Barnes & Thornburg has added Holland & Knight lawyer Tim Hudson as a partner in the firm’s Dallas office.
Hudson joins the product liability and mass torts practice, and also advises clients in trade secrets and commercial litigation. Hudson had spent his entire legal career at Thompson & Knight before the firm merged with Holland & Knight last summer.
Hudson serves as national coordinating counsel and trial counsel for one of the nation’s largest medical devices manufacturers. In his trade secrets practice, Hudson has represented numerous clients in bet-the-company litigation and counseled them on issues regarding departing employees.
“Tim’s experience and impressive national practice is an important addition to the firm, particularly as the scope of product liability law continues to evolve,” Mark Bayer, the managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas office, said in a statement. “His reputation as a top-tier advocate for companies of all sizes, from local businesses to large multinational corporations, along with this recognition as a leader in Texas legal circles, will add tremendous value to our stellar team. This is the next step in our office’s expansion to meet the needs of our clients.”
Below is a Q&A Hudson provided to The Texas Lawbook that reveals his reasons for moving, previous matters he’s handled and trends he’s noticing in his practice.
Texas Lawbook: Why did you decide to join Barnes & Thornburg? What attracted you to the firm?
Tim Hudson: The decision to leave Holland & Knight was the most difficult decision of my professional career. I spent my entire legal career at Thompson & Knight and Holland & Knight (the firms merged in August 2021). It is a wonderful law firm with many talented lawyers, many of whom are close friends of mine. I’ve had the opportunity to work in tandem with a number of Barnes & Thornburg lawyers over the years representing medical device and pharmaceutical companies. Barnes & Thornburg is a national powerhouse in the field of mass tort litigation and defending single-plaintiff product liability cases. Joining Barnes & Thornburg offers me a unique platform to expand my work nationally with many of my existing clients, and will provide additional opportunities to represent new companies and make new contacts in MDL proceedings across the country.
Texas Lawbook: What are one or two of the most significant matters you have handled so farin your career?
Hudson: I was part of a team that represented a large oil and gas exploration and production company in Texas state court in a case involving theft of trade secrets. It was a case where the information relating to the core of the client’s business model was taken without permission and the executive team was committed to seeing the case through given the potential for unfair competition and use of its most sensitive data. It was a significant and hard-fought case with many hearings and depositions, and many twists and turns. We were able to secure a favorable settlement with assurances that our client’s information would not be used or disseminated going forward.
Texas Lawbook: Do you have a favorite case you’ve ever worked on? If so, what was it?
Hudson: I’ve been fortunate enough to try a number of product cases for one the world’s largest medical device manufacturers. We were tapped to come in as trial counsel a few months prior to jury selection in a case pending in Missouri. It was a fascinating case, in a challenging venue, with difficult facts and talented plaintiff lawyers. We were able to secure a defense verdict with a creative approach that developed during trial and a theme that we were able to elicit and expand on from both plaintiff and defense witnesses. That case taught me that you have to be nimble in trial and prepare for the unexpected.
Texas Lawbook: What are some trends you are noticing in both the products liability and trade secrets/commercial litigation aspects of your practice, and what do you think is to come in those areas as 2022 unfolds?
Hudson: Trade secret litigation will continue to be on the rise. There has been an increase in employee mobility due to the pandemic. And more employee departures means more opportunities for the misappropriation of confidential information. I’ve encountered increased volume of client counseling relating to protection of trade secrets and proprietary information, and more and more clients are now willing to explore legal options as they recognize that their trade secrets are an important part of their intellectual property portfolio.
This will also be a busy year for product liability lawyers. There are several large MDLs that are either entering the discovery phase or set to try bellwether cases. Texas continues to see an increase in single-plaintiff product claims and I don’t see that trend changing anytime soon.