Product liability and mass tort litigation is different today. Nuclear verdicts, third-party funding, and coordinated plaintiff campaigns against entire product categories have reshaped the economics and risks of litigation. For manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers, who runs your defense is a critical business decision.
Hawkins Parnell built its reputation on defending high-stakes product liability, mass tort, and bet-the-company litigation. We serve as national coordinating counsel to more than 30 corporate entities, including Fortune 100 multinationals and global brands, overseeing national defense strategy, local counsel coordination, expert development, budgeting, and settlement strategy in thousands of cases in all 50 states.
Our trial lawyers have tried product cases to verdict across the country, including the jurisdictions most heavily targeted by plaintiff firms. That experience and credibility lower settlement values, reduce new filings, and change how plaintiff firms target companies.
We advise clients on complex scientific and medical causation issues, bankruptcy trust and crossclaim investigations, and the management of large case inventories across state lines, multidistrict litigation, class actions, and other multi-plaintiff matters. We work as an extension of our clients’ legal departments, helping general counsel and executive leaders assess risk and make informed decisions to protect the business.
Key Industries
- Chemical and industrial manufacturing
- Automotive and component parts
- Consumer products
- Pharmaceutical and medical devices
- Construction materials
- Energy and utilities
- Personal care and cosmetics
- Food and beverage
- Retail and distribution
- Agricultural products and equipment
Areas of Focus
- Asbestos and legacy exposures
- Talc, hair relaxers, and personal care products
- Silica and manufactured stone
- PFAS and emerging chemical exposures
- Food and beverage contamination
- Design, manufacturing, and warning defects
- Explosions, fires, and catastrophic product failures
- Industrial and commercial equipment failures
- Class actions, MDL, and multi-plaintiff litigation
