Biography • Life Sciences - Product Liability

Shook, Hardy & Bacon partner Scott Sayler has more than 25 years of litigation experience. Scott's practice is devoted exclusively to litigation, and he has focused primarily on the representation of product manufacturers and other defendants involved in products liability and commercial litigation.

Scott joined SHB in 1987 following a judicial clerkship on the US Court of Appeals for the eighth circuit. Scott's practice has involved all facets of the litigation process. He has managed and litigated large groups of cases on both a regional and national scale. He has tried products liability and tort cases in state and federal courts throughout the country and has presented arguments in appellate courts. In the area of pharmaceutical and medical device products liability litigation, Scott has defended manufacturers of numerous products, including IUDs, diabetes drugs, anti-seizure drugs, implantable contraceptives, intraocular lenses, contraceptive sponges, ophthalmic products, prostaglandins, anesthesia drugs and statin drugs.

Scott frequently publishes and speaks on litigation topics, and he has played a leadership role in various professional organisations and activities. Scott currently serves as chair of the Defense Research Institute's drug and medical device committee, and he served as the programme chair of the DRI's 2008 and 2009 drug and medical device annual seminar. Scott has co-chaired the mass torts subcommittee and the pharmaceutical and medical device subcommittee to the ABA's products liability committee, and he is a former chair of the Annual Meeting of the ABA's products liability committee. Scott has made presentations before all of these organisations. Scott has also made presentations for, or is an active member of, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the Drug Information Association and other organisations.

Scott has been recognised in numerous professional directories, including The Best Lawyers in America (personal injury litigation); Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (nationwide products liability; "a great mind and a wonderful presentation style"); The Legal 500 US (product liability and mass tort defence: pharmaceuticals and medical devices; "rising star" and "master strategist"); Benchmark: America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys ("litigation star"); Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Life Science Lawyers; Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers; Expert Guides: Guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers; Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers; Super Lawyers: Corporate Counsel Edition; and Best Lawyers in Kansas City.

Scott has litigated several hundred individual and class action product liability cases. He has tried lawsuits and arbitrated cases in state and federal courts in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York and Oklahoma. He has coordinated the defence of nationwide mass tort litigations and served on regional counsel trial teams for numerous product manufacturers. Scott's appellate experience includes arguing before the Missouri Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court.

Scott has represented product manufacturers and other parties in various commercial disputes, including contract and tort-based disputes between former joint venture partners, licensor-licensee litigation and defamation actions. Scott has also defended actions involving individual and putative class action claims brought by individuals and third-party payers.

Scott received his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law and his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas.

Biography • Product Liability Defence

Mr Sayler is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon with over 24 years of litigation experience. His practice is devoted exclusively to litigation, and he has focused primarily on the representation of product manufacturers and other defendants involved in products liability and commercial litigation.

Mr Sayler joined SHB in 1987 following a judicial clerkship on the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. His practice has involved all facets of the litigation process. He has managed and litigated large groups of cases on both a regional and national scale. He has tried products liability and tort cases in state and federal courts throughout the country and has presented arguments in appellate courts. In the area of pharmaceutical and medical device products liability litigation, Mr Sayler has defended manufacturers of numerous products, including IUDs, diabetes drugs, anti-seizure drugs, implantable contraceptives, intraocular lenses, contraceptive sponges, ophthalmic products, prostaglandins, anesthesia drugs, statin drugs and various non-medical consumer products.

Mr Sayler frequently publishes and speaks on litigation topics, and he has played a leadership role in various professional organisations and activities. He currently serves as chair of the Defense Research Institute's drug and medical device committee, and he served as the programme chair of the DRI's 2008 and 2009 Drug and Medical Device Annual Seminar. Mr Sayler has co-chaired the mass torts subcommittee and the pharmaceutical and medical device subcommittee to the ABA's products liability committee, and he is a former chair of the annual meeting of the ABA's products liability committee. Mr Sayler has made presentations before all of these organisations. Mr Sayler has also made presentations for, or is an active member of, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the Drug Information Association and other organisations.

Mr Sayler has been recognised in numerous professional directories, including the following: Expert Guides: Guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers; The Best Lawyers in America (personal injury litigation); Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (nationwide products liability; 'a great mind and a wonderful presentation style'); The Legal 500 (product liability and mass tort defence: pharmaceuticals and medical devices; 'rising star' and 'master strategist'); Benchmark: America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys ('Litigation Star'); Who's Who Legal - The International Who's Who of Life Science Lawyers; Who's Who Legal - The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers; LMG Life Sciences 2012; Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers; Super Lawyers: Corporate Counsel Edition; and Best Lawyers in Kansas City.

Mr Sayler has litigated several hundred individual and class action products liability cases. He has tried lawsuits and arbitrated cases in state and federal courts in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma and Utah. He has coordinated the defence of nationwide mass tort litigations and served on regional counsel trial teams for numerous product manufacturers. Mr Sayler's appellate experience includes serving as a federal appellate court judicial clerk and arguing before several appellate courts.

Mr Sayler has represented product manufacturers and other parties in various commercial disputes, including contract and tort-based disputes between former joint venture partners, licensor-licensee litigation and defamation actions. He has also defended actions involving individual and putative class action claims brought by individuals and third-party payors.