MILBERG COLEMAN BRYSON PHILLIPS GROSSMAN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Knoxville
Mr. Edwards is a Partner at Milberg and acts as a group leader for Consumer Products litigation. He also serves as a primary litigator in many of the firm's class action matters involving false advertising and product defects.
Education
Mr. Edwards attended The University of Tennessee as an undergraduate, where he received his degree in political science and served as a field office intern for United States Senator and former Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Bill Frist.
After graduating from UT, Mr. Edwards was accepted into the Juris Doctor program at the Washburn University School of Law. He was awarded an academic merit scholarship after his first year of coursework, selected as the President of the Moot Court Counsel on Oral Advocacy, and chosen as a member of the Order of Barristers. He received his JD after graduating with Deans Honors in 2000.
Mr. Edwards has sat first chair in dozens of jury trials and successfully argued complex legal issues related to class certification in front of courts throughout the country. He has a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable litigators in the country with respect to class action damages and is frequently asked to speak to fellow lawyers with regard to class action damages models, most recently at Mass Torts Made Perfect in Las Vegas. Mr. Edwards has worked with numerous survey experts, marketing professionals, and economists to create robust damages models to support class certification in a variety of consumer product class actions cases.
Mr. Edwards has been selected twice by fellow members of the Knoxville Bar as a "Top Attorney," an honor described in CITYVIEW Magazine's annual Top Attorney's issue. He was also selected for membership into the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor reserved for those trial lawyers who have secured a settlement or verdict in excess of one million dollars; less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. He was additionally invited to join The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, an invitation-only group comprised of premier trial lawyers from each state or region who meet strict qualifications.
Amanda was born and raised in Sylva, North Carolina where she graduated from Southwestern Community College with an Associate degree in Paralegal Technologies in 2000. Amanda immediately began working with Legal Aid of North Carolina assisting attorneys in representing domestic violence victims and related custody issues in the western counties of North Carolina and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. In 2004, Amanda moved to Raleigh and worked with the North Carolina Department of Justice in Chapel Hill on collection efforts on behalf of the State.
Amanda began working with legacy attorneys of Milberg in 2006. Amanda has 22 years of legal experience and has a vast knowledge of complex civil litigation cases, mass torts, class actions, and multi-district litigations. Her years of experience and dedication have assisted the attorneys in obtaining justice for the clients.
Amanda is married to Godwin Mkamanga and has one son, Temwa. In her time off, she enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with her family, both here and in Malawi, Africa.
Bio:
Austin Camp has been operating in the legal industry for the past 15 years, working for a specific cohort of law firms that span the globe. He is responsible for identifying and implementing technology and other solutions to help raise the firm's visibility in the community, increase operational efficiency, and improve the client experience.
During his tenure, he has completely transformed numerous firm's client intake processes by consolidating efforts into unified departments, establishing training protocols, building workflows, and streamlining operations with technology and automation.
In a past project he led the firm's effort to convert to a paperless office and overhauled the case management system by custom tailoring and implementing a Salesforce solution to manage client relationships from their first exposure to firm advertising, all the way through to case resolution and payout.
The system he has implemented is groundbreaking, utilizing automation features that dramatically reduce the staff burden during all stages of the client relationship.
Many of the standard business practices that were previously done by hand, are now automated and more cost-effective, as a result of Austin's commitment to functional efficiency and vision for leveraging technology to improve operations.
Austin has turned these successes into standardized, easy-to-implement solutions for the growing number of associated firms nationally, and internationally.
He played a lead role in helping open multiple new law firms in the United Kingdom, providing his expertise in technology, marketing, operations, system administration and workflow development to get the firms up and running. These solutions are now deployed in support of a European based justice foundation.
Austin is also responsible for various marketing functions of the firms, including creative content development, project management and ad placement. He oversees a number of internal and external marketing resources in support of the firm's lead generation and brand reputation needs. His expertise in digital platforms and analytics has helped dramatically improve the firm's advertising ROI.
Austin credits much of his professional success to his time in the military. Following the events of 9-11, Austin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served in the infantry as an LAV Crewman with numerous combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for more than 100 combat missions in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Citing "his ability to rapidly organize and supervise preparations for combat operations and his skill in maintaining tactical communications were instrumental to company readiness."
Outside of work Austin enjoys spending his time at the racetrack with his family. He is the team owner and semi-pro driver for a NASCAR Street Stock racing car, and his daughter is the diver in 4 different Quarter Midget racing car classes.
Austin's volunteer work includes his sitting role as President of Washington Quarter Midget Association, a non-profit car racing club for children.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the American Association for Justice
- Partner / Nashville, Tennessee
Caroline Taylor is a partner at Milberg and focuses on international collective redress. She currently resides in Amsterdam and serves as a liaison between Milberg's various European offices and the United States. She puts her knowledge of US class action and mass tort procedure to use with the continuously developing and complex landscape of European collective redress. She helps manage the European offices, pushing current cases, strategies, and developing new and innovative case ideas while working with the global Milberg team. As part of her work in Europe she assisted with the startup and staffing of both the Amsterdam and Munich offices. She also works daily with these offices, along with those in London, Peterborough, and Lisbon to push common initiatives and goals.
Prior to moving to Europe, Caroline focused on class actions, mass torts, personal injury, and general civil litigation. She takes pride in representing individuals when they are harmed, either physically or financially, through no fault of their own. She enthusiastically brings her love for her clients into her work in Europe, striving each day to bring access to justice to those across the globe.
Caroline received her bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication with a minor in Marketing. She then graduated magna cum laude from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, where she completed her law degree in just two and a half years. Following law school, she joined Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP where she worked on numerous high value personal injury cases. She was part of the WBM trial team that obtained a $681,500 verdict in Kentucky during the summer of 2015. She has second chaired various trials throughout her career. She has also been appointed class counsel in numerous cases across the United States.
Caroline is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) where she is a past Chair of the Railroad Section and currently serves on the AAJ Board of Governors as the Revitalization Member for Tennessee. She is also an active member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association where she currently holds the position of Treasurer on the Executive Committee.
Caroline was recently included in The Best Lawyers in America 2020 Edition for Personal Injury Litigation, Super Lawyers 2021 Mid-South Rising Star, and was selected by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys as a Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney in Tennessee Under Age 40, Top 40 Litigation Lawyer Under 40 for the state of Tennessee in 2018, and as a "Top 40 Under 40" by The National Trial Lawyers.
Practice Areas
Education
Job Titles:
- Senior Litigation Paralegal
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Director
- Human Resources Director for MCBPG
Bio:
Chris Taylor has humbly served as the Human Resources Director for MCBPG since September 2021. Prior to joining MCBPG, he served as both the Assistant and Human Resources Director for the City of Hendersonville, Tennessee since September 2015. After graduating college from the University of Southern Indiana, he began his professional career in his hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky as the Director of Parks and Recreation for almost 7 years before moving to the Nashville, Tennessee area and beginning a new career in human resources.
In August 2017, Chris obtained his IPMA-SCP certification (International Personnel Management Association - Senior Certified Professional) which is one of the highest credentials held by senior-level HR professionals. He continues to grow, learn, network, and challenge himself to make sure he is providing the highest level of HR knowledge and experience to our employees.
He considers himself a positive person who is highly motivated and organized. His passion for problem-solving and helping others serves our employees in a perfect professional capacity as Chris takes his role and title as a ‘human resource' very literally.
