HarrisMartin's DNA and Molecular Evidence in Toxic Torts Conference: The Time of Genomics Is Here Speaker Profiles

Howard E. Jarvis is a member of the firm whose primary areas of practice include toxic tort, environmental, product liability and insurance defense litigation. In his practice, he has served as either lead counsel or lead co-counsel in toxic tort and environmental litigation in Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, California, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi and Florida. Mr. Jarvis is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of product liability litigation and has been included in the 2012 Top Rated Lawyers Guide to Energy/Environmental/Natural Resources Law.

On behalf of several petrochemical companies he has handled multiplaintiff toxic tort cases in various jurisdictions. These cases have involved both personal injury and property damage claims as a result of alleged chemical exposure. He has argued cases in the Tennessee Supreme Court and Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Jarvis, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, graduated from The University of Tennessee in 1976, with a B.A. in history. He obtained his J.D. from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 1979.

Mr. Jarvis is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the Knoxville Bar Foundation and a member of the Section of Litigation and the Section of Corporate Counsel of the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The Episcopal School of Knoxville. He has served as the chairman of the Fee Dispute Committee of the Knoxville Bar Association and was awarded the President's Award in 1997 for his service to the Bar.

Over the last several years, Mr. Jarvis has spoken at seminars on the topics of toxic torts, trial practice, and ethics. He has spoken at the Texas Wesleyan School of Law. He is co-author of the articles Trace Benzene Cases in the Real World: Is a Trace Benzene Case Really a Benzene Case? Litigation Watch: Benzene June 2005 and Mechanism or Causation? The New Battle Over Benzene Metabolites Litigation Watch: Benzene May 2006.

JEFFREY L. PETTIT is a graduate of the Yale University and the Villanova University School of Law where he was the Managing Editor of the Law Review. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Tax Court and the Federal District and Appellate Courts in Pennsylvania. Mr. Pettit holds an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating of professional excellence.

In his over 34 years of practicing law, Mr. Pettit has represented clients in a wide range of litigation matters including commercial, tort, employment, product liability, wage and hour, and civil rights cases. He has argued cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In addition, Mr. Pettit has counseled clients on employment-related issues and various business problems. Mr. Pettit's expertise has resulted in invitations to speak before the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association and the American College of Medical Physicists. He presently concentrates his practice on defending clients in employment-related litigation, including wrongful hiring and termination, discrimination, ERISA, Family and Medical Leave Act, in commercial disputes and in product liability cases such as asbestos and chemical exposures.

Since 1992, Mr. Pettit has served as School Board Director for the Rose Tree-Media School District. He also is actively supports local youth organizations by being a member of the Boards of Directors of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Youth Lacrosse Association, Media Youth Center, Rose Tree-Media Optimist Club and Healthy Communities Initiative.