Overview
Step into the mind of a trial lawyer with On the Stand, a Q&A series. McDermott’s cross-practice trial and appellate lawyers reveal what drives their passion for the courtroom, preparation techniques, advice for junior lawyers and other valuable insights garnered from years in front of the bench.
In Depth
On the Stand With Kevin Meek | September 30, 2024: Kevin Meek litigates patent disputes in federal courts across the country, before the US International Trade Commission, and in post-grant proceedings before the US Patent and Trademark Office. He has led dozens of trials involving a wide variety of advanced technologies, including consumer products, complex software, and semiconductor and telecommunications applications. In this Q&A, Kevin shares how his scientific background influenced his legal career, which trial victory he’s proudest of, and why accepting critiques are key to being a successful trial lawyer.
On the Stand With Peg Warner | August 6, 2024: Peg Warner has tried over 50 cases spanning jury trials (including one that lasted nearly five months), bench trials and arbitration hearings. She has served as first-chair counsel in state and federal courts in over 30 jurisdictions. In this Q&A, Peg shares how English history influenced her career as a trial lawyer, why going to trial is like running a marathon and which of her many jury verdicts is one of her proudest moments.
On the Stand With Doug Carsten | May 20, 2024: Doug Carsten is the co-head of the Firm’s life sciences industry practice and focuses on complex patent litigation disputes. His substantial first-chair trial experience includes litigating high-profile and billion-dollar patent cases. In this Q&A, Doug shares what he enjoys most about being a trial lawyer, his go-to advice for junior lawyers and how “My Cousin Vinny” has played a pivotal role in his career.
On the Stand With Rachel Cowen | April 1, 2024: Rachel Cowen, the global co-head of the Firm’s Employment Practice Group, focuses her practice on various employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases in federal and state courts. She has experience both prosecuting and defending employee mobility and trade secret litigation on an emergency injunctive basis through more than a dozen trials. In this Q&A, Rachel shares the best advice she received as a junior trial lawyer and how it’s influenced her strategy, and the two pro bono cases that had a profound impact on her career.
On the Stand With Richard Salgado | October 23, 2023: Richard Salgado, head of the Dallas Litigation Practice Group, has first-chaired 13 jury trials and presented oral arguments in more than two dozen appeals. He represents clients in complex, bet-the-company disputes ranging from commercial litigation to tort, intellectual property and regulatory matters with amounts at issue often in the billions of dollars. In this Q&A, Richard shares why being a nice person matters during trial, how he helps clients overcome pretrial jitters and why clients should add him to their trial team at the eleventh hour.
On the Stand With Sarah Chapin Columbia | August 21, 2023: Sarah Chapin Columbia, a fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, has led 17 patent infringement, trade secrets and invalidity trials in federal courts across the country. She counsels clients on overall IP strategy and positioning in several industries, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology, semiconductor, medical device and manufacturing. In this Q&A, Sarah shares why she became a trial lawyer, what common issue she sees her clients face in patent cases and how she uses her differentiated skill to overcome that issue and win.
On the Stand With Michael Sheehan | August 7, 2023: Michael (Mike) Sheehan is the global head of the Firm’s Employment Practice Group. He focuses on unfair competition litigation and has tried dozens of cases to verdict involving large-scale raiding, inevitable disclosure of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and noncompete agreements. In this Q&A, Mike shares what he’s learned from history’s great trial lawyers and golf, how he prevailed through his toughest case and why he always puts his team first.
On the Stand With Paul Hughes | July 24, 2023: Paul Hughes serves as co-head of the Firm’s practices focusing on Supreme Court & Appellate Litigation as well as Government & Regulatory Litigation. He has argued 10 times at the Supreme Court of the United States and more than 70 times in federal and state appellate and trial courts across the country. In this Q&A, Paul shares his career highlights, advice for junior trial lawyers and preparation tactics.