"My role is to support and guide our employees, or their family members in some cases, when they might have questions or items that impact both their professional and personal lives. We are all employees for this firm who are trying to achieve the same common goals through professionalism and good communication. My job is to help make their lives easier." - Chris
On a personal level, Chris and his wife, Caroline Taylor (who is a Partner with the firm and currently serves as the liaison between the US and European offices), currently live in Amsterdam Netherlands. Living abroad has been an incredible opportunity and life experience that they are both taking advantage of by traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Chief Financial Officer
- BDO Puerto Rico As a Senior Auditor
Bio:
Christina Marcial serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, LLC.
Ms. Marcial graduated from Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting.
In 2007, she joined a Puerto Rico based Certified Public Accounting Firm, Zayas Morazzani & Company as an auditor. Ms. Marcial supervised and performed compliance audits of private entities that received Federal Funds for Housing Urban Development. For four years, she performed single audits of entities receiving federal funds, audit engagements of governmental entities, audit of various non-profit institutions and non-public companies. This job served as a strong foundation for her next position at one of the largest accounting firms in the world, BDO.
In 2011, Ms Marcial joined BDO Puerto Rico as a Senior Auditor. Her prior work experience afforded for her to handle more complex audits of larger entities. Ms. Marcial supervised or performed audits on private and public educational institutions, non-for-profit organizations, large retail, and distribution companies as well as international Puerto Rico real estate entities. BDO recognized Ms. Marcial superior auditing skills and encouraged her to become a Certified Public Accountant.
While working as a Senior Auditor for BDO, Ms. Marcial became a Certified Public Accountant in 2013. BDO promoted Ms. Marcial shortly thereafter to Audit Manager. Ms. Marcial continued in that position for one year but seeking to grow beyond auditing, she pursued other opportunities.
In 2014, Ms. Marcial accepted the position as the Controller for the Mech Tech College located in Puerto Rico and Orlando Florida. Ms. Marcial went from being an auditor to a position that required her to supervise and run the accounting operations of seven branches. She oversaw an organization as its controller that entailed over three hundred (300) employees and had gross revenues of over twenty-three million dollars ($23,000,000).
In 2015, Ms. Marcial decided that she wanted to be more than a controller and to join an organization where she could serve as the Chief Financial Officer and engage in audits, management as well as tax planning management. She joined Sanders Phillips Grossman, LLC. For six years, she managed that firm's international and Puerto Rico accounts. She assisted in human resources. She performed audits and was the primary liaison with the accounting firms utilized by that law firm.
Recognized for her strong work, Ms. Marcial retained her position as the Chief Financial Officer for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, LLC. She continues to focus on its Puerto Rico office and international accounting but for a much larger enterprise with several hundred employees and offices worldwide. Ms. Marcial facilitates the tax strategy, oversees audits and ensures that Milberg runs properly in all financial aspects.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Founding Partner
- Senior Partner
- Board Chair of Theatre Raleigh
- Senior Partner / Raleigh
Dan Bryson is a founding partner of the firm and is one of the nation's most respected and experienced attorneys in the country in the area of consumer class actions and mass torts. He also has significant experience working with attorneys, funders and other partners on international litigation projects in the Courts in Amsterdam, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, among others.
For over 32 years, Mr. Bryson has handled hundreds of insurance related disputes, including first party bad faith insurance cases, and business interruption cases. He has written and taught numerous continuing legal education courses on a variety of insurance related topics. Mr. Bryson and members of his firm are well equipped and dedicated to handling these cases on behalf of all entities who have had improperly denied claims.
He has been named as a member of the Legal Elite and Super Lawyers in North Carolina on numerous occasions. He has been awarded the designation of one of the Top 25 lawyers in Raleigh by Charlotte Magazine for a number of years including 2020.
Dan Bryson is on the Executive Board and President of the Public Justice Foundation Board, a nationwide public interest law firm. He is also an adjunct professor at Campbell Law School in Raleigh, NC where he teaches "Introduction to Class Actions and Multi-district litigation."
Mr. Bryson is also the current Board Chair of Theatre Raleigh and enjoys running, playing the guitar, and golf in his free time. Each year, Mr. Bryson and members of his firm run a marathon. Last year, they ran in the St. George Marathon in St. George Utah. In 2018, they ran in the New York City Marathon.
Mr. Bryson is a frequent lecturer and writer on a variety of consumer class action, insurance, and mass tort related disputes. He has been quoted by a variety of media outlets over the years including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Law360 and Lawyers Weekly to name a few.
Job Titles:
- Financial Controller
- Title of Financial Controller
Bio:
Daniel Levine serves with the title of Financial Controller at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC. He handles the financial processing, accounting, and audits for the domestic operation. His responsibilities also encompass serving as the principal liaison between the domestic and international operations for Puerto Rico and Milberg's United Kingdom and European branches and affiliates. His day-to-day responsibilities entail reporting directly to the Executive Committee as well as working hand and hand with the Chief Financial Officer to ensure proper financial processing and streamlining of all critical components within the organization. Mr. Levine also has an active role in facilitating all funding needs that Milberg may require to run its various litigations and operations.
Mr. Levine graduated from Central Washington University in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting and a minor in marketing.
While attending Central Washington University, he worked at Steve Williams Custom Homes as a Staff Accountant. The company built multi-million dollar custom homes in the Seattle area with gross revenues of more than twenty-million dollars ($20,000,000). Mr. Williams saw a rising star and promoted Mr. Levine to the position of Controller prior to graduating. For four years, Mr. Levine worked as the controller and helped sustain the cashflow and growth rate for the Company. His duties consisted of managing the day-to-day accounting functions, cash flow management, and financial statement preparation.
From 2009-2011, Mr. Levine worked for Robert Levine, Certified Public Accountants. Working with his father, taught a different level of discipline and perspective that he would eventually bring to Milberg. Mr. Levine learned corporate and individual taxation but yearned to get back to helping a company grow and prosper.
In 2011, Mr. Levine joined Managing Partner's R. Glenn Phillips' Washington based law firm, Philips Law Firm, PLLC as its Controller. Mr. Levine was responsible for managing the full accounting cycle, while developing and implementing internal controls for all facets of his Washington based practice. He managed the day-to-day accounting practices, financial statement and tax preparation, and handled federal, state, and local tax filings for Phillips Law Firm.
In 2013, Mr. Levine joined Phillips Grossman, PLLC also as its Controller which later became Sanders Phillips Grossman, PLLC, one of the four firms that is now part of Milberg. From 2013 to present, Mr. Levine took all his success from his prior endeavors and applied them towards helping to grow a startup with a handful of employees, to a multinational law firm with offices all over the world and several hundred employees. Mr. Levine continues to assist in all facets of the operation as Controller and liaison for all offices, financial institutions and partners that are now part of the Milberg umbrella.
Mr. Levine's eighteen years of work experience translates into his pivotal role within Milberg where he looks forward to assisting the organization in achieving the ultimate success.
Outside of work, Mr. Levine enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys. He volunteers at the YMCA and is the head coach for both of his sons' football and basketball teams. If he's not at practice coaching his boys, you can find him out on the golf course or working on some sort of project around the house.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Los Angeles
David Azar graduated from Duke University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1999, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif (top 10% of the class). While in law school, he served as a senior editor of Law and Contemporary Problems and was a member of the Moot Court Board. After law school, he clerked for Chief Justice Veasey of the Delaware Supreme Court. Before law school, he received his B.S. in Finance from Indiana University School of Business in 1991.
