on the Editorial Board of The Trial Lawyer magazine.

“Keith is relentless in looking for ways to better serve the needs of the members of the National Trial Lawyers and Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP),” said Richard Caruso, Vice President & General Manager of Legal Media at ALM. “He is an amazing connector who seizes opportunities to bring the most compelling initiatives together to create smarter solutions for trial lawyers across the country.”

As part of ALM’s tribute to Givens’ work, Caruso said going forward the company will present the award to the attorney who most emulates the award’s namesake through:

• Outstanding lawyering on behalf of consumers and injury victims
• Focus on national professional organizations that support the goals of the trial bar
• Creative collaboration that brings lawyers and companies together to better serve the legal community

ALM will also honor Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm with the Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award. Lanier recently won the largest verdict yet on behalf of plaintiffs in talc litigation. The nearly $4.7 billion verdict handed down on July 12 against Johnson & Johnson was achieved by Lanier, his firm and another plaintiff’s lawyer, representing 22 women who argued they developed ovarian cancer as a result of alleged asbestos-laced talcum powder made by J&J. Lanier founded The Lanier Law Firm in 1990 and has earned international recognition as one of the top trial lawyers in the US.

The Elite Trial Lawyers dinner will conclude the three-day Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) annual conference held at The Bellagio October 3-5 in Las Vegas.  

For more information on Elite Trial Lawyers, visit: https://etl.law/

To see the list of finalists, visit: https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2018/07/26/the-2018-elite-trial-lawyers-our-finalists/

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