Greg Fowler is a partner in Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.’s Global Product Liability Group and co-chairs the SHB International Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice. He has extensive experience in the management and litigation of individual product liability claims and mass tort litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States and internationally in Asia, Australia and Western Europe. He has counseled U.S., Asian and European manufacturers on developments in products liability law and regulatory issues arising in those regions as well. He has represented U.S. and international clients in CPSC recalls. Greg has completed postings in the firm’s London office and in Melbourne, Australia.

Greg is the general editor and author of the book, INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT LIABILITY LAW – A Worldwide Desk Reference (Aspatore, 2004). He is a contributing editor of the book, Getting the Deal Through: Product Liability in 36 Jurisdiction Worldwide (Law Business Research Ltd., 2009). In 2008, he received a Burton Legal Writing Award for “Product Manufacturers, Take Heed: International Markets Bring International Regulatory Oversight, Safety Standards and Liability Concerns,” which was published in the January 2007 issue of the Bloomberg European Business Law Journal. He has been an invited speaker in the United States and internationally on issues relating to products liability litigation, product safety, international litigation, comparative law, general tort law and electronic discovery. He has published on these topics as well. He is also a co-founder of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Section of the ABA’s Torts/Products Liability Section. Greg is a member of the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and The Missouri Bar.

Greg has been recognized as an expert in the field of product liability law in:

• Expert Guides: Guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers (2007, 2009);
• Who's Who Legal - The International Who's Who of Product Liability Lawyers (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010);
• Benchmark, The Definitive Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys (2008, 2009, 2010).

United States Product Liability Litigation - Greg has represented the firm’s tobacco, pharmaceutical and product manufacturing clients in all phases of litigation since 1986. In tobacco litigation, he has represented Philip Morris and Lorillard Tobacco Company in individual lawsuits throughout the United States and was trial counsel in the first union trust fund class action reimbursement case, which resulted in a defense verdict in 1999 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He continues to manage and litigate individual cases and mass litigation for the firm’s tobacco, pharmaceutical and other product manufacturing clients.

United States Product Recalls - Greg has represented U.S. and international consumer product manufacturers in recalls before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and in related liability matters.

International Litigation and Regulatory Matters - Greg has managed litigation working directly with in-country counsel in the defense of products liability and other complex litigation in Australia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and various other countries. He has also counseled the firm’s clients and provided assistance with regard to regulatory issues, developments in products liability and product safety laws as well as other issues of significance, in Asia, Western Europe and North America.

Gregory L. Fowler, Marc Shelley & Silvia Kim, Emerging Trends in International Litigation: Class Actions, Litigation Funding and Punitive Damages, Dispute Resolution International (International Bar Association), October 2009, at 101 View

Mark A. Behrens, Gregory L. Fowler & Silvia Kim, Global Litigation Trends - Class Actions, Contingency Fees, and Punitive Damages: Moving Toward the American Civil Law Model?, 17 Mich. St. J. Int’l Law 165 (2009) View

Gregory L. Fowler (Contributing Editor), Getting the Deal Through: Product Liability in 36 Jurisdictions Worldwide (Law Business Research Ltd., 2009)

Gregory L. Fowler and Marc E. Shelley, United States, in Getting the Deal Through: Product Liability in 36 Jurisdictions Worldwide (Law Business Research Ltd., 2009) View

Gregory L. Fowler and Marc E. Shelley, International Coordinating Counsel: The Next Evolution of Litigation Management, 4:1 Bloomberg Corporate Law Journal, Winter 2009, at 194 View

Gregory L. Fowler and Diego Gandolfo, Class Actions in Latin America: A Report on Current Laws, Legislative Proposals and Initiatives, 1:1 Latin American Forum Newsletter (International Bar Association), Oct. 2008, at 72 View

Gregory L. Fowler (Contributing Editor), Getting the Deal Through: Product Liability in 36 Jurisdictions Worldwide (Law Business Research Ltd., 2008)

Gregory L. Fowler and Marc E. Shelley, International Coordinating Counsel: The Next Evolution of Litigation Management, 2:21 Bloomberg Law Reports: Litigation, May 27, 2008, at 2 View

Gregory L. Fowler & Simon J. Castley, Global Trade and Regulatory Oversight: Are Uniform Product Safety Standards on the Horizon?, Product Law and Advertising Newsletter (International Bar Association), May 2008, at 16 View

Steve Vockrodt (quoting Gregory Fowler), International Services Group Adds to Shook, Hardy's Scope, Kansas City Business Journal, March 21-27, 2008, at 4 View

Gregory L. Fowler, Trends in US Product Liability Law 2007, Product Law and Advertising (Vol. 15, No. 2), October 2007 View

Luiz Migliora, Walter Cofer and Gregory L. Fowler, Trial and Error: Class Actions in Brazil and the US, and the Global Trends, LATINLAWYER (Vol. 6, Issue 8), September 2007 View

Gregory L. Fowler, Samuel B. Sebree II, and Marc E. Shelley, Seeking Discovery in U.S. Courts to Aid in Foreign Proceedings, DRI Europe eNews, September 2007 View

