Lieff Cabraser attorney Mark Chalos testified in a hearing held by the Advisory Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference on Federal Civil Rules in Washington, D.C, this month regarding the proposed Federal Rule of Civil Procedure new rule 16.1, which would govern key aspects of the organization and case management of multidistrict litigations (MDL) in federal court. MDLs include the most complex and impactful civil lawsuits in the federal court system.
The Advisory Committee is tasked with drafting the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which govern civil lawsuits in all federal courts in the U.S. When proposing a new rule or an amendment to an existing rule, the Advisory Committee hears testimony from stakeholders and thought leaders from across the country.
Chalos’ testimony on January 16, 2024 (written comments found at pages 25-28), included a discussion of the proposed provisions relating to court appointed leadership of multidistrict litigations, as well as the interaction between the proposed rule and other existing federal rules.
Among Chalos’ comments, he noted that no two MDLs are exactly alike, and that flexibility within Federal Civil Rules permits the Courts to manage litigation in view of two guiding principles of the rules: justice and efficiency.
To learn more, see the draft document of changes to the Federal Civil Rules of Procedure for 2024.
About Mark Chalos
The Managing Partner of Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville office, Mark P. Chalos (twitter/X: @mpchalos) represents individuals who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries and families whose loved ones died due to the negligence or misconduct of others. In the national opioids litigation, Mark represents counties and cities across the U.S., as well as Native American Tribes and health benefit plans. Most recently, Mark served as trial counsel in the national bellwether trial on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, which resulted in a successful verdict for plaintiffs.
Mark has tried cases to juries and judges around the country. He serves in the leadership of numerous class actions and multidistrict litigations. He is Immediate Past-President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School teaching The Practice of Aggregate Litigation, a frequent speaker at legal seminars nationwide on a variety of civil litigation topics, and is regularly cited by top-tier media outlets.
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