Mr. Azar focuses his practice on class actions on behalf of defrauded investors and consumers, as well as disputes regarding contracts, partnerships, closely-held corporations, corporate governance, anti-SLAPP issues, real estate, and other complex commercial matters for businesses and individuals. He also provides corporate counseling as an outside general counsel and in pre-litigation and transactional matters, working with transactional or specialty counsel to provide a litigation perspective. Mr. Azar's significant litigation experience includes first-chair trial and appellate work.
Mr. Azar has extensive knowledge of dispute resolution, having served as a mediator in more than 160 cases, and he has trained and reviewed other mediators. He served for five years as the editor of the quarterly publication of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution and was honored with the association's Presidential Recognition Award. He also played the divorce lawyer to Joaquin Phoenix's character in the movie Her.
Bio:
Mrs. Gundry has vast experience in creating, maintaining, and enhancing Human Resources Departments and preparing employee handbooks in compliance with state and federal laws. She has over twenty years of experience in administering retirement and group health insurance plans, as well as working with payroll platforms.
Over the years she has maintained a healthy work environment in our office and has been a great example of what a positive working culture can do.
Before working at Milberg, Mrs. Gundry was the Human Resources Manager of BDO Puerto Rico. She worked with BDO for over 13 years. She started with the company as their Office Manager when they only had 16 employees. As the company grew, she was promoted to Human Resources and Collections Manager. During this time, she created a Human Resources department, helped implement their employee's retirement plan, a workplace wellness program, and a continued education program. She also provided the firm's clients with set up orientation, revised their employee handbooks to comply with state and federal laws, and audited their employee files.
During her time at BDO, Mrs. Gundry worked directly with the top executives during a merger process, a task she successfully achieved with transparency and reliability. At this time, she was overseeing a company as its Human Resources Manager that entailed around two hundred and sixty (260) employees. She was also a member of the company's #BDOCares committee. This team was created to provide community service through contributions and activities.
Throughout her career she has also worked with a computer technology corporation, a financial and investment firm, and a global professional services firm whose principal lines of business were risk management and human resources consulting. In her career she has also had vast experience in the Finance area, such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, collections, reconciliations, and the preparation of financial reports.
Mrs. Gundry studied at the University of Puerto Rico, Carolina campus, and has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Puerto Rico
Douglas H. Sanders graduated from Duke University with honors in 1996. He attended George Washington University Law School where he graduated from in June of 2000. While in law school, Mr. Sanders interned at the Department of Justice and worked on the Oklahoma Bombing Case. He received distinguished marks for his performance there.
Thereafter, Mr. Sanders joined his family firm, Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, P.C. He handled a large body of personal injury cases. Additionally, he supervised the pleadings and motions departments and attended court conferences and conducted depositions. In 2001, he joined Sanders & Grossman, P.C. and engaged in the practice of no fault medical billing collections. Mr. Sanders became that firm's operations managing partner in charge of human resources, technology, program development and legal process.
He continued that role in Sanders, Grossman, Fass & Muhlstock, P.C. that later merged with Baker, Barshay, Neuwirth, LLP to become Baker, Sanders, Barshay, Grossman, Fass, Muhlstock & Neuwirth, LLC - now known as Sanders Barshay Grossman, L.L.C. Mr. Sanders also is a member of Sanders Viener Grossman, LLP. That firm specializes in mass torts litigation. His role in that firm is to handle heavy motion work and appellate practice.
Mr. Sanders works in the Puerto Rico location with a focus on overseeing the mass torts division for Milberg. He spoke at the 2016 Puerto Rico Investor Summit among an esteemed roster of leading legal minds, entrepreneurs, holders of political office, and world business leaders.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Partner
- Partner / Raleigh
Drew Hathaway is an attorney at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC. Mr. Hathaway graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. He earned his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law in 2007. While at Campbell, Mr. Hathaway was a member of the National Moot Court Team, inducted into the Order of Old Kivett and was an editor for the Campbell Law Observer.
Mr. Hathaway focuses on representing consumers in complex litigation. His primary focus is on product liability and consumer protection class actions both in the United States and internationally throughout Europe. Mr. Hathaway is experienced in creating foundations and international corporations necessary to pursue collective redress abroad while navigating complex tax issues. Mr. Hathaway has extensive experience working with attorneys, funders and partners on international litigation projects in the Courts of Amsterdam, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal. Mr. Hathaway's international work is done with Milberg Partners LLC.
Mr. Hathaway spent the first eight years of his career practicing as a defense lawyer with a primary focus on medical malpractice and commercial litigation. Mr. Hathaway has extensive trial experience and has received numerous honors as a trial attorney including recognition as North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars, a peer selection for the top 2.5% of North Carolina Lawyers under the age of 40.
Since 2007, Mr. Hathaway has been on the board of directors for Vidas De Esperanza. Vidas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free health care and educational opportunities to the underserved in North Carolina and in Mexico. Mr. Hathaway is a member of the Public Justice Foundation, the American Association for Justice, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the Wake County Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association.
Job Titles:
- Partner / Chicago, Illinois
Gary Klinger is one of the most well-known and respected data privacy attorneys in the United States, settling more than thirty class actions involving privacy violations as lead or co-lead counsel. In addition, Mr. Klinger is well-versed in both sides of class action litigation. Working with several big firms, serving as defense for Fortune 100 clients, he eventually discovered he wanted to join the plaintiff's side of the practice.
His privacy practice includes: data breaches, ransomware attacks, unlawful collection and/or disclosure of personal information, and violations of privacy statuses and/or laws, such as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act, California Consumer Privacy Act, California Medical Information Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and General Data Protection Regulation. Mr. Klinger has won hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients.
Job Titles:
- Founding Member
- Leader
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Seattle
Glenn Phillips believes in fighting for justice for real people. He has been practicing civil litigation since 1984 and for his first 10 years was an insurance defense attorney and has tried numerous civil jury trials. In addition, he has settled numerous million and multi-million-dollar cases. Mr. Phillips understands that corporate America and the insurance companies have tried and continued to try to deny real people access to justice. He believes strongly in the principle that all citizens have the right of access to the courts.
Mr. Phillips is a recognized leader in consumer rights, product defect, personal injury and pharmaceutical litigation and has been appointed to positions of leadership on various leadership committees. He is a member of the Washington state bar. He is also a member of the American Association of Justice, Eagle member of the Washington Association of Justice, and the non-profit organization of Public Justice. He is a frequent speaker before such national groups as the Nation Trial Lawyers, American Association for Justice, Mass Torts Made Perfect, as well as various state trial lawyer groups.
In the early 90's Glenn opened up and operated his own personal injury firm in Washington state. In 2008 Glenn became a co-owner of a large personal injury and pharmaceutical litigation practice in Arizona. In 2011, Glenn purchased the Arizona mass tort practice and moved it to Los Angeles, California.
In 2014, Glenn and Marc Grossman combined their respective Mass Torts practices forming what was to be known as Sander Phillips Grossman which was based in New York and California. In 2017, Mr. Phillips spearheaded, along with his partners, the acquisition of Milberg LLP, a long-standing New York class action law firm.
In 2018, Glenn started a law firm in the United Kingdom, which later would become a Milberg office handling multi claimant cases in Europe for individuals harmed by large corporate defendants.
