backAUSTIN and HOUSTON, September 11, 2024 – King & Spalding announced today that a four-partner team comprising Kim Bueno, Amy Pepke, Christopher Cowan and Tara Blake has joined the firm’s Product Liability and Mass Torts practice group.
“This team is one of the preeminent product liability and mass tort trial teams in the country, with an impeccable reputation and the record of success in high-profile cases to back it up,” said Tracie Renfroe, co-leader of the firm’s Product Liability and Mass Torts practice group. “We’ve worked alongside Kim and her team on many cases and know first-hand that their skills and experience will both expand and enhance our top-tier product liability practice and trial capabilities firmwide.”
Bueno and her team have served as trial counsel in high-profile pharmaceutical and medical device cases in courtrooms across the country and also have a robust issues, appeals, and motions practice advising clients on complex legal issues and appeals in the mass torts space. They join King & Spalding from Butler Snow. Bueno and Cowan are based in Austin. Pepke and Blake are based in Houston.
“Kim and her team are a great addition to our firm and trial practice and a fantastic example of our continued growth in Texas,” said Mike Stenglein, managing partner of the firm’s Austin office. “We are excited about the many synergies between their practice and ours that we will be able to take advantage of from day one, as well as the substantial opportunities for collaboration and further growth into sectors beyond pharmaceuticals and medical devices, such as technology.”
“King & Spalding is an ideal platform for our team due to its outstanding product liability practice, stellar trial pedigree and its national and international reach,” Bueno commented. “Chris, Amy, Tara and I have always admired the firm’s impressive portfolio of high-profile cases and victories in high-stakes product liability disputes, and the fact that we have worked closely with so many partners here and share many common clients makes the firm an ideal place for us to expand our practice. We could not be more excited about this next chapter.”
Kim Bueno
Bueno is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes, complex commercial litigation. She focuses primarily on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, having served as trial counsel in high-profile cases throughout the country. Bueno is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is ranked in both Chambers USA and The Legal 500 US. She obtained her J.D. with high honors from The University of Texas School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Southern Methodist University.
Amy Pepke
Pepke is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer and has spent more than 20 years representing clients in high-stakes class and mass-action disputes, particularly in the area of product liability and healthcare litigation. She previously served as Butler Snow’s chair of the Appellate and Written Advocacy Group. She earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, Order of the Coif, and her B.A. from Spring Hill College, with honors.
Christopher Cowan
Cowan is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses on defense of product liability claims. He also has experience representing clients in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters. He received his J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, Order of the Coif, and his B.S. from Northwestern University.
Tara Blake
Blake represents pharmaceutical and medical device companies in product liability litigation across the country, with experience in all aspects of mass tort litigation. She is a trial lawyer with particular experience preparing and defending company witnesses, expert witnesses and 30(b)(6) representatives throughout the full life cycle of a matter, including at trial. She earned her J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, Order of the Coif, and her B.S. from Furman University.
About King & Spalding
King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,300 lawyers in 24 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and consistently earns recognition for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.
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