D'Lesli M. Davis
Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare, US and Co-Head of Product Liability and Consumer Disputes, US
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
D'Lesli's practice focuses on the representation of pharmaceutical and medical device clients in high stakes litigation in state and federal courts across the country, in MDLs and consolidated proceedings, governmental actions, commercial, economic loss, and product liability matters. Whether it be contentious trial and discovery battles against some of the most highly successful representatives of the plaintiff's bar in some of the country's most difficult jurisdictions, heading up national pharmacovigilance teams defending drug safety decisions, or working on complex resolution programs, D'Lesli brings tireless preparation, outside-the-box thinking and a dynamic approach to her cases. D'Lesli believes strong relationships with in-house counsel ensure not only a fulsome understanding of the client's definition of success, but the strongest foundation from which to best achieve it.
D'Lesli has served in some of the most significant recent pharmaceutical and medical device litigation in the country, including Valsartan, Irbesartan and Losartan, Proton Pump Inhibitors, Actos, and vaginal mesh. She has represented Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, and McKesson, among others. She has served as national MDL counsel, national trial counsel, and national head of pharmacovigilance teams. In addition to working up complex defense strategy, she prepares company witnesses for significant depositions, works with critical experts, and goes to trial in big cases. She has extensive experience coordinating and defending cases raising all manner of complaints about company drugs and practices, including breach of warranty, deceptive trade practices, fraud on the FDA, RICO violations, consumer fraud, failure to warn, whistleblower, manufacturing and design defect, improper sales and marketing practices, medical monitoring, pharmacovigilance and drug safety failures. She has defended cases brought by Attorneys General, Third Party Payers, Consumers, Indian Nations, and Personal Injury Plaintiffs. D'Lesli additionally has significant trial experience in complex commercial, copyright, entertainment and First Amendment matters.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, with honors, The University of Texas Law School, 1990
BBA, Accounting, Baylor University, 1986
D'Lesli was a member of the Order of the Coif and participated in the Capital Punishment Clinic. She is admitted to practice in Texas and Tennessee, the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, the Middle District of Tennessee, and the 5th and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeals
- New York State Bar
- Tennessee State Bar
- Texas State Bar
D'Lesli's experience includes representation of the following:
- Major pharmaceutical company in multiple million and billion dollar failure to warn cases pending in Las Vegas; unanimous defense jury verdicts obtained
- Major pharmaceutical company as national coordinating and trial counsel in multiple pharmaceutical economic loss cases including RICO, consumer fraud, consumer protection, subrogation and other suits
- Major pharmaceutical company as national head of Pharmacovigilance discovery and witness preparation team
- Major pharmaceutical company as trial counsel in MDL proceeding
- Multiple pharmaceutical companies in design defect and failure to warn products liability claims in MDLs and consolidated cases across the country
- National medical device company as part of national counsel team in mass tort litigation matters
- Major medical device company in manufacturing defect cases
- International medical device entity in defense and indemnification matters
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2019 Lawyers of the Year, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Best Lawyers, 2019
- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2017 – 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Health Care, Best Lawyers, 2021 – 2025
- The Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Best Lawyers, 2017 - 2025
- Legal 500 US, Recommended Lawyer, Product liability, mass tort and class actions: toxic tort - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices, The Legal 500, 2020 – 2024
- Legal 500 US, Recommended Lawyer, Healthcare: Life sciences, The Legal 500, 2020 – 2024
- Legal 500 US, Recommended Lawyer, Healthcare: Service providers, The Legal 500, 2023 – 2024
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon, 2024 - 2025
- ACI, 2015, New York City "The Reptile Strategy: Preparing Company Witnesses for Deposition"
- Dallas Bar Association
- Member DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar
- Member DIA, Drug Information Association
- Texas State Bar - Sports & Entertainment Section Former Chair
- Board member, OPEN, Inc.
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