MMM in Top Tier of U.S. News and Best Lawyers(R) Legal Rankings


ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - Nov 1, 2012) - The Products Liability Litigation team at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP has earned a prestigious national "First-Tier" ranking from U.S. News and Best Lawyers®. The group is ranked at the highest possible level nationwide for firms representing businesses defending product-related issues in court. U.S. News and Best Lawyers notes that high rankings are a special distinction signaling a unique combination of excellence and breadth of experience.

The firm also earned multiple recognitions in other areas. The firm's Healthcare Practice made the first tier in both the Atlanta and Savannah metropolitan areas and was highly ranked nationally. The Real Estate Practice ranked Tier 1 in Atlanta. The firm's Patent Litigation, Banking & Finance Litigation and Tax groups were ranked among the leading practices for Atlanta, as was the firm's nationally-respected Environmental practice.

MMM serves as national counsel for Fortune 500 companies in products liability multi-district, class action and mass tort litigation as well as arbitration, regulatory and civil actions. Its accomplishments include serving as:

  • Lead defense counsel in a 200-case products liability multi-district litigation (MDL) between 2006 and 2010. The litigation involved lawsuits filed in 29 states, involving 34 federal jurisdictions.
  • National coordinating counsel for one of the country's largest retailers in connection with its defense of multiple putative class action and individual cases arising from the sale of pressure-treated wood.
  • National coordinating counsel and lead trial counsel for a national manufacturer in connection with its defense of multi-jurisdictional public nuisance and personal injury claims arising out of alleged exposure to lead paint.

The lead product liability litigation defense attorneys in the practice include Seslee Mattson, John MacNaughton, Bob Alpert and Jeff Douglass. They are supported by a team of ten associates and counsel. The firm announced earlier this year that Mattson and MacNaughton would be included in the prestigious The Best Lawyers in America® 2013 publication.

The firm's Healthcare group includes several attorneys who were previously hospital general counsel, which prepares them to anticipate and address critical business concerns and solutions. The attorneys assist respected institutions, practice groups and providers with a number of needs including regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and arbitration, certificates of need and employment issues.

The Real Estate and Environmental groups include attorneys skilled in financing, capital markets, acquisitions, brownfield redevelopment, ports, tax, regulatory, environmental and community issues. Clients include REITS, commercial, residential, resort and mixed-use developers and others, who have deals throughout the U.S.

U.S. News and Best Lawyers seeks evaluations from peers and clients using criteria such as expertise, responsiveness, integrity, cost-effectiveness, civility and whether they would refer others to the firm. The national first-tier rankings will be in U.S. News & World Report's November 20 Money issue.

"Because we combine hard data with peer reviews and client assessments, more and more clients inform us that ours are the most thorough, accurate, and helpful rankings of law firms ever developed," says Steven Naifeh, president of Best Lawyers.

"U.S. News has more than two decades of experience in providing the public with the most accurate and in-depth rankings of a wide range of institutions, including our Best Law Schools rankings," says Tim Smart, Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report. "Law firms are an integral part of our rankings and a natural accompaniment to the law schools rankings."

About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin (www.mmmlaw.com) is an AmLaw 200 law firm with national and international reach. We dedicate ourselves to the constant pursuit of our clients' success. To provide our clients with optimal value, we combine market-leading legal services with a total understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. MMM enjoys national prominence for its real estate, litigation, technology, healthcare, intellectual property, capital markets, environmental, green industry, insurance, mergers & acquisitions and timberland & forest products practices. MMM has offices in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah, Taipei, Beijing and Washington, D.C. and an alliance with FGCN in São Paulo, Brazil.

Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Terri Thornton
(404) 932-4347