John Hooper > King & Spalding LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Representing automotive and transportation companies and suppliers, King & Spalding LLP‘s recent experience encompasses the the automotive industry’s diesel-related issues. In addition to the firm’s regulatory, enforcement and policy work, the group assists automakers with litigation, government investigations, international trade, and data privacy and security issues. Representing automotive manufacturers and transportation companies in product liability, class action and mass tort actions, Susan Clare chairs the automotive and transportation litigation team from Atlanta, where Geoffrey Drake assists vehicle manufacturers in disputes; Madison Kitchens defends automotive sector-related product manufacturers; and Adam Reinke assists automotive clients with defense-side class actions. In New York, John Hooper‘s track record includes automotive industry-related mass tort litigation settlements, while Jacquie Seidel is a class and mass action litigation specialist. Over in Washington DC, Granta Nakayama‘s experience includes assisting automakers with diesel-related issues, and Ilana Saltzbart advises on battery storage, recycling, transportation, and marketing regulations. The practice further includes Chicago-based Livia Kiser, an adviser to automotive manufacturers, automotive technology companies, distributors and suppliers on vehicle components; and Los Angeles’ product liability expert Susan Vargas.

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 product liability litigators spread throughout the country, including many with first chair trial experience, King & Spalding LLP has developed a market-leading reputation for its effective representation of numerous leading brands facing high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation. Under the overarching guidance of Miami-based Ursula Henninger and Charlotte-based Cory Hohnbaum, the team continues to represent RJ Reynolds in tobacco litigation, securing a raft of favorable jury verdicts relating to ‘Engle progeny’ wrongful-death cases. Led out of Atlanta by Geoffrey Drake, the firm is also acting as national co-counsel to TikTok, one of the defendants, in connection with several hundred high-profile lawsuits that allege harm to underaged users of social media. Work within the food and beverages sector is also a key strength, particularly on the West Coast, with Los Angeles-based attorneys Keri Borders and Dale Giali regularly defending clients in consumer product false advertising matters. In New York, John Hooper employs ‘sound strategies to manage product liability and mass tort litigation’, including matters within the consumer product field. Bruce Hurley in Houston and Shaila Rahman Diwan in New York co-lead the overarching trial and global disputes team, alongside Henninger.