Biography
Will Auther is a trial lawyer in the firm's product liability and business litigation practice areas. He has served in various leadership roles within the firm including service on the firm's Management and Technology Committees.
Helping businesses defend their technology is one of Will's strengths. Will's client work focuses predominantly on complex business litigation including the defense of product liability claims, dealer/vendor disputes, contract disputes, and financial litigation. His clients cross the entire spectrum of industries from transportation, chemical, pharmaceutical, mechanical, high tech start-ups, banking and finance. As select examples, Will's representations include:
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Trial counsel, in both first and second chair roles, on multi-million dollar exposure cases resulting in defense verdicts
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Defending manufacturers in consumer fraud class actions
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Managing national portfolios of cases, reducing case counts to lowest levels in years
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Successfully representing parties in multi-million dollar contract disputes.
Education
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Santa Clara University School of Law,
J.D.,
1992
cum laude
Dean's List
School of Law Merit Scholarship, Fall 1991 -
Santa Clara University,
B.S.,
1989
cum laude
Dean's List
Combined Sciences, Emphasis in Chemistry and Biology
Court Admissions
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U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1992
Memberships and Affiliations
Defense Research Institute
Products Liability Section
American Bar Association
Litigation Section
Arizona Association of Defense Counsel
Board of Directors (2004-2008)
State Bar of Arizona, Trial Practice Section, Executive Council (2004-Present)
President (2008-2009); Civil Jury Instructions Committee (2001-2004)
Arizona College of Trial Advocacy
Faculty (2004-Present) and Co-Chair (2008)
Arizona Town Hall
Maricopa County Bar Association
Distinctions
Top 5 Defense Verdicts in 2006, Arizona Attorney Magazine
"Forty Under 40", The Phoenix Business Journal 2004
Volunteer Lawyers' Program, Volunteer Lawyer of the Month, 1995
Classes and Seminars Taught
Narouz v. Charter Comm., LLC (9th Cir. Jan. 15, 2010) The Instant Impact on Litigators and the Effect of Settling with the Class Representative on the Appealability of Class Certification Denial (with Robert L. Wise and Pamela J. Roberts), ExecSense Webinars, February 19, 2010
Taking and Defending Effective Depositions in Arizona, Faculty, Lorman, 2008
Everything You Need to Know About Settlements in Arizona, Facutly, The Ins and Outs of Minor Settlements, National Business Institute, 2008
Expert Deposition Techniques, Faculty, National Business Institute, 2008
Taking and Defending Expert Depositions, National Business Institute, 2008
Best Practices in Product Liablity Trials, Faculty, National Business Institute, 2007
Arizona Trial College, Faculty
Emerging Issues in Automotive Product Liability, Faculty, Mock Trial, American Bar Association, 2005
Arizona Product Liability Law, Faculty, National Business Institute, 2004
Cross Examination of Experts, National Business Institute, 2004
Civil Jury Instructions, Faculty, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention, 2003 - 2004
What Lawyers Can Learn From Actors - Storytelling, Seminar Chair, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention, 2008
Significance and Proper Use of Voir Dire, Seminar Chair, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention, 2008
Representative Clients
General Motors Corporation
American Honda Motor, Inc.
Nissan North America, Inc.
Representative Cases
CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.
CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE.
Armed Forces Insurance Exchange v. Nissan, Pima County, Tucson, AZ (2007)
Brethauer v. General Motors Corporation, ICA-CV07-0530 (Ct. App. 2006)
Ogozaly v. Honda, Lackawanna County, PA (2005)
Castano v. GM, Phoenix, AZ (2000)
Osborn v. Honda, Jasper County, Texas (2000)
Wagner v. Saab, Maricopa County, AZ (2000)
LeFaivre v. Crown, Maricopa County, AZ (1998)
Flores v. Crown, Maricopa County, AZ (1998)
Larson v. Nissan Motor Corp., 194 Ariz. 142, 978 P.2d 119 (Ct. App. 1998)
Greismer v. Nissan, Pima County, AZ (1997)
Florez v. Sargeant, 185 Ariz. 521, 917 P.2d 250 (1995)
Published Works
"Nothing’s Over Until We Decide It Is - How Settling with Class Representatives Impacts Class-Certification Denial Appeals" (with Robert L. Wise), In-House Defense Quarterly, Summer 2010
"New Guidance on the Enforceability of Limitation of Liability Provisions," Critical Path, Summer 2009 (Co-Author)
"Preemption as a First Line of Defense Against State Law Tort Claims for Product Liability Defendants?" Association of Corporate Counsel, Arizona Chapter, First Quarter, 2009
"Citizen's Suits, Arizona Environmental Law Manual," State Bar of Arizona, 1994
"Cross-Border Environmental Law Enforcement"
"Arbitration Agreements: When Will They be Enforced?"
"Removal to Federal Court: When Does the Time Begin to Run?"