 Practice Areas Mr. Peterson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma, both engineering honor societies. In 1984, he received his J.D. cum laude, also from the University of Missouri—Columbia, graduating Order of the Coif. He was a member of the Missouri Law Review and the National Moot Court Team, and is the author of "Stacking of Uninsured Motorist Coverage", 49 Mo. L. Rev. 571 (1984). He received the Ike Skelton Advocacy Award for best trial attorney, and was the recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards in Evidence, Contracts, Criminal Law I, Criminal Law II and Constitutional Law. Mr. Peterson formerly was a partner with Shook, Hardy & Bacon, an international litigation defense firm currently having over 500 lawyers, where he practiced law throughout the United States. Prior to founding Peterson & Associates, P.C., he defended major corporations against catastrophic complex products liability claims. Knowing how major corporations defend themselves creates a tremendous advantage in preparing for trial and shaping plaintiffs’ cases to greatly enhance success at trial. Mr. Peterson handles cases from coast-to-coast. A background in engineering has proven invaluable in handling technical products liability litigation as well as mass tort pharmaceutical and medical device cases. He has been part of many successful mass tort and Multi District Court (MDL) litigations, having successfully resolved thousands of cases against pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Mr. Peterson currently serves by court appointment as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for the Digitek® Multi District Litigation MDL No.1968 pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. He also serves by court appointment on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for the coordinated Rhode Island State Court Kugel Mesh Patch litigation and on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (PEC) for the California Coordinated Ortho-Evra® litigation. In addition to mass tort litigation involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices such as: Mr. Peterson also handles individual catastrophic personal injury cases. Recently, he was involved in the trial of a catastrophic tractor trailer accident, which resulted in a $15 million dollar verdict followed swiftly by an $l8 million dollar settlement. He also handles environmental contamination cases representing people who have developed leukemia, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other cancers or tumors. Peterson & Associates, P.C. has collected over a quarter of a billion dollars on behalf of its clients. For the last four years in a row, Mr. Peterson has been voted by his peers to be included in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® He has also been rated by his peers as an A-V lawyer, the very highest rating possible as awarded by Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, he has been selected for membership in the American Trial Lawyers Association, a national organization composed of the top l00 trial lawyers from each state. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has obtained many judgments and/or verdicts well in excess of one million dollars. Mr. Peterson is also a member of the Leaders Forum of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers (MATA), the Missouri Bar Association, the Minnesota Bar Association, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA), and is a member of various federal and appellate courts.
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