About the Authors

• Library: From the Trenches III: Pretrial Strategies for Success (ABA) (2018 Ed.)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Chapter 1: W. Scott O'Connell; Nixon Peabody, Boston & Manchester

W. Scott O'Connell is the chair of Nixon Peabody's Litigation Department and a member of the firm's Management Committee. He is a trial attorney who has appeared as lead counsel in 20 states. He focuses on class action and aggregate litigation, corporate control contests, and unfair and deceptive trade practices claims. He is currently representing financial services, health care, manufacturing, and energy companies in high-exposure disputes with associated significant reputa-tional harm in parallel civil, criminal, and regulatory proceedings. Scott regularly performs internal investigations for clients. He is a former chair of the Network of Trial Law Firms. He earned his JD from the Cornell Law School, where he was an editor of the Cornell Law Review and the chancellor of the Moot Court Board. He received his BA from St. Lawrence University.

Chapter 2: Andrew Kasnetz; Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C., St. Louis

Andrew R. Kasnetz is a shareholder in the law firm Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C., a firm with offices in St. Louis, Kansas City, and southern Illinois. He has been a trial lawyer for over 35 years and has significant trial and appellate experience in both state and federal courts. He has tried over 50 cases to conclusion and briefed and argued over 20 appeals. He litigates primarily complex commercial cases, including class actions. He is listed in Best Lawyers of America for commercial litigation. In addition to his trial and appellate work, he has completed comprehensive mediation training and has begun his practice in this area. He presently serves as General Counsel at Sandberg Phoenix.

Chapter 3: Thomas R. Waskom; Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP, Richmond

As a partner in Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP's nationally recognized Retail and Consumer Products Litigation practice, Thomas R. Waskom has handled numerous complex matters, including class actions and mass torts. He works closely with his clients—leaders in the financial services, manufacturing, consumer products, and energy industries—to develop novel solutions to significant litigation challenges. His approach to litigation has earned him numerous accolades, including his selection as a "Rising Star" by Virginia Super Lawyers magazine for the last four years. Tom earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, and he is admitted to practice throughout the United States, including before the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Federal Circuits; and numerous state and U.S. district courts. Prior to joining Hunton Andrews Kurth he served as special assistant to the Secretary of Education of Virginia and acting assistant secretary of education for the commonwealth.

Chapter 4: Howard Merten, Paul M. Kessimian, Christopher M. Wildenhain; Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, Providence

Howard Merten, Paul Kessimian, and Christopher Wildenhain are complex civil litigators in the Providence, Rhode Island, office of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP. They each have significant experience working with clients to preserve potentially relevant evidence in anticipation of future litigation. They have witnessed the costly and time-consuming litigation detours caused by motions filed in an effort to seek discovery sanctions for spoliation of evidence.

Howard has been a trial lawyer for 34 years, and now also serves as the firm's managing partner. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, products liability...