About the Committee

Mission

This Committee was created to address both current and emerging issues that arise in a broad spectrum of substantive areas, where the common denominators are the large number of plaintiffs asserting the claims, and the type of claims being a tort in the broadest sense of the word. Thus, this Committee focuses on the substantive and procedural developments in the case law, proposed reforms, and best practice techniques in cases that may involve environmental, toxic torts, pharmaceutical, various types of products liability litigation, aviation, antitrust, securities litigation, and employment claims.

The Committee is also dealing with the management aspects of mass tort litigation, including class action issues, joinder of multiple parties, and the use of ADR in such a context. Every effort is made to have an ecumenical membership that includes demographic diversity as well as representation among the plaintiff’s bar, the defense bar, academia, and in-house counsel. The Committee has established subcommittees to provide a variety of benefits to its members, which includes programming at the Litigation Section’s Annual Conference and the ABA’s Annual Meeting, as well as co-sponsorship of an annual two-day joint CLE seminar with the Products Liability and Environmental Litigation Committees.

Join this committee

Message from the Chairs

Dear Mass Torts Litigation Committee members,

Welcome to the 2022–2023 bar year for the ABA Mass Torts Committee! We are excited to maintain our positive momentum and to continue to grow this committee, which is comprised of some of the leading mass torts lawyers in North America. We hope you will join our programming this year and stay engaged with us, be it through publications, roundtables, and/or CLE programs and conferences. Our premier Joint CLE, held each January with the Products Liability and Environmental & Energy Committees, will be held February 1–3, 2023, at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley. The Joint CLE is always a great opportunity for networking and CLE credit.

We invite you to make plans to join us for the Section Annual Conference April 19–22, 2023, in Atlanta. Our committee is currently planning a dine-around for the meeting—details will be provided by Litigation Connect at a later date. This conference is sure to be another great opportunity for CLE and to build relationships within the committee and Section of Litigation.

We expect that 2023 will be an active year for the Mass Torts Committee—Member benefits will continue to include CLEs, networking events, webinars, roundtables (via audio and/or Zoom), and audio content (allowing you to keep up with the state of the law and the profession at no additional charge), as well as, of course, our incredible content available to you through our award-winning Mass Torts Newsletter and website. In addition to our substantive Mass Torts CLEs and programs, our Committee plans to also include programming on issues such as diversity in the legal profession, and advice on achieving and maintaining attorney wellness during challenging times. We must acknowledge that these member benefits would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of our committee leaders and members. If you are not already serving the committee in some capacity, we invite you to reach out and consider joining us. A great way to start is by joining our monthly call:

Our monthly committee call is held the second Tuesday of every month @ 2 p.m. ET (all members welcome):

https://americanbar.zoom.us/j/98880879345
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 988 8087 9345
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,98880879345# US (Chicago)

We look forward to continuing to work with those of you who have been members, and we are eager to get to know those of you who are just joining. For those who invest in the Committee, the Committee returns a wealth of resources, a robust network of skilled attorneys, and more importantly, lasting friendships.

Thank you all, and best wishes throughout this year.

Andrew Tharp
Karen Aldridge Crawford
Dale Weppner

Subcommittees

Our active subcommittees include:

• Aviation
• Book Publications
• Content
• Experts and Evidence
• MDL and Class Procedures Practice 
• Membership & Diversity
• Pharmaceutical & Medical Device
• Toxic Torts Litigation
• Trends and Developments
• Young Lawyers

Subcommittee Roster

Committee Leadership

Cochairs

Karen Aldridge Crawford
KLAC Law LLC
Columbia, SC

Andrew Tharp
Butler Snow LLP
Nashville, TN

Vice Chair and Web Editor

Andrew Jackson
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Minneapolis, MN

Social Media Editor

Courtney Ward-Reichard
Nilan Johnson Lewis
Minneapolis, MN

Newsletter Editor

James Beck
Reed Smith LLP
Philadelphia, PA