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| For more than 30 years, Dave has practiced in the trial area, serving as lead litigation counsel in commercial litigation, contract disputes and insurance coverage litigation involving pollution and asbestos claims, product liability and toxic tort litigation for a national client base ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to middle market, public and private companies. Dave's trial practice is nationwide in scope and he has tried cases in jurisdictions throughout the country, including, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois and Oklahoma. Recent trials include: the successful defense of a transmission manufacturer in a case pending in Cook County, Illinois, involving crush injuries leading to amputation of the legs of a Chicago fireman; defense verdict for a seat belt manufacturer in a case tried in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, involving the death of an Arkansas radiologist; obtaining a directed verdict for a steering gear manufacturer in a product liability trial in Clarke County, Alabama. Dave has defended public utilities and major manufacturers of various products, including aerial devices, automotive and truck equipment, components and systems of all types, farm equipment, food and beverage, medical devices, and windows and doors. He also has served as national, regional and local counsel for a number of clients in the automotive, automotive component, farm equipment and aerial device industries. He has provided all aspects of case handling for direct and subrogation litigation including early case assessments, evaluation of product design documents and witnesses, coordination of discovery, retention of experts, hiring and management of local counsel and development of nationally consistent positions and strategies. Specific examples include : national product liability counsel for manufacturer of seat belts, air bags and steering components; regional counsel for major automotive manufacturer for allegations relating to brake systems, unwanted acceleration and seat back strength; national coordinating counsel for manufacturer of aerial devices and wood chippers; regional counsel for truck and farm equipment manufacturer for cases claiming defects in rollover protective structures on tractors. In addition to his trial work, Dave has served as lead counsel in alternative dispute resolutions and favorably resolved cases in more than 40 states. He has also counseled manufacturers and other business entities on loss prevention, document retention, quality control and accident investigation techniques. In this capacity, he has helped clients draft and evaluate product instruction and owner's manuals, warning labels, product literature, distributorship and licensing agreements and warranty documents as well as assisting suppliers and manufacturers with NHTSA and FMVSS compliance, including responding to information requests and engineering analyses, coordinating collection of data and documents, drafting final responses and handling all aspects of recalls. Dave co-authored "Preservation of Evidence and its Role in Product Liability Litigation," which appeared in For the Defense, published by the Defense Research Institute and, over the years, has spoken at seminars for defense groups and various trade organizations. In 2005, he was selected based on a statewide survey of his peers, as a member of the Leading Lawyers Network of the Top Lawyers in Illinois. Prior to joining HPS, Dave was a partner in the Litigation Department and Product Liability practice group of Lord Bissell and Brook (now Locke Lord Bissell and Liddell). EducationUniversity of Illinois College of Law, J.D., 1979 Bar AdmissionsIllinois 1979 Courts
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1979 Professional and Community Organizations
American Bar Association |
