Firm Profiles

Shook, Hardy & Bacon made its name defending lawsuits for Big Tobacco (ultimately representing five of the industry’s “Big Six” manufacturers). But the firm did more than win cases; it built on the success, and momentum, of its tobacco victories to build one of the nation’s premier product liability practices, a department that even today is the firm’s bread and butter.

Indeed, Shook has been the go–to defense firm for a wide range of manufacturers facing consumer challenges—from pharmaceutical companies to medical device developers to automobile makers. Its client list includes heavyweights like Eli Lilly and Co., Ford Motor Company, and Pfizer Inc. Philip Morris remains a key client, and Shook’s recent victories on behalf of the tobacco giant—achieving multiple defense verdicts in Florida—was a key factor in the firm’s selection as The American Lawyer’s Product Liability Litigation Department of the Year in 2012 (the firm won the same category in 2008 and was a finalist in 2010). What also sets Shook apart is its lean staffing: It’s not uncommon for some of its tobacco trials to be defended by a single attorney.

Shook, which has seven offices throughout the United States (but the bulk of its lawyers in Kansas City) and two international offices in Geneva and London, was also one of the more fortunate firms during the economic downturn. While gross revenue remained steady between 2008 and 2010 (just north of $330 million), net income and profits per partner rose steadily. For a firm that started out small in the heartland, it’s become a national player in high–stakes litigation.

—Updated as of 1/1/12