BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The national law firm of Baron & Budd is pleased to announce Louisiana-based shareholder, Burton LeBlanc, will speak about the opioid epidemic at a seminar hosted by the American Association for Justice on November 28-29, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. The American Association for Justice (AAJ) is the largest trial lawyer non-profit organization in the United States. LeBlanc is the co-chair of the AAJ’s Opioids Litigation section.
The seminar will feature a question and answer period with Jim Geldhof, a 40-year DEA veteran who was responsible for pharmaceutical investigations from the DEA’s Detroit field office. Geldhof was prominently featured in recent exposes from The Washington Post and 60 Minutes on the opioid epidemic, and how the DEA’s efforts to crack down on distributors were derailed.
“It is always an honor to talk to my fellow AAJ members and colleagues,” said Burton LeBlanc, Shareholder and Attorney for Baron & Budd. “The AAJ offers trial attorneys a platform to share our experiences and stay up-to-date on the latest strategies and tactics in litigation. After spending the last several months meeting with cities and states throughout the country that have been devastated by these dangerous drugs, I genuinely believe that our cases against the drug distributors that caused the opioid crisis are some of the most important pieces of active litigation in the United States. I’m looking forward to bringing this issue to the forefront of the AAJ’s upcoming seminar.”
Baron & Budd is actively pursuing litigation against three Fortune 500 pharmaceutical distributors – Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, and McKesson Corp. – alleging that each played a role in creating a public nuisance by failing to regulate orders of prescription opiates. Baron & Budd represents 100 different governmental entities in 10 different states and one sovereign nation in litigation against the manufacturers and distributors of prescription opiates.
An active member of the AAJ for many years, LeBlanc was appointed as the organization’s President in 2013 following a long history of involvement with the AAJ on both the local and national level. He previously served as president – elect, vice president, treasurer and parliamentarian of AAJ.
The AAJ strives to provide individuals a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are harmed by negligence or misconduct. Protecting the rights of these victims can sometimes result in taking on the most powerful corporations. The attorneys who are AAJ members are advocates who are aggressively working to preserve the rights of people who seek justice in the courts.
LeBlanc oversees Baron & Budd’s Baton Rouge office and focuses his current practice in the areas of pharmaceutical, environmental, securities and asbestos litigation. Currently, he serves as a lead attorney in more than 70 lawsuits filed on behalf of municipalities against the largest pharmaceutical distributors in the United States for their role in creating the opioid crisis. In addition to his work representing individuals, LeBlanc has successfully represented many governmental entities, including the States of Hawaii, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia.
About the American Association for Justice
The American Association for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®), provides trial attorneys with information, professional support and a nationwide network that enables them to most effectively and expertly represent clients. The mission of the American Association for Justice is to promote a fair and effective justice system—and to support the work of attorneys in their efforts to ensure that any person who is injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms, even when taking on the most powerful interests.
ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.
The law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles and San Diego, is a nationally recognized law firm with a nearly 40-year history of “Protecting What’s Right” for people, communities and businesses harmed by negligence. Baron & Budd’s size and resources enable the firm to take on large and complex cases. The firm represents individuals and government and business entities in areas as diverse as dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, environmental contamination, the Gulf oil spill, financial fraud, overtime violations, deceptive advertising, automotive defects, trucking accidents, nursing home abuse, and asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma.
