Class action kings launch in New York

16 November 2005

Houston-based Lanier Law Firm has launched in New York with four lawyers, with the aim of expanding the presence to eclipse its headquarters within three years.

Officially opened today (16 November), the mid-town Manhattan office of the class action specialists will be overseen by resident head Richard Meadow, who will be supported by three attorneys and five administration staff.

Founding partner Mark Lanier said the firm hoped to rapidly increase the size of the office, with the “expectation to have that eclipse the size of our Houston office within three years.” The Houston office consists of 24 lawyers and 50 additional support staff.

Lanier plans to divide his time between Houston and New York to facilitate this expansion, which will focus on increasing the firm’s client litigation practice, including pharmaceutical, product liability and toxic tort claims.

The New York office is the firm’s second presence, after its Houston headquarters was launched in 1990.

Lanier shot to fame earlier this year, after winning a $253m verdict (the first in the US) against Merck & Co, the maker of Vioxx, an arthritis drug that was found to increase the risk of heart attack.