In 2021, Mr. Phillips became a founding member of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, a global consumer protection law firm. Currently Glenn overseas the global operations of the Milberg brand in the Unite States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Civil Trial Advocacy Specialist
- Member of the Prestigious Multi - Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Senior Partner / Knoxville
- Senior Partner of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP
Greg Coleman is a Senior Partner of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP. He has over 30 years of trial and appellate experience. Greg received his B.A. with highest honors and distinction from Jacksonville State University in 1986. He attended The University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating in 1989. In addition to distinguishing himself academically, Mr. Coleman was a member of the National Trial Moot Court Team, was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for National Trial Team and was listed in Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans. In addition, the College of Law bestowed upon Greg the honor of inclusion into the National Order of Barristers for outstanding oral advocacy and trial skills.
Mr. Coleman's practice focuses on class actions, products liability, medical practice, personal injury, complex multi-district litigation, litigation, toxic torts, premises liability, ERISA, ERISA class actions, drug and medical device litigation, and workers' compensation.
Mr. Coleman was also lead trial counsel in an ERISA class action case against AK Steel Corporation where he successfully obtained a $15.8 million settlement on behalf of a class of over 250 retirees of AK Steels Zanesville Works Plant in Ohio in 2012.
Greg Coleman has been and is currently involved in complex product liability and drug product liability litigation and has tried more than one hundred (100) jury trials and countless other bench trials during his career. He has tried jury trials in states other than Tennessee and has been admitted pro hac vice in complex matters around the country, including a six-week long jury trial in Sacramento, California, for which he was lead counsel.
Greg Coleman certified as a Civil Trial Advocacy Specialist and as a Civil Pretrial Advocacy Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Coleman is a member of the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, and is also a member of the Knoxville Bar Association.
Named the 2016 and 2018 Knoxville Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation, Mr. Coleman is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the categories of personal injury and product liability and has been named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. He has also been named by the U.S. News and World Report as one of the best lawyers and law firms in the country. Additionally, he has been recognized as one of Knoxville's Top Attorneys in six separate categories.
Greg Coleman is proud to have been recognized by his colleagues through nomination to the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers which includes only those select law practices that have earned the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and have been designated by their colleagues as preeminent in their field.
He is AV Peer Review rated by the Martindale Hubble Legal Rating System and is a Charter Member and Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, "a trial lawyer honorary society established to reflect the new face of the American Bar with limited membership representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers and is by invitation only." Mr. Coleman is a Mid-South Super Lawyer representing the top five percent of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee attorneys.
Greg Coleman is a lifetime member of the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization whose members is limited to attorneys who have won multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. He is a Charter member of the Knoxville Chapter of the American Inns of Court and a member of the American Association for Justice and Public Justice. He has been featured in Newsweek Magazine in their Showcase of Nationwide Top Attorneys.
Mr. Coleman has served as a guest lecturer and speaker on Advanced Trial Advocacy and at national seminars, including those sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association and the National Business Institute. He has lectured extensively for many years on topics such as advanced trial tactics and strategy and complex litigation matters. He has authored published materials regarding advanced trial strategy, ethics seminars, as well as numerous other publications for CLE seminars at which he has lectured.
He has been actively involved in civil and charitable activities, having served for many years on the Executive Board of Trustees for the Baptist Health System, including the Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee and related entities, and has been involved in many legal aid and pro bono projects in the Knoxville area. Mr. Coleman and his firm are donors to the annual Mission of Hope Christmas Barrel drive providing warm coats for the children of rural Appalachia. In support of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine and Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliances Conversation Ready Project, he performed at the A Little More Conversation event. The Conversation Ready Project is a program of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Foundation and was formed to ensure that everyone's end-of-life wishes are expressed and respected.
Practice Areas
Dangerous Drugs & Devices
Education
B.A., Jacksonville State University, 1986
J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law,
Job Titles:
- Black Woman Lawyers Association, Member
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Charleston
Harper T. Segui is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on representing plaintiffs in complex class action litigation, including defective products, false advertising and mislabeling, and data breaches.
Ms. Segui has actively lead a variety of complex cases across the country, and has been instrumental in procuring millions of dollars in recoveries for class members. In addition to individual class actions, Ms. Segui has enjoyed playing active roles in multi-district litigation and has several times been appointed by courts to serve on Plaintiffs' Steering Committees. She has likewise been appointed as co-class counsel in a variety of cases, both locally and nationally.
Since 2013, Ms. Segui has been regularly selected to Super Lawyers as a Top-Rated Attorney in the areas of "Class Action & Mass Torts." She has co-authored several publications on product liability and other topics, and has been a lecturer on complex legal issues.
This year, she was appointed as Co-Lead Counsel in In Re: Blackbaud, Inc., Customer Data Breach Litigation, 3:20-mn-02972-JMC, MDL No. 2972 (D.S.C.), and In Re: All-Clad Metalcrafters, LLC, Cookware Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, 2:21-mc-491-NR, MDL No. 2988 (W.D. Pa.).
Practice Areas
Data Breach, Cyber Security & Biometric Data Lawsuits
Job Titles:
- Partner / Raleigh, North Carolina
James DeMay began his law career in 2007 with Ferguson, Scarbrough & Hayes, PLLC. After years of partnering with Dan Bryson, Scott Harris, and Hunter Bryson, James made the decision in 2021 to join Milberg's team, focusing his practice on municipal law and land-use litigation.
With a specific interest in the area of development impact fees, James is successful in defending the rights of private land owners against unauthorized or unfair impact fee charges. His experience includes representing both municipalities and private land owners in complex civil matters involving statutory and municipal ordinance violations, as well as other matters.
James has stepped into numerous leadership roles, appointed as class counsel in class action lawsuits involving illegal fees paid by homebuilders, recovering over $30 million for clients. Collaborating with the North Carolina Home Builders Association, James oversees various land-use legislative matters and has even argued cases before the North Carolina Supreme Court and North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Outside the office, James enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and running ultra-marathons and trail races. One of James' highlight races includes competing in the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim race across the Grand Canyon. His long-term running goals include successfully completing a 100-mile race in the near future.
Practice Areas
Class Action Lawsuits
Job Titles:
- Partner / Atlanta, Georgia
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Nashville / Madisonville
John Whitfield graduated with distinction from the University of Kentucky with his undergraduate degree before attending law school at the university. Throughout his career, he has represented scores of individuals who have been the victims of medical negligence, defective drugs and medical devices, obtaining verdicts and settlements in both state and federal courts. He has handled cases for landowners victim to fraudulent mine royalty practices, for homeowners whose homes and business contained defective concrete, and for Kentucky residents who were overcharged for premium insurance taxes.
Mr. Whitfield is a frequent lecturer of litigation subjects with the Kentucky Justice Association and American Association for Justice and has been recognized as a Kentucky Super Lawyer multiple times. He is AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell rating service.
John Whitfield is an avid motorcyclist and a member of national motorcycle club. He plays guitar, is co-owner of a whiskey distillery, and travels.
Practice Areas
Education
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Senior Attorney
- Partner / Knoxville
Jonathan Cohen is a Senior Attorney at the law offices of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP. Mr. Cohen was born in Albany, New York and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Indiana University and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Following a career in marketing and advertising in Chicago, Jonathan relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he attended Stetson University College of Law and earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2005.
