Allison Brown (Courtesy photo)

Weil, Gotshal & Manges partner Allison Brown has joined Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom as a partner in its mass torts, insurance and consumer litigation group in New York.

Brown, an American Lawyer litigator of the week in both March 2019 and October 2018, is known for her representation of Johnson & Johnson, defending the company against allegations that asbestos contamination of baby powder caused cancers in various plaintiffs.

In an interview, Brown said she has had a busy year, but that didn't delay or speed up her move to Skadden. "There is nothing magical about the timing. I have been fortunate to be busy over the last year, and it just finally came together," she said.

When asked if she would continue working with Johnson & Johnson after her move, Brown said that she couldn't comment on the work she will be doing in the future at Skadden.

While she could not comment on whether specific clients would move with her, she said, "generally, it was my hope that I will continue to do the work I have been" doing.

Brown added in a statement that she has had the opportunity to work with a number of Skadden attorneys through the years and that she was excited to join Skadden's "impressive partnership, working alongside some of the best in the profession."

Brown secured a defense win for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey in March. It was part of five J&J had between November 2018 and March 2019, when it had two victories in California, two in New Jersey and one in South Carolina.

She also won a case for Johnson & Johnson in October 2018 while working with Weil partner Diane Sullivan in New Jersey state court. The pair secured a favorable verdict for the defense in the same court that had previously awarded a different plaintiff against Johnson & Johnson $117 million (neither Sullivan nor Brown were counsel on the previous case).

Johnson & Johnson has been in the news again in the past week for its announcement that it was recalling 30,000 units of baby powder suspected of asbestos contamination, a point the plaintiff's attorneys were quick to argue was an admission of liability. Brown said she was unable to comment on the new events.

Johnson & Johnson has been just one of Brown's large corporate clients. She also has represented a variety of clients in the pharmaceutical and personal products industries, including Pfizer, GSK, Bausch & Lomb and Philip Morris, to name a few, according to her Weil profile. 

For Philip Morris, she was an integral part of the team that secured a defense verdict against a claim brought by 37 St. Louis hospitals against six tobacco companies, claiming more than $455 million dollars in economic damages, according to her Weil profile.

"Alli's extensive experience in the courtroom is an excellent fit for our firm," David Zornow, global head of Skadden's litigation/controversy practices, said in a statement.

A Weil representative didn't return a request seeking comment.

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