Cari Dawson, partner and chair of Alston & Bird’s Class Action Group, discussed her experience in mass torts and the trend of more women joining defense teams.
“In big high-stakes litigation, and in any matter, not just mass torts, where it’s perceived to be bet-the-company, corporations are looking for the most seasoned litigations,” she said. “And not at all, but at certain law firms, those might be more so men than women.”
During her time as lead class action defense counsel in the Toyota unintended acceleration multidistrict litigation in California, Dawson flew from her home in Atlanta to other cities across the country, sometimes once a week.
“It can be challenging when you have responsibilities for a child or elder parent and you’re on the road three weeks out of the month,” she said. “How do you juggle that?”
“In big high-stakes litigation, and in any matter, not just mass torts, where it’s perceived to be bet-the-company, corporations are looking for the most seasoned litigations,” she said. “And not at all, but at certain law firms, those might be more so men than women.”
During her time as lead class action defense counsel in the Toyota unintended acceleration multidistrict litigation in California, Dawson flew from her home in Atlanta to other cities across the country, sometimes once a week.
“It can be challenging when you have responsibilities for a child or elder parent and you’re on the road three weeks out of the month,” she said. “How do you juggle that?”