As a partner in Foley Hoag's litigation department, Jeff Follett handles business litigation and other complex civil suits. He has a special focus in two substantive areas, construction disputes and products liability. His construction dispute work involves prosecuting and defending project delay and overrun suits among owners, general contractors and subcontractors, involving a wide range of infrastructure projects around the world; including power plants, highways, museums and residential developments. Jeff's defense representation in individual and mass tort product liability litigation includes class action lawsuits and multi-district litigation involving such applications as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, firearms and consumer products. In addition to these matters, Jeff advises clients on public bidding law compliance and disputes. He also advises clients on electronic discovery and related privacy obligations, including development and implementation of records retention policies. Jeff served a judicial clerkship with Justice Christopher Armstrong of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. He worked as a consultant before entering law school and, while an undergraduate at Stanford University, was a researcher for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project. Representative Experience The following is a brief summary of Jeffrey's experience and accomplishments: · Has advised a wide range of corporate, public, not-for-profit and individual clients, including Ingersoll-Rand, National Amusements, Inc., Walt Disney World Co., AT&T, UEG Araucaria Ltd. (co-owned by Petrobras and Companhia Paranaense de Energia), Felda Global, ConGen, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Sapura Corporation, PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, The Franchise Company, Becton Dickinson, Lucent Technologies, Boston University, SuperValu, Accor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Celanese Americas Corporation, Solectron Corporation, Invensys Systems, Inc., The Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Children's Museum, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Quantum Corporation, Mantrose-Haesuer Corporation, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Macromedia, BFI/Allied, Verizon New England, Delta Air Lines, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Watts Industries, Inc., and Suffolk University · Has prosecuted and defended project delay and cost overrun lawsuits involving multi-million dollar drilling rig refurbishment, power plant construction, museum construction, retail development, laboratory construction, marine drilling, office construction, highway development, public bidding disputes, underground tank installation, airline terminal construction, and structural modifications to manufacturing facilities · Has defended manufacturers in individual and mass tort product liability cases involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, asbestos, firearms and consumer products Professional / Civic Involvement · American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Product Liability Committee and Construction Litigation Committee, Member · Defense Research Institute, Member · Member of Boston, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Bar Associations · Lean Construction Institute, Member Speeches and Conferences · "Integrated Project Delivery," Lean Construction Institute (Emerging Enterprise Center, 2011) · "E-Discovery," Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) (Boston, 2011) · "Don't Let The Door Hit You: Departing Employees and ESI," American Conference Institute (ACI) "Corporate Counsel's Advanced Forum on Document Management and E-Discovery" (Philadelphia, 2009) · Chair, "Electronically Stored Information and Spoliation," MCLE, (Boston, 2008) · "Preserving Confidentiality in An Electronic Environment," Lorman Education Services (Providence, 2008) · "The Owner's Perspective on Alternative Dispute Resolution," Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (Boston, 2008) · Co-Chair, "Advanced Issues in E-Discovery," Suffolk Law School Center for Advanced Legal Studies (Boston, 2007) · "Ensuring Compliance with Your Document Retention Policy," ACI E-Discovery Conference (New York, 2007) · Chair, "E-Discovery for the Unfrozen Cave Man Lawyer," MCLE (Boston, 2007) · Co-Chair, "Electronic Discovery." Massachusetts Bankers Association (Boston, 2007) · Co-Chair, "E-Discovery Under the New Federal Rules," Suffolk University Law School Center for Advanced Legal Studies (Boston, 2006) · "Recognizing a Triggering Event Under the New Federal Rules," Practising Law Institute's "Electronic Discovery and Retention Guidance for Corporate Counsel" (New York, 2006) · "Design Management: The Undiscovered Country," Construction Management Association of America (Tampa, 2006) · Chair, "Document Retention and Destruction," Lorman Education Services (MA, 2006) · "Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege in the Context of Records Management and Retention: What Are Your Legal Obligations?," ACI "Corporate Counsel's Advanced Forum on Document Management and E-Discovery" (New York, 2005) · "Compliance 101: Talking Records Retention with Your Clients," MCLE "E-Discovery" seminar (Boston, 2005) · "Monitoring and Auditing Your Document Management Policies and Practices," ACI "Pharmaceutical Industry's Guide to Document Management and E-Discovery Conference" (Philadelphia, 2005) · "Developing and Implementing Effective Corporate Records Retention Policies," ACI "Advanced Forum on Document Retention and E-Discovery" (San Francisco, 2005) · "A Litigator's Perspective on Developing Records Retention Policies," ACI "Advanced Forum on Document Retention and E-Discovery" (New York, 2004) · "A Practical Guide to Document Preservation Orders and E-Discovery," ACI "Drug and Medical Device Litigation Conference" (New York, 2003) · "Handling Product Liability Cases," MCLE Product Liability Seminar (Boston, 2002) Publications · "E-Discovery" Chapter, DISCOVERY PRACTICE (MCLE 2010) · "Massachusetts" Chapter, PRODUCT LIABILITY DESK REFERENCE (2003-2010) (ASPEN PUBLISHERS, INC.) · E-Discovery and Proposed Federal Rule of Evidence 502, SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL CENTER FOR ADVANCED LEGAL STUDIES (2007) · The Chief Justices' E-discovery Guidelines , BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL (2007) · Hold Everything? Litigation Response in the Electronic Age, PRACTISING LAW INSTITUTE (2006) · Protecting Confidentiality and Privilege in An Electronic Environment, AMERICAN CONFERENCE INSTITUTE (ACI) (2005) · Beyond Cost-Shifting: Developing, Implementing and Defending Your Company's Electronic Records Retention Policy, ACI (2004) · Mass Torts in the Mass. Courts, MASSACHUSETTS CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (MCLE), HANDLING PRODUCT LIABILITY CASES (2002) · Challenging Expert Evidence in Massachusetts State Court, AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION PRODUCT LIABILITY COMMITTEE, PHARMACEUTICALS AND BIOLOGICALS SUBCOMMITTEE, CHALLENGING EXPERT WITNESSES IN PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL DEVICE CASES IN STATE COURT (2002) · "False Claims Act" and Other Chapters, CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES OF MASSACHUSETTS, MASSACHUSETTS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT LAW (2001) · Preventing and Defending a False Claims Act Case, MCLE, HANDLING FEDERAL FALSE CLAIMS ACT ("QUI TAM") WHISTLEBLOWER CASES (2000) Industries Infrastructure & Construction Energy and Regulated Industries Honors/Awards Listed in MASSACHUSETTS SUPER LAWYERS (2011) |