Mr. Cohen's work primarily focuses on consumer class action litigation. Mr. Cohen has spent his entire legal career prosecuting class action cases, including state and federal consumer class actions against banks, mortgage companies, debt collectors, retailers, and insurance companies alleging violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the forced placement of insurance.
Mr. Cohen has prosecuted class actions involving data breaches, defective products, deceptive products, breaches of contract, employment discrimination, and illegal taxation. He also served as counsel for the court-appointed receiver in the Ponzi scheme-related matter of Wiand v. Wells Fargo Bank, et al., Case No. 8:12-cv-557-T-27EAJ (M.D. Fla.). Prior to joining Milberg, Mr. Cohen was a partner in Morgan & Morgan's Complex Litigation Group in Tampa, Florida. Prior to his time at Morgan & Morgan, Mr. Cohen was a partner at James, Hoyer, Newcomer & Smiljanich, P.A., a firm specializing in the prosecution of nationwide consumer class actions and whistleblower (qui tam) actions.
Mr. Cohen is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida, and in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits.
Practice Areas: Class Actions, Consumer Protection, Mass Torts.
Practice Areas
Data Breach, Cyber Security & Biometric Data Lawsuits
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Raleigh
Judge Martha Geer has a combination of experience that few attorneys possess and clients find invaluable. She has practiced for more than two decades as a respected litigator and appellate advocate and served for more than 13 years as a rarely-reversed appellate judge. As a trial lawyer and board-certified appellate specialist, Judge Geer is known for obtaining cutting-edge and precedent-setting victories in a diverse set of practice areas, including consumer protection, ERISA, environmental, securities, labor and employment law, antitrust and trade regulation, contingent commercial litigation, and civil rights litigation.
Judge Geer received her B.A. summa cum laude from Bryn Mawr College and her J.D. with high honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law where she was a Morehead Fellow (a merit-based full scholarship) and served as Managing Editor of the North Carolina Law Review.
Following law school, Judge Geer joined Paul Weiss, one of the top law firms in the country where she represented corporate clients in class actions, shareholder litigation, and commercial disputes. Subsequently, she was a partner with two leading North Carolina plaintiffs' firms (a founding member of the second firm) and represented plaintiffs in a wide range of complex civil litigation, including both class actions and individual cases.
She was first elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2002. In 2010, because of her reputation as a fair and impartial judge, she garnered strong bipartisan support that resulted in her winning re-election by a 20-point margin. During her tenure on the Court, Judge Geer heard more than 3,800 appeals, authored more than 1,350 opinions, and had her opinions reversed less than 2% of the time. She left the Court of Appeals to become a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll LLP, a leading plaintiffs' class action firm, and founded its Raleigh office. In October 2019, she joined Whitfield Bryson LLP, now part of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP.OP
Judge Geer is a highly sought-after teacher of continuing education programs for both judges and lawyers. As a trial and appellate lawyer, she has been regularly recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, most recently (2018, 2019, and 2020 eds.) in the areas of appellate practice and mass tort/class actions. Prior to joining the bench, she was selected by Business North Carolina as one of North Carolina's "Legal Elite."
Practice Areas
Consumer Products
Education
J.D., University of North Carolina School of Law,
B.A., Bryn Mawr College: B.A. summa ,
Will Ladnier originally grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. A lifelong Vols fan, he then moved to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee, where he graduated summa cum laude with degrees in Classics, History, and Political Science.
After he obtained his undergraduate degree, Will attended William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia. While there, he was heavily involved as a competing member of the National Trial Team and as Articles Editor for the William & Mary Law Review. Before graduating cum laude, he also worked with a number of judges in Virginia, including Justice LeRoy F. Millette on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Following law school, Will returned to Knoxville and clerked with Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee on the Tennessee Supreme Court. He then accepted a position with Arnett, Draper & Hagood, focusing his practice on insurance defense and medical malpractice/healthcare liability defense, representing the largest hospital association in the region.
Will joined the firm in 2018, shifting his practice to representing plaintiffs. He primarily practices in the areas of complex litigation and class action cases. Will is admitted to practice in Tennessee in both state and federal court in the Eastern District, and he is also a member of the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Associations.
When not working, Will enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and dog, and if it's a weekend, you'll find him watching Vols and Titans football.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of Fellowship Church of Knoxville
- Partner / Knoxville
A native East Tennessean, Justin graduated with a bachelor's degree in honors philosophy and political science from the University of Tennessee, where he was awarded the Davis Scholarship and named the top graduate in his major. Justin then attended law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was a Green Scholar, president of the Christian Legal Society, and one of the first-ever recipients of the Jerry P. Black Jr. Student Clinic Attorney Award.
Since joining Milberg, Justin has been actively involved in a number of the firm's practice specialties, including the firm's class action, personal injury, and mass tort areas. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Justin was named Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association and a Rising Star in Tennessee by Super Lawyers Magazine.
Active in his local community, Justin is a member of Fellowship Church of Knoxville and volunteers in its college ministry. In his spare time, Justin can usually be found exercising, practicing martial arts, or reading at a local coffee shop.
Practice Areas: Auto Accidents, Truck Accidents, Motorcycle Accident Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Workers Compensation, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Wrongful Death, Class Actions, Consumer Protection/Consumer Rights.
Practice Areas
Consumer Products
Education
B.A., University of Tennessee,
J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law,
In 1989, Kay moved to Dallas, Texas where she accepted a paralegal position at Passman & Jones. During her 13 years at Passman & Jones, she worked in multiple areas of law, including, bankruptcy, civil litigation, estate planning, entertainment law, corporate law and domestic relations. She enjoyed working in family law because she was able to help people through a difficult time in their lives.
In 2000, she visited a friend in Raleigh, North Carolina, and took to the area. In 2001, she moved to North Carolina. She interviewed with Dan Bryson and was hired as his paralegal. She worked with Dan on construction defect cases and product liability cases.
In 2011, she began transitioning into the administrative side of the law firm's practice, as she managed the Raleigh office of Whitfield Bryson & Mason.
In 2013, the need for human resources, accounting and general firm administration became apparent. Because Kay had 30 years' experience working in law firms and had a good understanding of law firm operations, she was a good fit for the position. She took a certification course for bookkeeping at night school and attended numerous seminars and online classes in human resources and law firm administration. She became a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Association of Legal Administrators and joined the Raleigh/Durham Chapter of ALA.
Today, she works closely with Milberg's Management Team to implement procedures and processes so that its employees maintain a positive and productive work environment. Kay enjoys problem solving and working with the employees to ensure that they have all of the tools necessary to be successful.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Kent A. Bronson is an experienced and aggressive litigator who has been representing injured stockholders, consumers, and small businesses in complex commercial litigation for over two decades. Mr. Bronson's practice areas include stockholder class action and derivative litigation, mergers & acquisition litigation, consumer fraud litigation, and others.
Mr. Bronson is based in New York and resides in central New Jersey. He has been involved in litigation in state and federal courts across the country, resulting in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars, significant corporate governance reforms, and other important benefits for injured stockholders, consumers, and small businesses.
