This website uses cookies

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy

International In-house Counsel Journal logoInternational In-house Counsel Journal logo
Back to library search

U. S. Litigation Road Map

Abstract

Recent high-profile litigation involving non-US companies such as Volkswagen, Takada, Malaysia Air, Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, and US companies like Boeing, General Motors, Mandalay Bay (MGM), Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto and several prominent universities raises the all-important question. What might be done by an individual or corporate entity to materially improve the chances of receiving defense verdicts or other favorable financial results by focusing before litigation is begun, or as soon thereafter as possible, on the critical factors embedded in the U. S. landscape that will most definitely influence the outcome regardless of the fact pattern?

Author

Portrait image of Robert Alpert
Robert Alpert
President/In House Counsel, Icalm Group, USA

Bob is a New York admitted attorney who has been in private practice with a NY law firm, held an executive position and was a member of the Board of a major subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway companies, served as senior counsel and co-leader of the crisis management practice of a large U. S. law firm and has acted as CEO and in house counsel for a crisis response and litigation management company (ICALM Group). He has responded to forty-six note-worthy crises and catastrophic events that have occurred throughout the U. S., Puerto Rico, France, Spain, Scotland, Italy and the South Pacific, supervising multi-district litigation as lead counsel and actively participating in the defense, prosecution and administration of “bet the company” issues involving airlines, several U. S. and foreign manufacturers, a real estate investment trust, a railroad, a hotel, a super market chain, major national and international insurers, several environmental entities, corporate executives and the federal government. He has prepared crisis/catastrophe response programs for several Fortune 500 companies, including American Airlines, for whom he managed the response to four major aircraft accidents, and supervised litigation worldwide from 1993 – 2000. Several families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center tragedy sought him to assist them through the litigation and compensation process. Bob has dramatically improved the approach taken by corporations world-wide to address difficult issues, counseled companies (executives, risk managers and in-house counsel) on how to (1) prevent an unexpected event from turning into a financial catastrophe, (2) effective ways to evaluate and select favorable jurisdictions and (3) retain and manage outside law firms and trial attorneys nationally and internationally to advance the efficient and successful administration of litigation.

Company

Icalm Group

ICALM Group provides Fortune 500 corporations, casualty companies and individuals in general corporate, transportation, environmental, toxic tort, medical products and product liability matters with financial exposure containment consulting services in the areas of catastrophe/unexpected event preparedness, corporate/product/service/executive reputation exposure, class action litigation management, risk management, productive and efficient investigative techniques, early claim assessment and resolution, insurance coverage analysis, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), reserve evaluation, structured settlements, litigation and law firm management, constructing efficient litigation budgets, retaining and managing outside experts and vendors, and developing training seminars for in-house claims and legal personnel.

Related Papers

Collective Action, Collective Reaction: What In-House Lawyers Should Know about European Class Actions
The scorching weather of 2019’s summer has been only one of the heat waves to strike Europe. A wave of collective redress mechanisms has been putting the heat on companies,...Read more
Portrait image of Mary Terzino
Mary Terzino
Attorney and Consultant, US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, USA
Collective Action, Collective Reaction: What In-House Lawyers Should Know about European Class Actions
The scorching weather of 2019’s summer has been only one of the heat waves to strike Europe. A wave of collective redress mechanisms has been putting the heat on companies,...Read more
Portrait image of Lisa Rickard
Lisa Rickard
President-institute for Legal Reform, Chamber of Commerce of The United States of America, USA
Understanding Commercial Dispute Finance in the United States
Litigation is always a costly proposition. Although fraught with risk, it often represents a party’s only hope for redressing wrongs. The decision to bring suit is a momentous one, with...Read more
Portrait image of Max Volsky
Max Volsky
Legal and Financial Counsel, Lexstone Capital, USA
Portrait image of undefined
Legal Transformation? Business, AI, and New Suppliers are Key Drivers
Jake Campbell, a character in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, explained how he went bankrupt: “Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly.” The humor of his observation masks its profound insight-and...Read more
Portrait image of Mark A. Cohen
Mark A. Cohen
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Mosaic, UK