James (“Jim”) Lowery is a Partner in the Dallas office of GRSM and a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort, Commercial Litigation and Trucking & Transportation practice groups. He has achieved favorable verdicts in several high-risk cases on behalf of multiple clients in asbestos, silica, talc, and other catastrophic injury litigation. Jim first chaired more than 60 trials in multiple jurisdictions, including Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Delaware, Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana, Virginia, Illinois, California, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. He obtained defense verdicts in pro-plaintiff jurisdictions, such as Madison County, Illinois, Beaumont and Orange Counties in Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
Jim represented a wide variety of asbestos clients, including insulation manufacturers, “low-dose” product manufacturers, distributors, retailers, contractors, employers and premises owners. He has extensive experience in preparing, defending and cross-examining experts at trial, including leading challenges to expert testimony under Daubert, Frye and Havner. Jim leads the effort to develop expert witnesses and defense strategies for multiple clients. He has deposed hundreds of experts in asbestos, silica, and talc litigation. Jim also serves as National Coordinating Counsel for multiple clients in toxic tort matters.
In addition to his extensive experience in asbestos, silica and talc cases, Jim has also defended numerous clients in commercial cases. He defended and tried multiple personal injury claims arising out of trucking accidents. Jim also has extensive experience in defending catastrophic injury claims involving workplace injuries, including caustic burns and oil field accidents.
Jim has also defended clients in numerous environmental claims, involving toxic spills, hazardous waste deposition and property damage issues. He defends transportation companies charged with criminal, civil and regulatory violations associated with hauling and disposing of hazardous materials. Jim has helped multiple clients develop comprehensive environmental handling, warning, labeling and transportation programs to help minimize long term risks.
Jim previously served more than four years as lead in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 corporation, supervising its national toxic tort litigation. This included a docket of more than 45,000 asbestos, PCB, beryllium, lead, silica, and benzene cases. Jim took a lead role in developing the corporation’s defense strategies, developing experts, controlling defense and indemnity costs, and supervising outside counsel in more than 40 jurisdictions.
In addition to his trial and national counsel experience, Jim is also a frequent speaker at national litigation conferences. He has written several articles pertaining to issues relating to toxic tort litigation, defense and trial strategies, and expert challenges in multiple jurisdictions.
Admissions
- Texas
- Florida
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western, Northern, and Southern Districts of New York
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
Memberships
- Texas Bar College
- Defense Research Institute
- The Florida Bar
- State Bar of Texas
Community Involvement