Mr. Bronson was co-lead counsel in N.J. Carpenters Pension Fund v. infoGROUP, Inc. (No. 5334-VCN, 2014) in the Court of Chancery of Delaware, a breach of fiduciary duty action involving the 2010 acquisition of infoGROUP, Inc. for approximately $650 million by a private equity fund. Among other things, Mr. Bronson researched and wrote an amended complaint ultimately sustained by the Chancery Court in a groundbreaking ruling that the majority stockholder/company founder's desire or need for imminent liquidity raised a strong inference that he had a "disabling" conflict-of-interest in voting on a merger that would give him a $100-million-plus cash infusion, and also that the founder dominated most of the other directors such that their approval of the merger could not be deemed independent. This case achieved a remarkable $13 million common fund recovery for the benefit of the class of injured non-insider stockholders.
Mr. Bronson was co-lead counsel in City of Miami Police Relief & Pension Fund v. Dreier, et. al., and The Ryland Group, Inc. (BC411143) in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, a stockholder derivative action for breach of fiduciary duty and other claims against the directors of homebuilder/mortgage lender The Ryland Group, Inc., a Maryland company, arising from systematic Housing & Urban Development ("HUD") regulatory violations in connection with issuance of sub-prime mortgages in the 2000s (the type of conduct resulting in the national housing bubble and subsequent nationwide financial crisis). The plaintiff's complaint, painstakingly researched and crafted by Mr. Bronson, was at the time only the second complaint ever to survive dismissal under the onerous demand futility standard set by Maryland law. This case resulted in a $1 million recovery for the company as well as significant corporate governance reforms for the benefit of the company and its stockholders.
Mr. Bronson was a research editor for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review and was awarded the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Dean's Scholarship.
Mr. Bronson is admitted to practice in New York State Courts, the U. S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York, and the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Tenth Circuits. Mr. Bronson has been admitted pro hac vice in numerous other state and federal courts across the country.
Mr. Bronson served as the Panel Administrator for the 2012 New York County Democratic Committee Independent Judicial Screening Panel, responsible for evaluating and reporting on candidates for civil court and surrogate's court judgeships.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner / Miami, Florida
Based on Kristian Rasmussen's time serving as a Judge Advocate General Officer in the U.S. Navy, some may assume that he was inspired to become a lawyer from the movie, A Few Good Men. Although a fan of the movie, Kristian's reason for becoming a lawyer is quite simple: he has a passion for helping people.
Mr. Rasmussen has practiced law for more than 21 years, most of which have been devoted to representing plaintiffs against pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, typically involving claims consolidated in multidistrict litigation. He sees the law as the great equalizer for people who have been injured by large corporations. He strives to represent each of his clients as if he were representing a close personal relative.
A family man, Kristian is most proud of his three children - two boys (Quaid 21 yrs., Clayton 20 yrs.) and daughter (Reese 17 yrs.). Kristian considers himself a retired little league football and baseball coach. His daughter jokingly says he would have coached her gymnastics teams if he had any experience.
Kristian's legal career has been fun, interesting, and exciting. He has represented clients on both sides of the "v," including serving as a criminal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office and representing defendants in both criminal and civil litigation. Judges and peers from across the country recognize his leadership and skill as evidenced by being selected to lead complex products liability claims including being appointed Lead Counsel for In Re: Abilify Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2734; Appointed Co-Lead Trial Counsel for In re High Sulfur Content Gasoline Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1632.
Judges have appointed Mr. Rasmussen to leadership roles in prosecuting claims in the following Multi-District Litigations:
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / New York
Marc D. Grossman graduated from The University of Michigan in 1989. After completing Brooklyn Law School and Baruch Business School's J.D./M.B.A. program while interning at the Law Department of the United Nations, Mr. Grossman became an Associate and later a Partner in the law firm of Mergel, Tubman & Grossman in New York City. Mr. Grossman is also a Founding Partner of Sanders and Grossman P.C., and Baker Sanders Barshay Grossman Fass Muhlstock & Neuwirth, LLC, and a Senior Partner at Sanders, Sanders, Block, Woycik, Viener & Grossman, P.C. and Sanders Viener Grossman LLP.
Since beginning his law career in 1993, Mr. Grossman has focused primarily on representing large groups of plaintiffs against common defendants. After six years of practicing plaintiff's personal injury in State and Federal Courts in New York and New Jersey, Mr. Grossman founded the law firm of Sanders and Grossman, P.C. in 1999 specifically to pursue claims for medical providers. This firm and its successors, grew dramatically under his leadership, and now represents thousands of medical providers litigating claims against insurance companies, and thousands of injury victims, and now employs over forty attorneys and one hundred and fifty support staff.
Marc Grossman had a vision of uniting the medical profession by affording them the opportunity to litigate nominal claims that were being written off by medical providers as un-collectible and had not previously been practical for most attorneys to litigate. By coordinating Discovery, utilizing the most up-to-date case management technology, recruiting top office administrators and trial attorneys, Mr. Grossman's firm was able to greatly improve efficiencies throughout the litigation process and ultimately the viability of collecting these claims. By filing over 100,000 individual lawsuits, Mr. Grossman's firms garnered the attention of the insurance industry and the medical profession in New York eventually leading to a series of mass settlements on behalf of his clients and recoveries in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In just 2006 and 2007, Mr. Grossman's firm personally litigated, negotiated, and recovered over $100 million for his medical provider clients. The unique experience Mr. Grossman garnered as an innovator and leader in the mass settlement of medical claims and mass torts made him a leader in his field in negotiating and obtaining large recoveries. Most recently, Mr. Grossman has represented hundreds of injured clients in lead paint litigations, asbestos litigations, mold litigations, and thousands of victims of defective drugs and products.
Mr. Grossman received recognition litigating Vioxx cases in New Jersey Superior Court where he served as a liaison to the media as a member of the Vioxx PSC's Public Relations Committee, and as a liaison for the Committee to many financial institutions and governmental agencies, offering a common voice for the hundreds of attorneys handling such cases and the tens of thousands of victims they represent. These efforts and the hard work of many other relentless attorneys ultimately led Merck to agree to one of the largest Civil Settlements in American History for $4.85 Billion. In December 2010, Marc Grossman was nominated and invited to join both The Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Executive Committee of ATLA. Mr Grossman is also a member of the Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association and the Leaders Forum of the American Association of Justice.
Marc Grossman has been quoted and has appeared in numerous local and national forums and in the media as a legal commentator and advocate of victims rights against the corporate greed that plagues our nation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Raleigh
Matt Lee is a nationally recognized and highly regarded trial lawyer. For over 15 years, Matt has focused his practice on fighting for people in consumer class actions, employment/civil rights litigation, and other complex plaintiff's litigation. Matt also serves as Chair of Milberg's Employment & Civil Rights group.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Mitchell Breit is a Partner at Milberg in the firm's New York City office. During a legal career spanning more than 40 years he has been a champion of consumer and environmental protection, litigating class actions and mass torts of national scope that have brought relief to victims of corporate wrongdoing.
Mr. Breit grew up in a family of lawyers. He recalls going to court with his father and having the sanctity of the courtroom impressed upon him at a young age. After starting his career in defense work, Mr. Breit, wanting to make a difference in society and the lives of his clients, switched over to his true calling as a plaintiffs' attorney. He has since notched victories benefiting large groups of people who suffered harm at the hands of some of the world's most powerful companies.
His career highlights include litigating the BP Gulf Oil Spill and Toyota Unintended Acceleration cases; settling a large overdraft fee class action against Bank of America; acting as lead counsel in the settlements of environmental claims involving Honeywell, Inc. and ConocoPhillips, Inc.; and serving on the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the ReNu MoistureLoc® litigation. Mr. Breit was also appointed as Liaison Counsel in the New York State consolidated Bextra-Celebrex litigation and was co-counsel in cases that ultimately achieved major public health victories against the tobacco industry.