C. Douglas Goins, Jr., William L. Allinder and Gregory L. Fowler, A Framework for Managing Mass-Tort Litigation, DRI's In-House Defense Quarterly, Summer 2007 View

C. Douglas Goins, Jr., Gregory L. Fowler, and Taavi Annus, Regulating Contractors in War Zones: A Preemptive Strike on Problems in Government Contracts, Thomas West Briefing Papers (Second Series), February 2007 View

Gregory L. Fowler and Simon J. Castley, Product Manufacturers, Take Heed: International Markets Bring International Regulatory Oversight, Safety Standards and Liability Concerns, Bloomberg European Business Law Journal (Vol. 1), Winter 2007 View

Gregory L. Fowler and Simon J. Castley, Product Manufacturers, Take Heed: International Markets Bring International Regulatory Oversight, Safety Standards and Liability Concerns, Bloomberg Corporate Law Journal (Vol. 2), Winter 2007 View

Gregory L. Fowler, Globalization of Product Regulation and Product Liability Risk, Joint International Conference (DRI, IADC and FDCC), 2006

Gregory L. Fowler and Andrew Carpenter, Legal Issues for Managers: Product Liability: 8 Steps to Minimize Your Exposure, Aspatore Books/Books 24x7 (2005)

Gregory L. Fowler, International Product Liability Law – A Worldwide Desk Reference, Aspatore Books (2004)

Greg has lectured on products liability, product safety, international litigation, comparative law, general tort and electronic discovery issues in the United States and overseas, including before the United States Library of Congress, the Products Liability Advisory Council, Defense Research Institute, International Association of Defense Council, among others.

Recent representative public lectures include the following:

"Trends in Global Food Litigation: Class Actions and Collective Redress," Grocery Manufacturers Association's 2010 Food Claims & Litigation Conference: Emerging Issues in Food-Related Litigation, Austin, Texas, February 23-25, 2010

"Lessons Learned From Children’s Toys," Session on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CSPIA) at the International Bar Association Annual Meeting, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 16, 2008

"Foreign Policy and the 2008 Election: Congressional View," Congressional panel for the International Relations Counsel, Overland Park, Kansas, May 12, 2008

"From Here to China -- Domestic and Foreign Supply Chain Issues," Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, January 10, 2008

"Doing Business with China," Enterprise Bank & Trust and Shook, Hardy & Bacon's Leadership Day 2007: Paving a Path to Excellence, Overland Park, Kansas, November 13, 2007

"Class Actions: United States, Brazil and International," Presentation for AMCHAM Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, June 21, 2007

"Class Actions: United States, Brazil and International," Presentation for AMCHAM Brasil, Sao Paulo, June 20, 2007

“International Risk Management,” Fourth Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, January 2007

“Product Regulation & Product Liability (North America, Europe & Latin America),” Joint International Conference (DRI, IADC, FDCC), Miami, Florida, May 2006

“U.S. Product Liability Law and Effective Ways to Reduce U.S. Product Liability Risk,” Hawksmere Product Liability Conference, London, England, April 2006

“E-Discovery Obligations and Emerging Issues” E-Discovery Seminar/CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, November, 2005

“International Litigation Risk Assessment – Overview of Differences between Civil and Common Law Jurisdictions,” Latin American Litigation Conference, Coral Gables/Miami, Florida, November 2005

“Coordination of Global Defenses and Discovery,” Product Liability Advisory Council Conference, San Francisco, California, October 2005

“Legal Briefing on International Product Liability Law,” Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., June 2004

Greg has also presented on these topics throughout the world including in the following locations:

• Beijing, China
• Hong Kong
• Lausanne, Switzerland
• London, England
• Madrid, Spain
• Melbourne, Australia
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Munich, Germany
• Paris, France
• Seoul, Korea
• Shanghai, China
• Sydney, Australia
• Tokyo, Japan

In 2008, Greg and co-author Simon Castley received the prestigious Burton Legal Writing Award in the Law Firm category for their article “Product Manufacturers, Take Heed: International Markets Bring International Regulatory Oversight, Safety Standards and Liability Concerns,” which was published in the January 2007 issue of the Bloomberg European Business Law Journal. The Burton Awards program honors attorney authors who use plain, clear and concise language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese.

Greg is admitted to practice before the state courts of Missouri and Iowa, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the Southern District of Iowa and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits.

1983   J.D., with Distinction, University of Iowa School of Law

1980   B.A., with Honors, University of Iowa

Greg has taken the “Think Globally, Act Locally” slogan to heart. In the 1990s, Greg was active in his neighborhood homes association board of directors acting as board member, officer and ultimately president. More recently, Greg has joined the board of the International Relations Council (2007-date), the mission of which is to provide “outstanding regional leadership in world-affairs education” and to “build a community that is internationally engaged and a responsible force for shaping America’s role in the world.” Greg has also been involved and served on boards of various other not-for-profit organizations.

Fowler