The products liability group at Williams & Connolly uses creativity, not size — it has 30 attorneys — to represent some of the biggest names in pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Lawyers at the Washington, D.C.-based firm, whose clients include Merck, Pfizer and Medtronic, find “creative ways to approach things so that they are on a track most favorable for the client,” said Heidi Hubbard, co-chair of the firm's products practice.

In 360 lawsuits coordinated in multidistrict litigation against Pfizer, Joe Petrosinelli, the group's other co-chair, used the innovative approach of convincing plaintiffs' lawyers to limit initial discovery to the scientific research and experts behind allegations that erectile dysfunction prescription Viagra caused skin cancer. In exchange, plaintiffs didn't have to provide individual fact sheets about their clients.