Drawing upon ‘deep products liability experience’ throughout the country, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP provides ’sound counsel and advice’ to pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical device companies in disputes, irrespective of geographical location. The team also works well with others, be it in the role of national co-ordinating or regional counsel, and is appreciated for its ability to provide ‘exemplary work and strategy for clients’. Able to call upon the expertise of numerous strong trial lawyers, the team often acts as first chair in state and federal courts throughout the country, where its grasp of the underlying subject matter is greatly valued, as is its strategic sense and advocacy skills. Baltimore-based Mike Brown exemplifies these qualities, as do David Dukes  in South Carolina and Richard B. North, Jr.  in Atlanta, with all three having excellent track records, including in relation to MDL bellwether cases. Mark Jones  and Alana Bassin co-head the overarching products liability team from South Carolina and Minnesota, respectively.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'They are top notch litigators, best in the business; full understanding of product liability children issues; easy to work with.'
  • 'They have deep products liability experience and take the time to truly understand a product, from inception to alleged failure.'
  • 'The team has a focused approach to litigation where lawyers from multiple offices join together to provide exemplary work and strategy for clients.'
  • 'They always provide sound counsel and advice, and create and execute strategies that are exactly what I want as a client.'
  • 'They are excellent collaborators and display strong strategic thinking.'

Key clients

  • Allergan and LifeCell Corporation (subsidiaries of AbbVie Inc)
  • Becton Dickinson
  • Boston Scientific Corporation
  • C.R. Bard, Inc. and Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
  • Endologix Inc. / Endologix LLC
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Johnson & Johnson (including some of its major subsidiaries: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Ethicon, Mentor Worldwide LLC)
  • Smith & Nephew, Inc.
  • Zoll Medical Corporation
  • AbbVie

Work highlights

  • Representing Becton Dickinson and its subsidiaries in an MDL involving implantable ports manufactured and sold by subsidiaries of the company.
  • Representing Boston Scientific in litigation involving a variety of the company’s medical devices, both 510(k) and PMA, and earned multiple recent case wins including a Massachusetts state judge dismissing the first bellwether lawsuit in the Greenfield IVC filter mass tort on summary judgment.
  • Representing NuVasive, Inc. in an $80m case relating to alleged injuries stemming from a surgery in which NuVasive scoliosis rods were implanted.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Mark Jones, Alana Bassin

Other key lawyers

Mike Brown, David Dukes, Richard North, Terri Reiskin, Eden Darrell, Jason Hodge