Gathering Clouds: Emerging Product Liability Risks
Webinars & Presentations
Allen Schlinsog, Jr. is a shareholder and chair of the Product Liability and Safety Practice Group. He is also past chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. His analytical skills, strategic thinking and extensive experience make him a creative, insightful legal partner.
Al handles commercial litigation and intellectual property cases, but he is most widely known for his complex product liability defense work, especially claims involving regulated products in the mining, construction, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He has considerable experience in significant class actions, product liability and mass tort proceedings. As national counsel for several clients, Al regularly appears in state and federal courts across the country. In a testament to his product liability expertise, Al was recognized as one of seven “favorite product liability attorneys” by general counsel polled by BTI Consulting Group and named a BTI Client All-Star.
Al’s knowledge and expertise—combined with his commitment to his clients—has earned him a well-deserved reputation for positive outcomes. Although Al is an aggressive litigator, he always seeks to respect and preserve relationships with others. As a testament to his skill and professionalism, Al has even been hired by his former opposing counsel. He’s highly motivated by a strong sense of justice and fair play.
Clients trust Al with their most difficult strategic business issues, and with helping to successfully defend their reputations as well as their products. He is proud of his many long-standing relationships with clients and is dedicated to the principle that he succeeds only when they succeed.
Al is a former President of the Bar Association for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He also chaired the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and currently serves on the Catholic Charities Foundation Board dedicated to serving everyone needing help in our community. In his free time, Al enjoys wake boarding, scuba diving and golf. He’s also an enthusiastic (albeit aging) beer-league hockey player.
Arizona | Illinois | Wisconsin
Commercial Vehicles
National counsel for a truck manufacturer accused of creating toxic diesel exhaust
Pharmaceuticals
Representing several pharmaceutical companies defending product liability claims
Medical Devices
Representing several medical device manufacturers defending product liability claims, including as national counsel in federal multidistrict litigation proceedings
Drugs and Medical Devices
Defending several pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in actions claiming that defects in our clients’ products caused catastrophic injuries or deaths of patients
Mining Machinery
Defending numerous claims as national counsel for a manufacturer of underground and above-ground mining machinery involved in fatalities and catastrophic injuries
Defending claims involving roof bolters and continuous mining machines
Vehicles, Aircraft & Construction Equipment
National counsel in catastrophic injury cases for a manufacturer and distributors of various cranes, lifts and other equipment used to move containers in shipping ports and rail yards
Defending an aircraft manufacturer in several suits alleging defects led to fatal aircraft crashes
National counsel for a manufacturer of forklifts involved in fatalities and catastrophic injuries
Regional counsel for manufacturers and distributors of coach-style buses
Defending a manufacture of control systems used on dump trucks and snow plows against product liability and commercial claims by a State
Class Actions
National counsel for a manufacturer of regulated cleaning wipes defending several national class actions
Defending multiple class actions against a pharmaceutical/medical device company alleging more than $600 million in damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Defending class actions against the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm related to alleged violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act
Defending several class actions against various health care entities for charges issued for the release of medical records
Supplier Recovery Litigation
National counsel for industrial machinery manufacturers in litigation against suppliers who provided defective parts
Seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages on behalf of a medical device manufacturer that was forced to recall millions of devices because a material supplier allegedly fraudulently supplied incorrect material
California’s Proposition 65
Defending numerous clients in California Proposition 65 claims related to medical devices, food and consumer products
Average Wholesale Price (AWP) Litigation
Representing two pharmaceutical companies in an action brought by the State of Wisconsin, in which the Wisconsin Attorney General alleged that our clients falsely inflated the prices of its drugs (AWP Litigation)
Advertising and Labeling Litigation
Representing food-industry clients in class action litigation regarding “all-natural” claims
Representing clients in defense of governmental actions related to claims regarding products’ constituents and capabilities
Representing clients against competitors who claim to have been injured by the promotion of the products
Intellectual Property
Prosecuting numerous claims of patent, trademark and copyright infringement
Defending a medical device manufacturer against claims that our client infringed on another’s trademark
Defending a manufacturer of nutritional supplements for a claim brought by a competitor claiming that our client misappropriated its trade secrets
Defending a food manufacturer against trade secret theft claims
Recalls
Regularly advising companies through recalls of a variety of different products, from vehicles regulated by the NHTSA to food products regulated by the FDA
Counseling
Regularly advising manufacturers and distributors regarding product development, regulatory matters involving the FDA, warnings issues, supply chain monitoring and risk mitigation strategies
Honors
Benchmark Litigation: Wisconsin Litigation Star
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers For Business, named a leader in general commercial litigation
Named one of seven “favorite product liability attorneys” by general counsel polled by BTI Consulting Group (2016)
BTI Client Service All-Star (2016, 2018)
Recognized in Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation)
Selected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers (since 2008)
Wisconsin Top Rated Lawyer Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated
Pro Bono Honor Society, Milwaukee Bar Association (2015, 2018)
2012 Judicial Retention Commission for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Past President of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association
Awarded the Order of John Marshall
Affiliations
Catholic Charities Foundation for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (Board of Trustees)
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (Chair of the Board of Trustees (2018-2020); Former Chair of Governance Committee)
Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association (Past President; Director; Member of Judge Charles N. Clevert Mentoring Committee; and various prior Executive Committee positions)
Defense Research Institute
Wisconsin Defense Counsel
Bar of the United States Supreme Court
State Bar of Wisconsin, Illinois and Arizona
Bars of the United States Circuit Courts [3d, 5th, 7th, 9th]
Bars of the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois and the District of Arizona
Law Review while at John Marshall Law School (Editorial Board)
Milwaukee Bar Association
Webinars & Presentations
Press Releases
Press Releases
Press Releases
Press Releases
Novel Toxic Tort Claims Relating to Diesel Exhaust, presentation at DRI “Strictly Automotive” Seminar (November 2015)
Best Practices for Reducing Products Liability Exposure and Winning Lawsuits When They Occur, University of Wisconsin-Madison Product Liability Conference (September 2015)
“Exposing Fraud in Mass Torts,” For the Defense Magazine (September 2015)
“Wisconsin’s Tort Reform Four Years Later: A Proven Victory for Manufacturers,” Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring 2015)
“Emerging New Toxic Tort Claims Relative to Diesel Exhaust Exposure,” For the Defense Magazine (December 2013)
“Wisconsin’s Tort Reform: A Victory for Manufacturers,” ABA Products Liability Newsletter, Vol. 23, No.1 (Summer 2011)
Contract Litigation from A to Z (2006)