Richard “Rick” Meadow, the National Mass Tort Leader for The Lanier Law Firm, has walked both sides of the street — literally.
Meadow, a graduate of California Western School of Law (J.D. 1984), has extensive experience when it comes to representing large national insurance companies. That experience has provided him with a unique “360-degree perspective,” enabling Meadow to become a highly effective advocate when it comes to representing individuals who have been injured through the negligence of others.
More recently, Meadow has channeled his energy on the burgeoning niche of concussion law, one that he was excited to talk about in a recent interview.
Question: Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to be a lawyer?
Answer: During my college years I tended bar to pay for tuition. I became very close with a lawyer who was a regular in the restaurant. He invited me to one of his trials. It was at that time that I knew I did not want to bar tend for a living but wanted to be in the court room.
Q: As the National Mass Tort Leader for The Lanier Law Firm, you oversee a lot of areas where people have been wronged through the negligence of others, has concussion risen to the level of litigation involving asbestos, pharmaceuticals, etc., and why?
A: The concussion litigation, as tragic as it is for the victims, did not rise to the level of major pharma litigations several reasons:
The relatively low number of plaintiffs.
The issue of assumption of the risk.
Proving causation without having the actual brain tissue.
Identifying the proper defendant.
Statute of limitations defense.
Potential worker’s comp defense.
Q: Is more awareness needed about the risk of concussion and what role can litigation play in increasing awareness about concussion?
A: The concussion issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. The NFL suit, the college suit, the movie Concussion and segments of Real Sports. In addition, you now have Hall of Fame players forbidding their children from playing contact football.
Q: How has your experience in the insurance defense area prepped you for work in the concussion area?
A: Having represented insurance companies and their clients for a number of years, I am able to analyze cases from both sides of the V. I can anticipate defenses, evaluate cases from the defense perspective and analyze the liability from both sides.
