Skip focuses his practice on toxic torts and environmental litigation, as well as products liability and other claims related to chemical exposures or environmental issues. His professional experience covers a wide spectrum, including mass toxic torts; class actions; single-plaintiff chemical exposure claims; RCRA, CERCLA and state-Superfund litigation; responses to EPA investigations; and appellate briefs on toxic tort issues. He has particular expertise in matters involving dioxins, metals, wood treatment chemicals and other emissions from industrial facilities, and works closely with leading scientific experts and public relations consultants to address community concerns before litigation is filed. Skip also has substantial experience developing strategies to remove state cases to federal court.
Skip has defended cases in state and federal courts throughout Georgia, as well as Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and California. He has also coordinated nationwide asbestos discovery for a Fortune 300 company.
Skip focuses his practice on toxic torts and environmental litigation, as well as products liability and other claims related to chemical exposures or environmental issues. His professional experience covers a wide spectrum, including mass toxic torts; class actions; single-plaintiff chemical exposure claims; RCRA, CERCLA and state-Superfund litigation; responses to EPA investigations; and appellate briefs on toxic tort issues. He has particular expertise in matters involving dioxins, metals, wood treatment chemicals and other emissions from industrial facilities, and works closely with leading scientific experts and public relations consultants to address community concerns before litigation is filed. Skip also has substantial experience developing strategies to remove state cases to federal court.
Skip has defended cases in state and federal courts throughout Georgia, as well as Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and California. He has also coordinated nationwide asbestos discovery for a Fortune 300 company.
Skip sits on the national steering committee for the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI’s) Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee and is 2010-2011 chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Environmental and Toxic Tort Committee. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section and the Georgia Bar’s Environmental Law Section. Skip regularly participates in programs on environmental and toxic tort issues, and has written materials for DRI publications, Mealey's Emerging Toxic Torts, ABA publications, the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the Virginia Environmental Law Journal. He was also recently appointed to the 2010 editorial advisory board for Environmental Law360.
Skip is president of the board of directors of ToolBank U.S.A., and has served on Alston & Bird's Pro Bono, Hiring, and Associates' Committees.
He received his J.D. in 2000 from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, in both chemistry and economics from Vanderbilt University in 1997, where he was an Honor Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa.