High Stakes Litigation Set to Surge in California and Texas, Says A Top Trial Consulting Firm that is Expanding Nationally
LOS ANGELES and HOUSTON (PRWEB) September 18, 2013 -- Click to download a PDF version of this release.
Courts in California and Texas will see a major uptick in high-stakes lawsuits involving finance, energy, intellectual property and environmental issues, according to DOAR Litigation Consulting LLC (DOAR), a preeminent trial consulting firm that specializes in large, complex litigation.
Among the largest and most complex cases are lawsuits filed in 2013 by California cities, counties and by the Regents of the University of California. These entities allege that more than 20 current and former financial institutions damaged them financially by manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR." (Case citations to follow) Texas and California courts are also expected to experience an increase in lawsuits involving the oil and gas industry, including environmental, land use and business disputes.
To support law firms working on these high-stakes cases, DOAR has acquired the Houston-based jury consulting firm WitnessWork and has opened an office in downtown Los Angeles. WitnessWork’s founder Karen Kash Redden will serve as vice president and managing director in DOAR’s new Houston office, while DOAR’s president Scott Allen has relocated to lead the California office. DOAR’s new operations in California and Texas represent a major step in the national expansion of the firm, which for 25 years has supported leading law firms litigating some of the highest profile cases.
“Lawsuits of major significance are being adjudicated in California and Texas,” says Paul Neale, chief executive officer of DOAR. For instance, citing a 2013 Fulbright & Jaworski Litigation Trends Survey, Mr. Neale says 56% of U.S. technology companies faced at least one $20 million-plus lawsuit in 2012, a steep rise from only 18% in 2011. These firms are heavily concentrated in California’s Silicon Valley as well as in Austin, Texas. Across all industries, the number of companies facing at least one lawsuit where more than $20 million was at stake rose from 23% in 2011 to 31% in 2012, according to the Fulbright & Jaworski survey. The study also points out that the number of oil and gas companies reporting that 50 or more lawsuits have been filed against them over the past year has doubled to 27% since 2011.
California and Texas are also popular venues for patent litigation filings. Nationally, the number of patent cases filed in 2012 soared 29% to a record 5,189 cases, according to PwC’s 2013 Patent Litigation Study, with Texas and California courts accounting for nearly 40% of them. The Texas Eastern Federal District Court in particular is perceived as “plaintiff-friendly,” and because patent holders are able to “shop” for favorable venues, despite efforts to deter the practice, it was the venue for 22% of all patent-related suits filed in the U.S. in 2012.
“The types of cases that are proliferating across the country are the large, complex and high-profile ones that have defined DOAR’s reputation,” says Mr. Neale. “That is why we are building strong regional practices in California and Texas that are staffed with exceptional local experts, like Karen Redden. This local expertise combined with DOAR’s unmatched resources will help us support leading law firms in these regions as we have done for east coast law firms in important cases involving insider trading, patent infringement, securities fraud, insurance coverage and multi-national arbitration.”
Click below to download bios and high resolution photos of Scott Allen and Karen Kash Redden:
Photo of Scott Allen
Bio of Scott Allen
Photo of Karen Redden
Bio of Karen Redden
Case citations relating to LIBOR:
The case is County of San Diego v. Bank of America Corp. et al., case number 13-cv-00045, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
The case is City of Riverside et al. v. Bank of America Corp. case number 13-cv-00062, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The cases are East Bay Municipal Utility District v. Bank of America Corp. et al., case number 13-cv-00109; City of Richmond et al. v. Bank of America Corp. et al., case number 13-cv-00106; County of San Mateo et al. v. Bank of America Corp. et al., case number 13-cv-00108; The Regents of the University of California v. Bank of America Corp. et al., case number 4:13-cv-02921 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
About DOAR Litigation Consulting:
Founded 25 years ago, DOAR is the preeminent litigation consulting firm and the leading innovator in methods for testing and refining litigation strategies and in the use of technology to better manage and communicate information. DOAR is a fully integrated company that sets the standard for electronic discovery consulting, trial strategy consulting, expert witness services and trial presentation. The firm also has the industry’s only high-tech digital courtroom facility. Headquartered in New York with offices in Houston and Los Angeles, DOAR supports the nation’s top lawyers and has been involved in most of the high-profile civil and criminal litigation in recent history. For more information, please visit http://www.DOAR.com.
Will Thompson, DOAR Litigation Consulting, http://www.DOAR.com, +1 2672216056, [email protected]
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