Page 3 - The American Lawyer Trailblazers - South 2022

Florida

Derrick Connell

Morgan & Morgan

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
Morgan & Morgan’s philosophy regarding challenging cases starts with centering our trial approach around the
positives of the case. Too many plaintiffs’ lawyers get caught up in the possible negative aspects of a case. At our
firm, we believe everyone deserves an equal shot at justice, no matter who they are or who wronged them, and as
trial attorneys we believe in our ability to get the jury behind our purpose with that message.
What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
Quite simply, Morgan & Morgan obtains justice for more people, particularly those who don’t have another path.
Many of the cases we take have been rejected by other law firms because they are “too difficult.” Verdicts like the
ones I obtained recently demonstrate that true justice can prevail when attorneys take on these challenges, even
when the public perception isn’t in our favor. This applies to situations beyond my cases against negligent police
officers. Virtually every attorney at the firm has a story of pushing through similar challenges and delivering justice
to a deserving client.

What bearing will this have on the future?
No one can predict the future. However, I believe that in the future we will see a shift toward our philosophy in the
plaintiff’s bar at large, resulting in just results for far more people. These verdicts change the evaluation and the
negative perspective of the defense. Instead of all plaintiffs in these situations being forced to trial, some defen-
dants now interact and negotiate in good faith, resulting in fair results for all parties involved.

Paul J. Geller

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
There’s a myth about what makes the most successful lawyers in our field. It’s not just smoothness, tenacity, and
courtroom skill. It’s the ability to listen and empathize with your clients, the jury, and even your opposing counsel.
That’s what the best lawyers use to have the most impact.

What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
The cases that have nationwide impact—like In re EpiPen (Epinephrine Injection, USP) Mktg., Sales Pracs. & Antitrust
Litig., a $609 million recovery, and In re National Prescription Opiate Litig.—require flexibility and creativity to suc-
cessfully negotiate. There are thousands of parties and innumerable stakeholders. Crafting an agreement that
synthesizes these conflicting, disparate interests requires a lot of patience. The EpiPen case took multiple rounds
of intense negotiation with multiple defendants. Serving on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the opioids case
required working with many parties whose interests inside and outside the litigation are opposed. But we were
able to find anchor points of consensus that supported a historic $26 billion global settlement joining together
groups from all across the geographic and political spectrum. It’s going to have a real impact for a huge number
of communities across the country.

What bearing will this have on the future?
Litigation seeks justice between the parties, but it can also be a catalyst for reform. Many of our clients are think-
ing about broader impact. Take In re Facebook Biometric Info. Privacy Litig., a case where we challenged Facebook’s
biometric data practices. We recovered a record amount for a privacy class action—$650 million. But what hap-
pened next was also profound—Facebook deleted biometric information for 1 billion people worldwide. That’s
the catalytic power of this work.

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