Best Lawyers® Names Four WTO Partners 2013 Denver Lawyers of the Year

DENVER: Best Lawyers®, the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession, named Scott Barker as the "Denver Best Lawyers Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year," John Fitzpatrick as the "Denver Best Lawyers Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions Defense Lawyer of the Year," Kevin Kuhn as the "Denver Best Lawyers Medical Malpractice Law Defense Lawyer of the Year," and Michael O'Donnell as the "Denver Best Lawyers Product Liability Litigation Lawyer of the Year" for 2013.

Scott Barker has over 30 years of experience as a private practice litigator and has tried over 80 cases for international, national, and Western regional companies in industries as diverse as energy, manufacturing, construction, financial services, recreation, and technology. Scott focuses his practice on complex civil litigation and class-action lawsuits involving commercial, environmental, natural resources, product liability, toxic tort, and personal injury defense matters.

John "Fitz" Fitzpatrick has developed a reputation as the "go-to" defense trial attorney for high-exposure cases for both national and local clients with over 200 cases tried to verdict in 32 states, the vast majority of which resulted in a defense victory. Whether the case involves tragic birth-trauma claims or other catastrophic medical malpractice claims, allegations of product defects in asbestos, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or aviation, or chemical releases of toxic substances, Fitz has an unparalleled record of success.

Kevin Kuhn has extensive experience handling the defense of medical malpractice and professional liability matters and both the plaintiff and defense side of personal injury and product liability cases. He has tried over 125 cases, including 70 jury trials and over 55 bench trials.  His specialty is in defending medical malpractice cases involving physicians, dentists, oral surgeons, hospitals, nurses, and other healthcare providers.

A founder and the chairman of WTO, Mike O'Donnell's national practice focuses on complex civil litigation involving professional liability, product liability, torts, class actions, and commercial matters. He has appeared as lead counsel in state and federal courts in 25 states. His product liability work includes handling the defense of matters for Fortune 500 companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical, automotive, energy, construction, and manufacturing industries.

Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. Steven Naifeh, President of Best Lawyers®, says, "We continue to believe — as we have believed for over 30 years — that recognition by one's peers is the most meaningful form of praise in the legal profession."

Trial Tested™ Denver-based civil litigation firm Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell helps its clients resolve disputes that threaten their businesses, brands, products, people, and customers. WTO handles trials, appeals, arbitrations, and related areas of complex civil litigation, including class actions and multidistrict litigation, often as national or regional trial counsel, for many of the nation's best-known companies in a wide variety of industries.