IN CLOSING... Q 48
Cari Dawson serves as lead counsel for the economic loss class actions in one of the largest automobile product liability MDLs in the country, In re Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration, Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation. Diversity & the Bar spoke to her about her experience.
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® MARCH/APRIL 2013
Why were you chosen to lead Toyota’s defense in this case?
I believe I was chosen because of my expertise in litigating class actions, passion for developing creative legal strategies, ability to assemble and manage a multi-disciplinary team of talented attorneys, and my tenacity and strong work ethic. I would not have had the opportunity to be chosen
by Toyota if I had not participated in the National Bar Association’s Corporate Leadership Forum at the 2009 Annual Convention in San Diego, California. I was invited to do a presentation on class actions for participants attending the NBA’s Corporate Leadership Forum. Chris Reynolds, general counsel of Toyota, was one of those participants. I spoke with him about doing an in-house CLE for his legal department on class action issues relevant to Toyota and the automobile industry generally. Shortly thereafter, Toyota was hit with three class actions in two diff erent states seeking economic damages for alleged defects in the electronic throttle control system in its vehi- cles and was interviewing outside counsel to serve as defense counsel for those cases. At Chris’s invitation, I assembled a team, and we participated in that selection process. We made our presentation to members of Toyota’s legal depart- ment and provided materials outlining our specifi c litiga- tion strategies. We were ultimately selected by Toyota as its lead counsel for those economic loss class actions. With the full support of Alston & Bird, I have been able
to actively participate in conferences, programs, meetings, and events organized by the MCCA, NBA, and many other terrifi c organizations. T rough relationships developed within those organizations, I have been given opportunities for legal work. Toyota is the most high-profi le and largest opportunity to date, thanks, largely in part, to the NBA’s Corporate Leadership Forum.
MCCA.COM
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