HarrisMartin's MDL Conference: Proton Pump Inhibitors, Eliquis, & Stryker Accolade Hip System Speaker Profiles

Neil D. Overholtz specializes in pharmaceutical litigation, and has successfully handled thousands of defective drug and medical device cases, including fen-phen, Rezulin, Baycol, Bextra/Celebrex, Vioxx, Medtronic Defibrillators, and Guidant Defibrillators.

Recently, Mr. Overholtz has the distinction of having been appointed as national counsel on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committees for several federal products liability MDL’s (Mullti-District litigations), including the Trasylol MDL pending in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, before the Honorable Judge Middlebrooks, the Viagra MDL in the District Court in Minnesota, before the Honorable Judge Magnuson, as well as the Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Lead Wire MDL before United States District Court Judge Richard Kyle. Additionally, Mr. Overholtz has served as co-lead counsel in the In Re America Online, Inc Version 5.0 Software Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1341 (S.D. Fla), helping to negotiate a cash settlement for affected AOL members in excess of $15 Million as well as significant injunctive relief.

Born in Natchitoches, Louisiana, September 17, 1951, Robert attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches from 1969 – 1972 and obtained a B.S. in Political Science and History. He was a member of the Dean’s List. After graduation, he attended Loyola Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1973 – 1976. Robert graduated on January 15, 1976 and was admitted to the LA State Bar in April 1976. While in law school, he clerked for Dodd & Barker and Donald G. Kelly.

Robert Salim is admitted to practice before all courts, State and Federal, in Louisiana. He is also admitted before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

Robert is a member of the Natchitoches Parish Bar Association, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Immaculate Conception Church, and a former member of Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He has been listed as one of the 100 Top Trial Lawyers since 2007 as listed by The American Trial Lawyers Association. Robert is also a founding member of The Class Action Trial Lawyers Association.

His hobbies include working with area youth: Natchitoches Dixie Youth Baseball (President 1996 – 1999, Director 1990 – 2000), Founder of Natchitoches American Legion Baseball (2000 – present), and Special Olympics (1976 – 1982). He is married to Christie Salim and has three children: Tony, Chris, and Jennifer.

Robert L. Salim was a Senior Partner of KELLY & SALIM law firm from 1976 – 1990, with its main office located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He is experienced in the field of toxic tort, personal injury, negligence, product liability, environmental law litigation, class action litigation, mass torts, aviation law, trials, personal injury, worker’s compensation, probate, wrongful death actions, as well as general civil practice in all State and Federal Courts.

In 1990, Robert Salim formed ROBERT L. SALIM, APLC and continues to practice personal injury, product liability, and mass torts. He specializes in pharmaceutical litigation and currently is handling Vioxx, Bextra, Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Digitek, welding rod, Fen Phen, Baycol, Avandia, Heparin, Ketek, Medtronic, Trasylol, Raptiva, and Zimmer Durom Cup cases. He is associated with the Houston firm Fibich, Hampton & Leebron; Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett located in Opelousas, LA; Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz located in Pensacola, FL; and the Law Office of Christopher Cueto, Ltd., located in Belleville, IL.

For two decades, Mr. Pennock has been chair of the Drug and Medical Device Litigation practice group at Weitz & Luxenberg.

He is directly responsible for leading a large national litigation department covering all aspects of litigation — from inception through trial. He has served as lead plaintiffs’ counsel, as well as plaintiff steering committee member, and liaison counsel in numerous state and federal multidistrict-litigation (MDL) mass tort cases.

This includes his current appointment as co-lead of the federal court Actos Multidistrict-Litigation coordination. In this role, he led the efforts in the recent $9 billion jury verdict, at the time the highest jury verdict in history for a personal injury case. Mr. Pennock has also handled numerous bellwether trials and Daubert hearings on expert-witness testimony in both state and federal courts.

He was also named national co-lead counsel of the federal power morcellator MDL, where he organized the first majority women Plaintiff Steering Committee in the 47 year history of multidistrict litigation

As a well-respected member of the bar, he has been an invited speaker to dozens of legal conferences around the country, as well as at several law schools including Yale, Brooklyn, and the University of Denver, among others.

In 2007, he was honored with the invitation to author the mass tort litigation chapter in a two-volume legal treatise, “The Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Action in New York State” published by New York State Bar Association, edited by Patrick J. Higgins. It was published in 2009 and Mr. Pennock regularly provides updates.

Every year since 2007 he has been designated a ”Super Lawyer.” He also has been a long-running ”Best Lawyers” honoree. The National Law Journal calls him one of ”America’s Elite Trial Lawyers.”

Mr. Pennock is widely considered, by both sides of the bar, as one of the best and most aggressive plaintiff litigators in the country. His work has led to more than a billion dollars in recoveries for Weitz & Luxenberg clients.