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’. 

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The firm has deep, first-hand medical practice experience and highly technical expertise.'
  • 'The team at DLA does an excellent job in co-ordinating multinational lawsuits.'
  • 'Christopher Campbell is an outstanding lawyer, his legal knowledge is excellent, he anticipates the client's needs and his co-ordination skills are brilliant.'
  • 'Lucas Przymusinski has an incredibly scientific mind in addition to legal expertise. He provides quick and practical legal advice.'
  • 'The excellent Mary Gately has the big picture in mind but also knows the intricate details of each case, delivering advice exactly as needed by the client. In particular, she has highly impressive knowledge of the medical facts.' 

Key clients

  • Bayer Corporation
  • 3M Company
  • BASF Corporation
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
  • Danone
  • Exxon Mobil Corporation
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Medtronic
  • Pfizer
  • Sanofi

Work highlights

  • Global strategic and co-ordinating counsel in global mass tort litigation involving Essure, a permanently implantable contraceptive device for women that Bayer voluntarily discontinued in 2018.
  • Continuing to act as co-national counsel for Sanofi for litigation and regulatory issues relating to heartburn medication Zantac and the allegations that it contains and/or is contaminated with NDMA, a possible carcinogen.
  • National counsel for leading medical device manufacturer Medtronic’s Covidien subsidiary in litigation involving its hernia mesh products in Massachusetts and Minnesota state courts and in MDL in the US District Court for Massachusetts.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Christopher Campbell, Angela Agrusa, Ilana Hope Eisenstein, Loren Brown

Other key lawyers

Matthew Holian, Lyn Pruitt, Katherine Insogna, Lucas Przymusinski, Breanna Fields, Mary Gately