HarrisMartin's MDL Conference: Navigating Current Mass Tort Litigation Speaker Profiles

The Wall Street Journal has described Arsenault as having "national notoriety," BusinessWeek described him as "a Dean of the Louisiana Tort Bar," and The New York Times described him as one of the "big players" in the legal community. He has been involved in over 25 Multidistrict Litigation proceedings, often serving in leadership capacities. In the Actos MDL, he served as Co-Lead Counsel, where a jury rendered a $9 billion verdict. He subsequently served on the negotiating team that secured a $2.4 billion settlement, which is the largest single mass tort settlement for a drug that is still on the market.

Arsenault was also appointed to the Pinnacle MDL Executive Committee and was a trial team member where three Bellwether trials resulted in $502 million, $1 billion and $247 million verdicts. He has been recognized as one of America's 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer magazine, nominated for the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Public Justice Foundation, and recognized by the National Law Journal as one of America's Elite Trial Lawyers. Arsenault will also become one of the first practitioners in the nation to become Board Certified in Complex Litigation. He was also recently appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice to serve on the Rules of Professional Conduct Class Action, Bench Book, and State MDL Exploratory Committees.

Jayne Conroy is a named shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy and oversees practice areas in the Complex Litigation Department. Under her leadership, the firm has become one of the country’s largest plaintiff law firms dedicated to helping those injured by corporate wrongdoing.

Mark Lanier is consistently recognized as one of the top civil trial lawyers in America. Best known as a zealous advocate for individuals in personal injury and product liability claims against major corporations, Mark brings passion, creativity and an unparalleled ability to connect with juries in courtrooms across the nation.

Vicki J. Maniatis is a partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman. Ms. Maniatis graduated with a BA from the Pennsylvania State University in 1990, a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1993, and is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. After several years of practicing as a defense lawyer, Ms. Maniatis switched to the plaintiffs’ side of mass tort cases, focusing on cases involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices for over twenty years. She is an international invited lecturer and moderator on a wide variety of pharmaceutical and mass tort cases including, Opioids, Trans Vaginal Mesh, Fosamax, Ortho Evra, Risperdal, Propecia, Avandia, Onglyza, as well as several medical devices. Ms. Maniatis has been appointed by State and Federal Judges to serve as lead counsel and on numerous Plaintiffs’ steering committees, including fee committees.