Johnson & Johnson DePuy Hip Implant Litigation Conference Speaker Profiles



Kenneth M. Seeger's, Seeger Salvas LLP, San Francisco Show/Hide Bio

Kenneth M. Seeger's

practice focuses on litigating product liability, insurance bad faith and commercial disputes. Over the years, Ken has litigated pharmaceutical and medical device cases involving orthopedic hip and knee implants, coronary angioplasty and stent devices, defibrillators, pacemakers, asbestos, and several brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals. He also has won trial verdicts in complex business litigation matters as well as insurance bad faith lawsuits.

Ken is an accomplished trial lawyer, with extensive experience in both personal injury and complex commercial and class action litigation. Known nationally for his pharmaceutical and medical device litigation practice, Ken served as national litigation counsel for Sulzer Orthopedics in more than 4000 civil actions following a product recall.

In addition, Ken has acted as settlement counsel; most recently as national settlement counsel for a publicly-traded consumer products company in successfully negotiating and implementing a national class action settlement involving hundreds of PPA cases valued at over $100 million.

Ken is a frequent lecturer and writer, and has presented seminars and published numerous professional articles on topics such as “Litigating Class Actions,” “Litigating Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” “Compensatory and Punitive Damages in Personal Injury Claims,” “Scientific and Expert Testimony at Trial,” “Using Multimedia at Trial,” and “Voir Dire Techniques.” Ken has been recognized in San Francisco Magazine as one of Northern California’s “Super Lawyers” each year since 2005.

Ken also devotes considerable time to pro bono projects and was awarded the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ Father Moriarty Award for his work on behalf of political asylum applicants as well as the Lawyers’ Committee’s “Living the Dream” award for his career-long support.

Christopher A. Seeger,, Seeger Weiss LLP, New York Show/Hide Bio

Christopher A. Seeger,

Co-founder of Seeger Weiss LLP, is one of the nation’s most versatile, respected and accomplished attorneys in the area of complex and mass tort actions. Mr. Seeger has served as lead attorney and in other significant leadership roles in many of the country’s most newsworthy and groundbreaking federal and state actions involving consumer fraud and negligence. With a particular expertise in pharmaceutical cases including Vioxx, Zyprexa, Rezulin, PPA and Ephedra, Mr. Seeger is regularly quoted in the press discussing these and other topics.

In addition to representing large classes of plaintiffs who collectively seek damages from major pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and other corporations for consumer fraud and negligence, Mr. Seeger also represents individuals who have suffered injuries as the result of negligence or malfeasance. His successes have been lauded in the 2007 "Top 20 Personal Injury Awards of the Year" published by the New Jersey Law Journal, in Law Dragon 500 in 2007 and 2008, and in the National Law Journal's prestigious Plaintiffs' Hot List in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He also has been honored with entrance into the Hunter College Hall of Fame in 2007, and was named Cardozo Law School’s Alumnus of the Year in 2009.

Professor Francis McGovern, Duke University School of Law, Durham, NC

Brian J. Devine, Seeger Salvas, San Francisco

David R. Buchanan, Seeger Weiss LLP, New York

Robert Brown, Baron & Budd, Dallas

Paul J. Pennock, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., New York

Douglass A. Kreis, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, Pensacola, FL

Dr. Herbert O. Phillips IV, McGuire, Wood & Bissette, Asheville, NC

Richard J. Arsenault, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault, Alexandria, LA

W. Mark Lanier, The Lanier Law Firm, Houston

Dana Taschner, The Lanier Law Firm, Los Angeles

Michael A. Kelly, Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, San Francisco

Matthew Davis, Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, San Francisco

Ben W. Gordon Jr., Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty and Proctor, P.A., Pensacola, FL

B.J. Etscheid, Waterville Advisors, Chicago

Christopher J. Princis, Brook Hollow Financial, Chicago

Hunter J. Shkolnik, Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold, Shkolnik & McCartney LLP, New York

Mark P. Robinson Jr., Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson Inc., Newport Beach, CA