Mr. Breit speaks frequently at national litigation conferences involving toxic and mass torts, class actions, and groundwater contamination, including Mealey's, HarrisMartin, Practicing Law Institute, and bar association conferences. He's been named to New York Metro Super Lawyers for ten straight years and to the Best Lawyers in America for three straight years. Mr. Breit has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, is a Board Member of Public Justice, and is a member of the American Association for Justice.
Mr. Breit was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Southwestern University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, multiple federal courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner / Detroit, Michigan
Nick Suciu III began his legal career as in-house counsel for a company that owned other bodybuilding supplement companies and retail websites. With extensive experience and knowledge regarding the dietary, bodybuilding, and sports supplement industries, Nick has represented several such manufacturers and retailers, advising clients in the areas of FDA regulations, advertising, and marketing law.
In 2011, Nick joined a firm that allowed him to use his supplement industry knowledge to represent plaintiffs in class action lawsuits. Only three years later, Nick founded Barbat, Mansour, Suciu & Tomina PLLC, a law firm exclusively focused on class action litigation. He has spent the past six years partnering with Greg Coleman and Dan Bryson of Milberg, working on numerous mislabeling class action cases. This partnership prompted Nick to exclusively join Milberg's team.
As a long-time consumer of sports supplements, Nick finds his personal experience and professional work necessary in protecting consumers from fraudulent practices of companies in the dietary and supplemental spaces. Some of Nick's most notable case victories include:
Clay et al. v. Cytosport, Inc., Case No. 3:15-cv-00165-L-AGS (S.D.C.A), a $12-million class-wide settlement
Gregorio v. Premier Nutrition Corp., Case No. 17-cv-05987-AT (S.D.N.Y), a $9-million class-wide settlement
Carter, et al. v. General Nutrition Centers, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00633 (W.D.P.A), a $5-million class-wide settlement
Both Nick and his wife enjoy fitness, allowing him to stay grounded in the sports supplement world. Their son, Adam, provides a personalized workout for the family, keeping them highly active. Nick and his family live in Bloomfield Hills, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.
Practice Areas
Class Action Lawsuits
Education
J.D., Wayne State Law School, 2008
M.B.A., Wayne State University, 2009
B.B., Wayne State University, 2005
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Senior Partner / Miami, Florida
Partner Patrick Montoya is a lawyer with experience in complex and high-profile litigation. His career philosophy-his continued ambition-is to "Be the lawyer you want for yourself." Mr. Montoya remains committed to ardently defending his clients and protecting their rights, but nonetheless, he also prioritizes a one-on-one relationship with each person he represents.
With over two decades of experience in practicing law, Mr. Montoya brings his skill and knowledge to Milberg's team. Meanwhile, Mr. Montoya's expertise also includes class action and commercial litigation, products liability, personal injury litigation, aviation law, construction law, and toxic torts.
In the world of academia, Mr. Montoya has taught at the University of Miami's Paralegal Program, undergraduate business law, and was a legal research and writing instructor at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also a frequent lecturer for CLEs and authored a book on Florida Evidence and Procedure for ALM Publishing. Mr. Montoya also served as Co-Chair of the Davidson College Alumni Chapter representing the South Florida Region.
Mr. Montoya currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers. In the pa st he served on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice, a Director of the Dade County Bar Association, is past-President of the Inns of Courts Chapter, Dade County Chapter, and has received multiple honors and awards. He received the prestigious Honorable Ted Klein award from Miami-Dade's chapter of the Florida Association of Woman Lawyers for his work in promoting and assisting women's advancement in the law. He has also the "Top Up & Comer in South Florida," South Florida Legal Guide from 2009 - 2013, Florida Rising Stars by SuperLawyers from 2010 - 2012, SuperLawyers from 2013-2022, and Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2009.
Outside the courtroom, office, and lecture halls, Mr. Montoya is dedicated to his community. Formerly, he was a member of the Executive Committee for the National Conference of Community and Justice ("NCCJ"), Greater Miami Region. The Dade Community Foundation granted Mr. Montoya the "Donor Next Door" Award for his volunteer work with the NCCJ. Mr. Montoya was also host of the television program "NCCJ: Your Community and You." In addition, he served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida's Ad Hoc Committee on Rules and Procedures.
Being a trial lawyer is an extension of Mr. Montoya's two passions: dance and football. Both require relentless practice, hard work, and dedication. Both are highly competitive and mandate excellent collaboration, demanding strong fundamentals. Finally, after all the hard work and practice, dance and football showcase a polished, professional performance. Trial work is no different: train, work, adopt strong fundamentals, compete, and then, put on a show.
Following his undergraduate degree, Mr. Montoya received the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and pursued his passion for dancing, spending a year studying and teaching Spanish and martial arts abroad in Brazil and Spain. Mr. Montoya then went on to complete his law degree at the University of Miami School of Law, graduating cum laude. While there, he was a member of the Inter-American Law Review and the University of Miami Moot Court Board.
As a special note, Mr. Montoya is conversant in Spanish, and Portuguese, allowing him to communicate with a variety of clients in their native language.
Job Titles:
- Lead Class Counsel
- Senior Partner and Antitrust Chair
- Senior Partner and Antitrust Chair / New York
- Senior Partner and Chair of the Antitrust Practice Group
- Trustee of the Pound Civil Justice Institute
Peggy J. Wedgworth is a Senior Partner and Chair of the Antitrust Practice Group. She was an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York. Since leaving the public sector in 1989, she has handled numerous securities, commodities, antitrust and whistleblower matters, and is a Super Lawyer in New York, New York since 2015.
Peggy Wedgworth is currently serving as lead class counsel on behalf of auto dealerships, and co-lead counsel in a major antitrust MDL against the two leading providers of auto dealer management systems, CDK Global, LLC and The Reynolds & Reynolds Company. See In re Dealer Management Systems Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2817 (N.D. Ill.). She has also been appointed to the steering committee of In re Google Play Consumer Antitrust Litig., 20-CV-05761 (N.D. Cal.), a consolidated class action lawsuit alleging Google antitrust violations.
Ms. Wedgworth represents defrauded investors and consumers, and she currently represents consumers in In re Contact Lens Antitrust Litigation and car dealerships in an antitrust action brought against software suppliers. She actively litigated In re Initial Public Offering Securities Litigation for over five years, which settled for $586 million, and In re Merck & Co. Securities Litigation, which had a combined settlement totaling $1.062 billion. She also won a jury trial against R.J. Reynolds in a wrongful death tobacco case in Florida state court.
Ms. Wedgworth has litigated antitrust and commodities class actions on behalf of plaintiffs including extensive experience in all aspects of pre-trial discovery in, among other cases, In re Brand Name Prescription Drugs Antitrust Litigation, No. 94-897, 1996 WL 351180 (N.D. Ill. June 24, 1996) (approving $351 million settlement); In re NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litigation, 187 F.R.D. 465 (S.D.N.Y.) ($1,027,000,000 settlement); In re Microsoft Litigation, MDL 1332 (D. Md.) (consolidated class actions alleging long term unlawful maintenance of a monopoly and other anticompetitive conduct by Microsoft resulting favorable partial settlements); In re Soybean Futures Litigation, No. 89-7009 (N.D. Ill.) ($21,500,000 class settlement providing claiming class members/soybean futures traders a full recovery under plaintiffs' expert's formula); In re Sumitomo Copper Litigation, 74 F. Supp. 2d 393, 395 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) ("The recovery is the largest class action recovery in the 75 plus year history of the Commodity Exchange Act."); Kohen v. Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC, No. 05-4681 (N.D. Ill.) (certified class of treasury bond futures purchasers alleging manipulation of the futures market); Leider v. Ralfe, No. 01-3137 (D.N.J.) (alleging price-fixing and monopolization in the diamond market by DeBeers resulting in a settlement of $250,000,000 and extensive injunctive relief); and In re Natural Gas Commodities Litigation, 03-6186 (S.D.N.Y.) ($101 million settlement).
