Since the 1980’s, Michael has played a pivotal role in mass tort litigation throughout the United States. The depth of his experience as a lead trial counsel, a complex settlement negotiator, and an overall strategist places Michael in a very small group of mass toxic tort lawyers with a complete understanding of the judicial, financial, and tactical issues relevant to mass tort claims.

After its formation in 1989, Evert Weathersby Houff became a primary contributor to the strategic community for the defense of the asbestos litigation. Michael was in a small group of counsel that developed and implemented unique defense strategies for that litigation, and the resulting regional trial team organization became a model for many defendants in the asbestos litigation and other mass toxic torts.

Michael’s trial experience is extensive, both geographically and numerically, as he has acted as lead trial counsel in individual asbestos trials in more than a dozen states. He served as a lead defense trial counsel in major asbestos case consolidations, including the Baltimore shipyard consolidations of the early to mid-1990’s and the first major consolidation in the Mississippi Delta. It was during this time that he served as National Trial Counsel for a number of large-scale construction, engineering, and manufacturing companies.

Likewise, where complex settlement models were the appropriate course, Michael directed and conducted negotiations in a variety of mass tort claims (including asbestos) with virtually every significant plaintiff’s lawyer and firm involved in mass toxic tort litigation today. His experience in this area allows him to consider a wide range of alternatives in order to meet the goals of the client.

As a result of the expertise and successes above, in the early 2000’s Michael began to concentrate his practice on the coordination and strategic aspects of mass tort litigation and began to serve primarily as a National Coordinating Counsel for a number of companies. Those clients include multi-billion dollar revenue consumer product manufacturing companies, long-term industrial manufacturing companies, constructors, and engineering firms. In that role, Michael advises on financial, strategic, and litigation plans designed to respond effectively to the sophisticated and orchestrated tactics of the plaintiffs’ bar. His longevity and variety of experiences in mass tort litigation, along with the breadth of his client base, gives Michael a rare perspective on national strategies and trends.

Michael is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers in the specialty of Mass Tort Litigation, and Evert Weathersby Houff has been recognized as one of American Lawyer’s “Go-To Litigation Firms” for Fortune 500 Companies. He frequently is asked to speak on the asbestos litigation and continues to be an invited lecturer at highly regarded gatherings of the leaders of the toxic tort bar.