HarrisMartin's Webinar Series: New Jersey Asbestos Litigation Speaker Profiles

Over more than 30 years of practice, John Garde has successfully defended clients in products liability litigation with an emphasis on the national defense of pharmaceutical product liability litigation and the coordination of mass tort product liability litigation involving occupational exposures.

David Katzenstein is a litigator with over 35 years of experience in the defense of personal injury and commercial cases in New Jersey and New York, during which he has tried many cases to verdict. David has also served and tried cases as joint medical counsel in New Jersey and is currently national coordinating counsel for several clients in mass tort litigation.

Joel Clark is a Senior Partner in MKCI’s Florham Park, NJ office, and has been with the firm since 1996. He represents major corporate and industrial clients, as well as small “mom and pop” businesses involved in product liability, toxic tort, and environmental litigation. Joel provides a first class defense for his clients on both a regional and national basis, as he serves as National Coordinating Counsel for both talc and asbestos litigants and has traveled all over the country defending their interests.

Christopher M. Placitella is a shareholder in the law firm and an accomplished trial lawyer with a nationwide reputation as one of the country’s leading legal authorities on mass tort, class actions, and cases about asbestos-related diseases. He represents individuals injured by defective products and drugs, toxic substances, and environmental contamination. Chris has been counsel on numerous landmark cases that have changed the law in favor of the consumer and wrongfully injured.

Lynne M. Kizis is co-chair of the firm's Mass Tort/Class Action team and has been an attorney at Wilentz since 1989. Practicing at the forefront of complex, mass tort and class action litigation, for over 30 years Ms. Kizis has represented victims of occupational and environmental illness and defective products in trial and appellate courts in New Jersey and in federal courts.

Jared M. Placitella is an Associate with Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C., practicing primarily in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He represents individuals in complex civil litigation, including class actions, asbestos, and other mass tort claims, as well as products liability and catastrophic injury claims.

Karen’s areas of concentration include toxic tort litigation, medical malpractice, professional liability, premises liability, motor vehicle liability, products liability and general insurance defense. She serves as local and national counsel for several defendants. She has argued before the Appellate and Supreme Courts of New Jersey. She serves on the New Jersey Asbestos Advisory Committee which acts as a liaison between the Court and the larger defense bar. Ms. Conte has been asked to speak on a range of topics at various CLEs.