40 Under Forty 2021

2021

ANDREW LOTHSON

Andy has natural instincts beyond his years and is an exceptionally bright and creative attorney.”

A ndrew Lothson doesn’t hesitate to take on the biggest cases. During his still-young career, he has represented cor- porate clients in more than 35 state and federal trial courts throughout the United States. He’s also handled federal appeals in the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits. But Lothson hasn’t succeeded only in the courtroom. He also counsels his clients on ways to mitigate their risk to avoid litigation and navigate often com- plex regulations at the local, state and federal level. And no matter how Lothson is assisting his clients, his peers say that this corpo- rate litigation specialist relies on creative thinking to solve the most complicated of problems facing his clients. “Andy is an exceptional litigator and trial and courtroom lawyer,” said Lem Montgomery, an partner with the Jack- son, Mississippi, office of Butler Snow. “I have personally witnessed Andy doing a masterful job working up product liabili- ty cases and winning for his clients, many times on motion practice.” Montgomery pointed to a recent case as an example of Lothson’s legal talents. Loth- son argued an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Montgomery said that Lothson excelled in this case. “Andy has natural instincts beyond his years and is an exceptionally bright and creative attorney,” Montgomery said. Craig Meredith, a general counsel in the Southeast, has worked closely with Loth- son, calling on him for legal assistance when his organization faces high-stakes litigation. In one case, a subsidiary faced an

emotionally charged lawsuit involving mul- tiple casualties and requests for industry altering injunctive relief. Lothson won a dismissal at the outset of the case and the subsidiary was awarded attorneys’ fees. “Andy is a tremendous speaker and educator, which makes him very skilled at oral arguments or in front of a jury,” Mer- edith said. Robert Hoy, a shareholder with Ohns- tad Twichell in West Fargo, North Dako- ta, first met Lothson in 2018, when Hoy served as local counsel for a well-known product manufacturer. Lothson served as lead counsel on the case, also represent- ing the manufacturer. Hoy said that Lothson played a key role in earning a dismissal against their client in 2020. “It was apparent to me that Andy had a great deal of knowledge and experience in defending product liability cases,” Loth- son said. “Through the depositions he took, we were able to establish our client was not at fault, resulting in a dismissal of the seven-figure case against our client.” Lothson also has extensive experience drafting critical briefs and motions at the pre-trial and post-trial stages, which have resulted in numerous published decisions in jurisdictions across the country. As an example, Lothson has developed and executed client strategy on a litany of complex issues ranging from class certifi- cation, Daubert challenges, trade secrets, e-discovery, product recalls and punitive damages defense to constitutional chal- lenges and federal preemption. Whether at the trial or appellate level, resolving complex matters with favorable results has become a hallmark of Andy’s practice.

FIRM Swanson, Martin & Bell

LAW SCHOOL Northern Illinois University College of Law

AREA OF PRACTICE Complex civil litigation

40 Under Forty 2021 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN