COLLIE JAMES IV
OC MANAGING PARTNER
MORGAN LEWIS
WHY: As the managing partner of the Orange County office, represents companies in U.S. state and federal courts and arbitrates matters before multiple agencies, including the International Court of Arbitration.
IN THE NEWS: Represented Teva Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates. Led a Morgan Lewis team that secured the first defense trial victory in national prescription opioids litigation in an action brought by the state of California.
NOTABLE: Defended major Southern California utility in litigation involving more than 30K plaintiffs stemming from a natural gas leak at a storage facility adjacent to a residential and business area. Serving as lead trial lawyer in litigation involving more than 1K plaintiffs with chemical-exposure claims, he executed an aggressive strategy that resulted in summary judgment or dismissal of several hundred plaintiffs, which he thereafter successfully defended in two separate efforts to overturn those rulings before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
QUOTABLE: “Collie has played key roles in litigating some of the most significant crisis and mass tort, public nuisance, product liability, and consumer litigation matters in the country over the last 20 years.”
