Allen is a partner with thirty (30) years of experience in the litigation and trial of complex cases. He has tried many cases to jury verdict and has defended clients in the courts of at least twenty-five (25) states. Allen also has extensive experience in prosecuting and defending appeals in both federal and state appellate systems. His areas of active practice include the following: Product Liability/Toxic Torts: Throughout his career, Allen has litigated and tried products liability cases, including defense of pharmaceuticals, medical devices (cardiac, orthopedic and penile), tires, flammable products, pesticides, electrical power transformers, commercial and consumer electrical and electronic products, propane fueled appliances and propane odorization, metallurgical failures and many other industrial, construction, commercial and consumer products and devices. He served as one of the firm's lead lawyers in the firm's role as national counsel for one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, defending and resolving mass tort claims arising around the country from targeting of the company's new, cutting-edge antibiotic. In the related area of toxic torts, Allen served as litigation counsel providing back-up to environmental lawyers in connection with two of the largest Superfund sites in Georgia. Legal Professional Liability. Allen has served as counsel for one of Atlanta's largest and most prestigious law firms, defending significant cases (in coordination with ALAS) involving allegations of professional malpractice. He has also served as counsel to that firm in arbitrations under the firm's partnership agreement. Allen has defended many other lawyers and firms in cases involving an array of allegations and issues, including drafting of real estate contracts, trial judgments, failure to discover mortgage fraud, statute of limitations issues, alleged securities filing deficiencies, and RICO and fraud allegations. Fraud, RICO and Qui Tam Actions. Allen has extensive experience in defending fraud and RICO claims and claims supported by whistleblower testimony. These have included actions arising from allegedly deficient nursing home practices, insurance rating practices, shareholder fraud, time share contracts, and calculation of insurance benefits and post-mortem interest on life insurance contracts. These actions have often been pressed in a class action context. Insurance and Reinsurance. Allen has represented many insurance carriers in first-party and third-party contexts, addressing notice, exclusion, triggering and coverage issues in many contexts, including life, health, disability, casualty and environmental insurance issues. In particular, he represented the nation's largest disability insurer (Unum) for nearly three decades. He has had the privilege of representing Ohio National and John Hancock. He oversaw a complex and lengthy series of appeals on behalf of a consortium of almost thirty reinsurers following a $16 million adverse RICO verdict against a ceding company and the reinsurers. He has provided advice and analysis on insurance issues arising in the environmental context under CGL policies and Environmental Impairment policies. Publications/Lectures: Instructor, Litigation, Georgia State University School of Law, 1984-85. Chairman, 2nd Annual Georgia Products Liability Institute (1991). Effective Motion Practice in Georgia -- Atlanta, 1991. Environmental Claims Managers' Association Seminar: Update on Environmental Insurance Law -- 1992. For the Defense: Limiting Damages, Atlanta, 1993. Preventing Legal Malpractice and Ethics Complaints (2000). Circumstantial Evidence of Defects, 11th Annual Georgia Products Liability Institute (2002). Georgia Foundations and Objections - Impeachment, (ICLE 2003). Discovery Wars -- Who Wins?, GTLA Program: Tales from the Dark Side: Georgia's Best Defense Lawyers Tell Us How We Did/Do It Wrong", 2006. Georgia Foundations and Objections: Circumstantial Evidence (ICLE 2011). Adjunct Scholar, Georgia Public Policy Foundation: Leveling the Playing Field, A Simple proposal for Litigation Reform (2002) and Closing the Gate: Taking Junk Science Out of the Courtroom (co-author, 2002). Other Distinctions Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation (2005-2012). Selected by Law & Politics and Atlanta Magazine as a Georgia Super Lawyer in General Litigation, Professional Liability: Defense and Personal Injury defense: Products (2007-2010). Work Experience Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP, 2007-present Partner, Love & Willingham, 1988-2007 Partner, Powell Goldstein LLP, 1979-1988 Memberships · Fellow, International Society of Barristers · American Bar Association · Federal Bar Association · State Bar of Georgia · Atlanta Bar Association · Defense Research Institute · Georgia Defense Lawyers Association · Old War Horse Lawyers Club Fellow: International Society of Barristers. |