Rebecca C. Fitzpatrick, '09: Honored as One of Law360's Rising Stars in the Category of Trials
Rising Star: Kirkland's Rebecca Fitzpatrick
Rebecca Fitzpatrick of Kirkland & Ellis LLP spearheaded a new approach for AbbVie Inc. in the third bellwether trial over the company’s testosterone gel product and secured the first complete defense verdict for the company in the massive multidistrict litigation, earning her a spot as one of five attorneys under age 40 honored as Law360's trials Rising Stars.
Her proudest moment:
Fitzpatrick was one of the leaders of the Kirkland team hired by AbbVie last year as it aimed to turn around its fortunes in the sprawling Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, which includes more than 6,000 pending cases against several pharmaceutical companies and alleges they failed to warn about the dangers of the products.
AbbVie had been hit with verdicts of $150 million and $140 million in the first two bellwether trials over its product AndroGel, and so switched firms to hire Kirkland only three months before the third trial, according to the firm. In January, an Illinois federal jury found completely for AbbVie in that third bellwether, and getting such a positive result in such a demanding circumstance was a career highlight, Fitzpatrick said.
"We had worked so hard for that and it was just a really great result for the client, for the litigation and for me personally, so that one really stands out,” she said.
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