Jim O'Neal is head of the firm's general litigation group, a nationally recognized department of more than 50 lawyers who focus on product liability, class actions, mass torts and environmental defense. For a number of years, Jim also acted as chief counsel to the firm on ethics and loss prevention issues
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Examples of his prominent cases include:
- National counsel for Novartis Pharmaceuticals in Zelnorm litigation.
- National coordinating counsel for Novartis Pharmaceuticals in multiple class actions and individual product liability litigation involving the Attention Deficit Disorder medication Ritalin.
- National counsel for major window manufacturer in consumer fraud and product liability class actions.
- Successfully defended the Minnesota Vikings in wrongful death litigation arising from the 2001 training camp death of Pro Bowl offensive lineman Korey Stringer.
- National counsel in hormone therapy litigation
- Lead counsel for plumbing products manufacturer in multi-district litigation.
- National coordinating counsel for Schwan's Sales Enterprises, defending tens of thousands of personal injury claims arising from a 1994 salmonella recall. Jim's negotiation of a prompt and favorable settlement of the Minnesota class action, with subsequent dismissals of rival class actions in other states, was the subject of a front page article in the November 1995 edition of Corporate Legal Times.
- Hired as national coordinating counsel when a food products manufacturer engaged in nationwide salmonella recalls in 1998 and 2008.
- Minnesota liaison counsel for the defendants in the Minnesota tobacco personal injury and consumer fraud class action, which ended with the defeat of class certification and the subsequent voluntary dismissal of the case.
- National coordinating counsel for Ciba-Geigy Corporation in cases arising from a 1995 recall of an anticonvulsant medication. Class certification was defeated.
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Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Litigation: General Commercial, 2009–2010
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The Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation, Product Liability Litigation, 2008–2009
- Super Lawyers, Class Action/Mass Torts, 2001–2009
- Product Liability, Consumer Fraud, Class Actions, Mass Torts
CLE seminars
- Product Liability, Consumer Fraud, Class Actions, Mass Torts
Various trade associations
- The Use of Settlement Classes in Mass Tort Product Liability Litigation
Hamline Law Review (1997)
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), former Minnesota membership chair
- IADC 2002 Trial Academy, faculty member
- IADC Class Action Committee, former vice chair
- Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), sustaining member
- Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission Diaspora Project, management team member
- Faegre & Benson John C. Benson Award for outstanding pro bono service (2008)
- Special Recognition Award from Advocates for Human Rights for work with Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2009)
Related Practices
Class Actions
Consumer Fraud
Drug and Device Litigation
Mass Tort Litigation
Product Liability Litigation
Related Industries
Food, Agriculture and Biofuels
Manufacturing and Industrials
Medical Technology
Pharmaceutical
Media Mentions
23-January-2010 - Jim O'Neal Quoted in Liberian News Regarding Pro Bono Work
Education
Yale Law School
J.D. (1978)
University of Minnesota
B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa (1975)
Articles
18-August-2008 - A Primer to United States Procedure in Class Actions and Aggregate Litigation
04-February-2007 - FDA Under Fire: Summaries of the Recent Criticisms
News
14-June-2010 - Faegre & Benson Practices Ranked Nationwide by Chambers, Among Best in Minnesota and Colorado
04-January-2010 - Four Faegre & Benson Partners Listed in Best Lawyers Guide to Bet-the-Company Litigation
03-August-2009 - Faegre & Benson Attorneys Named to Minnesota Super Lawyers List
31-July-2009 - 100 Faegre & Benson Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America
24-June-2009 - Faegre & Benson Lawyers Recognized for Pro Bono Contributions to Liberian Diaspora Project
12-June-2009 - Faegre & Benson Receives Top Chambers Rankings, National Franchise Practice Moves Up
13-May-2009 - James O'Neal Honored for Pro Bono Work
01-October-2008 - The Best Lawyers in America 2009 Includes 94 from Faegre & Benson
14-August-2008 - Faegre & Benson Attorneys Named to Super Lawyers in Minnesota
31-March-2008 - The Best Lawyers in America 2008 Includes 80 from Faegre & Benson
18-October-2007 - Two Faegre & Benson Lawyers Inducted Into American College of Trial Lawyers
05-March-2007 - Faegre & Benson Ranked Sixth Nationwide in Product Liability Defense by Law360
Bar Admissions
Minnesota
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Representative Matters
Smale v. Whirlpool
Thompson v. American Tobacco Company et al.,
Faegre & Benson Defends Novartis, Reducing Claimants from 2,000 to Less Than 100
In re Salmonella Litigation
In re Zurn Pex Plumbing Products Liability Litigation
Zelnorm Litigation