HarrisMartin's Water Contamination Litigation Conference Speaker Profiles

Hunter J. Shkolnik is an esteemed and dedicated personal injury attorney who specializes in the trials of significant personal injury cases, primarily in the area of drug, automobile, aviation-related, and heavy truck product liability litigation

He leads the discovery and trial teams of various mass tort pharmaceutical and medical device litigations for the Napoli Shkolnik PLLC law firm. He is also active in managing national litigation and plaintiff litigation groups including the American Association of Justice’s Actos Litigation Group.

He is currently serving as a chairman, leader, or court-appointed representative on Plaintiff Steering Committees in various drug and other mass torts. Additionally, Mr. Shkolnik has also held officer positions in the New York State Trial Lawyers, Nassau County Bar Association and Committee Chair positions in ATLA Health Care Finance Litigation Group, Orthopedic Implant Litigation Group, AAJ Breast Cancer Litigation Group, Co-Chair AAJ Heart Device Litigation Group, and the Chair of the Medtronic ICD and CRTD Litigation Sub Group.

Mr. Shkolnik has also lectured and organized seminars on issues involving Guidant, Medtronic, and St. Jude pacemakers; ICD and lead wire recall science and litigation; cardiac device product liability litigation; class action topics such as Ethics of Mass Tort Settlements, Lone Pine, State Federal Coordination and Preemption; and has — on multiple occasions — lectured on the science related to various pharmaceuticals.

Michael A. London is one of the founding partners in the law firm of Douglas & London. Mr. London was born in New York, NY. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Miami, in Coral Gables, Florida, and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Brooklyn Law School in New York. Mr. London is admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, as well as in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District, Southern District, and Western District of New York, as well as the District of New Jersey. He is also admitted to practice in the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C.

Since obtaining his law degree, he has devoted his entire career to always representing injury victims and consumers, primarily in mass tort settings. Formerly a partner at another national plaintiffs’ law firm, his practice area in the law has always focused on and continues to focus on, products liability and complex litigation with an emphasis in pharmaceutical litigation.

Gale Pearson is a Senior Partner with the law firm of Pearson, Randall & Schumacher, P.A., a national litigation practice focusing on medical device and pharmaceutical litigation.

She has represented thousands of plaintiffs against the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, against environmental polluters, and against fraudulent corporate practices. She has served on science committees for several MDL litigations.

She was lead counsel in a Minnesota Consumer Fraud class action against the manufacturers of several large tobacco companies, including a Certified Class Action against Phillip Morris, Co. and its parent company. In 2006, she was appointed as Plaintiff’s liaison counsel in the Minnesota State Guidant Cases, and was asked by colleagues to serve as Plaintiff’s liaison counsel in Minnesota State Medtronic Cases.

In August of 2003, Ms. Pearson was recognized by the United States Supreme Court Justice Breyer for “Outstanding Pro-Bono Service” in representing victims in the September 11th Compensation Fund. She was recognized by the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association as an “Outstanding Trial Lawyer.” Ms. Pearson was interviewed and appeared in a 2005 Article by Forbes recognizing America’s Top Attorneys. She has received a Certificate of Appreciation by the Consumer Attorneys of California for “Valuable Contributions in the Field for Continuing Legal Education and the Improvement of the Administration of Justice.” In 2006, she participated in “We the Jury Project” sponsored by the Hennepin County Bar Association, bringing the importance of the jury systems to local high schools. She frequently travels throughout the country as an invited speaker on scientific issues related to pharmaceutical products and complex interstate civil procedure challenges. Ms. Pearson is a Nationally Certified Clinical Laboratory Scientist and was previously a Certified Real Property Appraiser.

Gale D. Pearson graduated in 1984 with honors at California State University Northridge with a degree in Laboratory Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. She worked as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Los Angeles, California until 1991, when she entered Loyola Law School.