Ms. Wedgworth regularly speaks on topics relating to antitrust litigation, multi-district litigation and class action issues, and consumer matters. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association's Antitrust Committee, where she has served as both a speaker and panelist, and the American Bar Association, Antitrust Committee, and a member of the American Association of Justice.
Ms. Wedgworth is a trustee of the Pound Civil Justice Institute, a think tank dedicated to the preservation of the civil justice system. She has authored articles that can be found in several publications, most recently in the December 2019 issue of Trial magazine entitled, Challenging "Attorneys' Eyes Only" and Improper Categorical Privilege Logs. She is a member of the bars of New York and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Practice Areas
Antitrust & Competition Law
Education
B.A., Auburn University, 1982
J.D., University of Alabama Law School, 1986
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Knoxville
Rachel Soffin is a Partner at Milberg whose work is focused on consumer class action litigation. Ms. Soffin has spent the majority of her career prosecuting class action cases, including state and federal class actions involving defective products, false advertising and mislabeling, deceptive and unfair trade practices, privacy violations, and insurance and banking disputes.
Ms. Soffin has been appointed to leadership roles in numerous large class action cases across the country, and has successfully obtained contested class certification, defended dispositive motions, managed cases involving complex discovery, and obtained millions of dollars on behalf of consumers.
Ms. Soffin is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida and Georgia, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Soffin has been designated by Super Lawyers as a Florida Rising Star (2011-2013) and as a Florida Super Lawyer (2014-2018) in the fields of Class Actions/Mass Torts.
Practice Areas
Consumer Products
Education
B.A., The Florida State University,
J.D., Stetson University College of Law,
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the American Association of Justice
- Partner / New York
- the Litigation and Operations Manager
Randi Kassan is a partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman. Ms. Kassan graduated from Binghamton University with a B.A. in Psychology and J.D. from Hofstra University Law School. Before joining Milberg, Ms. Kassan, specialized in mass claim insurance litigation for three years at Baker Sanders, LLC.. She now specializes in Litigation involving pharmaceutical and devices.
Ms. Kassan has garnered a plethora of experience and knowledge in the mass tort community by staying intimately involved in all facets of the litigations, specifically Electronic Storage discovery, Party and Non-Party Discovery and Science in multiple mass torts across the country.
Ms. Kassan is the litigation and operations manager, managing over 15 litigations including intake, review of cases, client communication, filing of complaints, written discovery, motion practice, expert reports, court conferences, bellwether trial workup, settlement negotiations and settlement process.
Ms. Kassan is currently concentrating on representing women with injuries from Taxotere, Transvaginal Mesh, and Talcum Powder. Additionally Ms. Kassan is working on representing unions and municipalities in the Opiate litigation pending in New York, Illinois and Ohio.
Ms. Kassan is a member of the American Association of Justice, New York Bar Association and National Trial Lawyers. She is admitted to practice law in the States of New York, Missouri, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC. She is admitted to practice in numerous federal courts across the country including the United States District Courts in the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Districts of New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois and the District of Colorado.
Practice Areas
Dangerous Drugs & Devices
Education
B.A., Binghamton University,
J.D., Hofstra University Law School,
Job Titles:
- Partner / Chicago, Illinois
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Raleigh
- Senior Partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP
Scott C. Harris is a senior partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman LLP, and has been with the firm since its inception.
Scott's practice focuses on fighting for individuals, homeowners, homeowners associations, and small businesses in complex litigation, including construction defect, mass tort, and product liability. Scott has played a key role in securing substantial verdicts and settlements in a variety of cases. For instance, he has received a multi-million dollar verdict in favor of homeowners for a developer's unfair and deceptive advertising and shoddy road construction and over a million dollar verdict in favor of homeowners whose homes were built on improperly compacted soil.
Scott earned his Bachelor of Arts from Hampden-Sydney College in 2001 and his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2006. Scott was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 2006 and to the Florida Bar in 2013. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina, the United States Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Before he attended law school, Scott taught 9th and 10th grade English at Orangeburg Preparatory School in Orangeburg, South Carolina. After graduating from law school, Scott joined the law firm of Lewis & Roberts PLLC where he focused his practice on complex civil and business litigation. He remained at Lewis & Roberts, PLLC until he left to help start Whitfield Bryson LLP in 2011.
Scott's success has been recognized by numerous professional associations. He was named a Super Lawyer in 2010, and every year since 2012. In addition, he has consistently been named a member of the Legal Elite by Business North Carolina. Scott is also an active member of several trade organizations including American Association of Justice (AAJ), North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ), Public Justice.
Practice Areas
Complex Litigation
Job Titles:
- Lawyers Association, Board Member
- Lawyers Association, Executive Committee
Bio:
Tina is an IT leader with over 25 years focused on leading teams with a diverse background in public sector IT operations and extensive experience in systems engineering, network design, server operations and business process management. At Milberg, she sets IT direction and coordinates infrastructure and service delivery across the firm. She is responsible for enterprise data management, availability and disaster recovery, user support, infrastructure, communications, and information security.
Previously, Tina served as the CIO at the City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, where she had a similar portfolio of responsibility. At the City she was ultimately responsible for IT infrastructure supporting all City departments including Public Safety. She led many innovations to the City's infrastructure and citizen services through the deployment of an ERP system, a redesigned network built for speed and agility, and modernized the mobile platforms for public safety and code enforcement personnel. Always a champion for open and transparent government, she streamlined the City's platform for public records requests.
Prior to the City of Hendersonville, Tina served as the CIO at Charter Schools Association, a public/private school district comprised of 27 schools geographically scattered across Florida. She is also the former Technology and Information Systems Director for the City of Davie, Florida where she earned her Certified Government CIO designation from Florida State University's Institute of Government. She started her career in Hernando County, Florida as a support technician for the County Commissioners, eventually working her way up to Network Administrator serving the Commissioners, Supervisor of Elections, Property Appraiser, and Clerk of the Courts.
Throughout the same 25 years, Tina has also been involved in real estate. She is a licensed Broker in both Florida and Tennessee and has been an active member with the National Association of Realtors serving on various boards/committees over the years including Grievance, Ethics, Professional Standards, MLS & Technology, and serving on the local Board of Directors. She is currently serving on the State of Tennessee Professional Standards Committee.
Prior to her work in government IT, Tina served in the US Air Force as an Intelligence Operations Specialist during Operation Desert Shield in the Gulf War. She continues her support of fellow veterans through a lifetime membership with the VFW, and service through VFW leadership positions.
Tina has always had a passion for law and was enrolled at Saint Leo University with a major in Criminology/Pre-Law when IT became her primary focus. She then transferred to Pass Christian University where she earned her BA in Computer Information Science.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Knoxville