Dean Omar Branham Shirley Named Finalist for Product Liability Practice Award

The National Law Journal and Law.com put Dallas-based firm in running for 2025 recognition

Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, a national plaintiffs firm, has been named a finalist in the product liability category of Law.com’s Elite Trial Lawyers Awards. The firm is one of six finalists, with winners to be announced July 10 in New York City.

The firm’s selection is based on a series of groundbreaking verdicts holding corporations accountable for asbestos exposure through talc-based products, including Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.

“The firm’s selection is a testament to the team we have here,” said partner Trey Branham. “Our work matters, the people we represent matter, and each of them deserves the very best of us.”

In 2024 alone, the firm secured several high-stakes verdicts for victims and their families, including:

• A $260 million verdict in Oregon for Kyung Lee, a 49-year-old mother of three diagnosed with mesothelioma after lifelong talc use. Jurors awarded $60 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages after finding Johnson & Johnson knowingly sold asbestos-contaminated products.
• A $63 million verdict in South Carolina for Michael Perry, a hospitality veteran diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma linked to Johnson & Johnson’s talc powder. The jury awarded $32.6 million in compensatory, and $30.7 million in punitive, damages.
• A $45 million verdict in Illinois for the family of Theresa Garcia, a mother of six who died from mesothelioma tied to decades of talc powder use.
• A $22.5 million verdict in Connecticut for Kathryn Barone, widow of an engineer exposed to asbestos-contaminated talc at a plastics plant, plus $7.5 million in punitive damages.
• A $15 million verdict in Connecticut for Evan Plotkin, a philanthropist and artist diagnosed with mesothelioma after years of personal talc use.

“These cases are about more than compensation. They’re about accountability,” said partner Jessica Dean, who was named to National Law Journal’s Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025. “We’re proud to stand up for individuals and families whose lives have been devastated by corporations prioritizing profits over safety.”

About Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP

Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, is a nationally recognized trial firm that handles cases across the country for individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries or have died as a result of the irresponsible conduct of others. For more information, please visit http://www.dobslegal.com.

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“These cases are about more than compensation. They’re about accountability,” said partner Jessica Dean. “We’re proud to stand up for individuals and families whose lives have been devastated by corporations prioritizing profits over safety.”