Tort Reform and Personal Injury Litigation: Adapting Strategies and Tactics for Plaintiff and Defense Counsel

Christopher G. Campbell | DLA Piper

Chris Campbell is the Chair of DLA Piper’s Product Liability and Mass Tort practice group, one of the world’s largest and most acclaimed product liability defense teams. A Harvard Law School graduate with 20 years of experience, Chris represents global companies in complex litigation, including mass torts, class actions, and appeals, particularly in the life sciences, food and beverage, automotive, and insurance industries. He is recognized for his strategic counsel, client service, and ability to simplify complex scientific issues. Chris is frequently honored by The Legal 500 and was named a “Rising Star” by Law360. He is also a regular speaker and author on product liability, mass torts, and related legal topics.

Garanique Williams | DLA Piper

Garanique is a litigation associate based in DLA Piper’s Atlanta office. She has broad practice encompassing multiple industries, with a particular focus on life sciences litigation. Garanique began her career as a Krantz Fellow. She dedicated her first year to pro bono work in collaboration with the firm’s Pro Bono and New Perimeter Teams. During her fellowship, she played a key role in various projects, including a long-term project on transitional justice in South Sudan and research on menstrual health in North American Indigenous communities. She has assisted incarcerated women serving life sentences in preparing their parole packets and has advocated for incarcerated women experiencing abuse in jail.

Kamaldeen Apatira | DLA Piper

Kamal is a litigation associate based in DLA Piper’s Atlanta office. His practice focuses on life science litigation, dealing mainly in the product liability space. Kamal is a recent graduate of Howard University School of law.

Mary Wiliams | Cohan & Levy

Mary prides herself on taking an individualized approach to every case and concentrates her practice on complex business disputes, first-party insurance litigation, and trial and appellate strategies. After serving as law clerk to the Honorable Blake A. Hewitt of the South Carolina Court of Appeals and as judicial extern to the Honorable Sherri A. Lydon of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Mary practiced at AmLaw ranked firms in South Carolina and Georgia early in her career.

Mary is at home in the courtroom and has served as embedded complex motions and appellate counsel in multiple trials, including high-stakes talc, corporate fraud, and contractual dispute trials. She has also served as demand review committee counsel during shareholder derivative action litigation. Prior to attending law school, Mary worked within the Oregon Legislature as a legislative aide and later as a lobbyist, representing state health plan providers and building trades clients. She has substantial experience in regulatory and legislative affairs and in developing multi-pronged litigation and policy strategies.

The daughter of educators and whose family is proud Navy, in law school Mary served as Senior Articles Editor for the South Carolina Journal of Law and Education and was a student attorney with the Veterans Legal Clinic, where she represented service members before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. An ardent oral advocate, Mary was selected by the South Carolina Supreme Court as one of two winners of the J. Woodrow Lewis Moot Court Competition and was an invited student member of the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court.

Mary’s most fulfilling career success was recently securing the maximum FEMA payments for her pro bono client who lost everything during Hurricane Helene and had previously been denied all federal assistance.

Mary is a classically trained ballet dancer, a lifelong artist, and loves the beach. She now lives in East Cobb with her family of all boys and Chesapeake Bay Retriever, “Stash.”

Brendan Krqasinski | The Champion Firm

After spending 18 years representing Fortune 500 companies at two Am Law 100 firms, Brendan realized his true calling was helping people in need. So, in May 2024, Brendan decided to become a plaintiff’s attorney and joined The Champion Firm in Marietta, Georgia. He now represents people who have been injured through the negligence of others in medical malpractice, product liability, motor vehicle, and premises liability cases. Since switching to the plaintiff’s side, Brendan has helped recover nearly $7 million on behalf of his clients.

When Brendan isn’t a lawyer, he loves to cook, eat at great restaurants, watch live music, and cheer for UGA football (where he went to law school, his oldest daughter graduated from, and his youngest daughter just started her freshman year). Most of all, Brendan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, their five daughters, and two very energetic dogs (a black lab and a vizsla).

I. Synopsis of Georgia’s recent tort reform legislation | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

II. Bill 68: Section summaries and key changes | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

III. Impact of those changes from the plaintiff and defense perspective | 2:10pm – 2:40pm