Matthew Holian > DLA Piper LLP (US) > Boston, United States > Lawyer Profile
DLA Piper LLP (US) Offices
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33 ARCH STREET
26TH FLOOR
BOSTON MA 02110-1447
MASSACHUSETTS
United States
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Matthew Holian
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Work Department
Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations; Life Sciences; Healthcare; Life Sciences Transactions; Life Sciences Litigation
Position
Partner; Global Co-Chair, Life Sciences Sector
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
(Leading lawyers)Drawing upon lawyers with ‘first-hand medical practice experience and highly technical expertise’, DLA Piper LLP (US) combines strong procedural nous with deep subject matter knowledge, in turn being well positioned to represent life sciences clients on work throughout the litigation life cycle. As well as regularly acting as national co-ordinating counsel on large-scale domestic MDLs, the team regularly works alongside practitioners throughout its global network of offices on cross-border work, and is recognized for its ‘excellent‘ work in co-ordinating multinational law suits. In this context, ‘outstanding’ Atlanta-based Christopher Campbell continues to take the lead for Bayer on global mass tort litigation involving Essure, leveraging the knowledge and skills gleaned from the firm’s success in the initial US action to good effect on the ensuing international cases. Praised for her ‘ability to see the big picture’, as well as her ‘highly impressive knowledge of the medical facts’, Mary Gately in Washington DC has also been key to the firm’s success for Bayer. New York-based Loren Brown is well-versed in handling large-scale aggregated litigation, including his ongoing work as co-national counsel for Sanofi in the Zantac MDL; where he has gained an excellent reputation for securing the early dismissal of matters through often innovative strategies. From Boston, Matthew Holian is also very effective at representing pharmaceutical companies engaged in MDLs, being as comfortable handling discovery issues, as he is cross-examining expert witnesses in Daubert hearings and in bellwether trials. Other key individuals include Dallas-based trial lawyer Lyn Pruitt; Boston-based Katie Insogna, who excels at developing expert witnesses and on discovery matters; and New York based Lucas Przymusinski , who ‘has an incredibly scientific mind in addition to legal expertise’.
United States > Healthcare > Life sciences
DLA Piper LLP (US) handles a range of high value disputes in the sector, helping clients defend their patents in cross-border litigation and also providing support in product liability and personal injury MDLs arising out of allegations of faulty products or drugs. Licensing and supply agreements also fall within the group’s purview, where the group acts for both suppliers and buyers of critical medical ingredients. Heading the team are Matthew Holian, a Boston-based litigator whose practice encompasses multi-jurisdictional product liability disputes, and New York’s Andrew Gilbert, who advises both public and private life sciences companies on M&As and securities law; February 2024 saw the arrival of FDA regulatory specialists Vernessa Pollard and Anisa Mohanty from McDermott Will & Emery LLP‘s Washington office, advising on pre-market strategy and post-market compliance. Loren Brown represents clients across the spectrum of litigation pertinent to life sciences clients, including patent and trade secret infringement claims, and securities class actions, and Lucas Przymusinski focusing on product liability suits tied to drugs and medical devices; both are located in New York. Boston’s Katie Insogna is recommended for her ability to handle both regulatory issues and litigation, including MDLs tied to product liability, and broader commercial litigation.
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
Leveraging ‘a deep bench of experts’ throughout the country including in California, a hotspot for environmental-related matters, DLA Piper LLP (US) provides a ‘very responsive’ service to clients in the defence of a range of toxic tort matters, including on cutting-edge climate change issues, and with regard to the proliferation of claims being brought through the courts with regard to PFAS contamination. Co-headed out of Boston and Baltimore by Matthew Holian and John Wellschlager, the firm is currently defending BASF in a high-profile PFAS MDL. Washington DC-based Buffy Mims is also part of this team, and as part of her broad trial practice, regularly represents clients in relation to toxic tort matters. In Los Angeles, first-chair trial lawyer Jayme Long also regularly handles single and multi-plaintiff toxic tort and product liability cases, including for energy, chemical and manufacturing clients. In San Francisco, George Gigounas is a popular choice for clients seeking to comply with federal and California-specific environmental regulations, and is also regularly engaged in litigation and enforcement actions when litigation is challenged. Also located in San Francisco, the ‘exceptionally responsive’ Greg Sperla combines regulatory and litigation skills to good effect in the context of Prop 65 work, consumer class actions and similar labeling claims, and is praised for his ability to ‘play the role of both tough litigator and careful negotiator very well’. Los Angeles-based trial lawyer Angela Agrusa, who co-heads the overarching mass torts and class action group with Christopher Campbell in Atlanta, is particularly skilled at defending clients in the food and beverages space, including recent work relating to alleged heavy metals in baby food and PFAS in food packaging.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading lawyers United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices United States > Dispute resolution
- Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort United States > Dispute resolution
- Life sciences United States > Healthcare
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Tax > International tax
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- International trade > CFIUS
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Real estate > Real estate
- Government > State attorneys general
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: transactions
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: transactional and regulatory
- Insurance > Advice to insurers
- Industry focus > Cannabis
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Tax > Financial products
- Finance > Fintech
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Government > Government contracts
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Finance > Project finance
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Transport > Rail and road: litigation and regulation
- International trade > CFIUS