Rick is a member in the firm’s national Asbestos and Toxic Tort Practice Group. He has focused his practice on the defense of asbestos claims since 2000, defending premises owners, non-manufacturing suppliers, and manufacturers of industrial equipment, friction products, and electrical components. Rick’s product liability experience includes the defense of manufacturers of tires, automotive components, lawnmowers, forestry equipment, skid-steer loaders and pharmaceuticals.

In his current role, Rick is a member of the National Coordinating Counsel team for a client in asbestos litigation, which includes the management of thousands of cases pending in 25 states across the country. In this position, he is responsible for the development of expert witnesses in various disciplines including industrial hygiene, medical causation, and technical scientific areas, coordination and answering of discovery for all jurisdictions, and training of local counsel in various jurisdictions on technical aspects of the client’s product line, legal defenses available to the company, and strategies for effective depositions of plaintiffs. Additionally, he plays an active role in the defense of the client in Michigan.

Rick is a registered lobbyist agent with the State of Michigan. He has advocated on behalf of clients at the Michigan Legislature and has engaged in pro bono lobbying activities at the state and federal level.

In June 2015 Rick attended the Harvard Negotiation Institute at Harvard Law School. The coursework, including negotiation case studies and mock negotiations, provided a theoretical framework for legal and business negotiation as well as practical challenges – ranging from complex negotiations with multiple parties to situations involving difficult people and behaviors – and the strategies for overcoming them.