Richard Willis is an accomplished trial lawyer with more than 35 years of experience practicing in the areas of product liability defense, environmental litigation, toxic torts, class actions and commercial litigation. He has acted as lead counsel in trials throughout the Southeast, and has argued appeals in Third, Fourth, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits and all state appellate courts in which he is admitted to practice.
Richard has served as lead counsel in catastrophic injury cases and significant business disputes for numerous corporate clients, including those in the communications industry, automotive and tire manufacturers, medical device manufacturers, retail distributors, pulp and paper companies, specialty chemical companies and consumer product manufacturers. Richard's case experiences include a wide variety of automotive and consumer products, involving disputes over the performance of large industrial equipment, Lanham Act and Unfair Trade Practice claims, construction defects, fire cause and origin claims and mass tort chemical exposure. Richard recently defended a medical device manufacturer against allegations of design defect, failure to warn and loss of consortium. He also acts as regional counsel for various manufacturing and corporate clients, directing the supervision and management of their cases.
Outside of the courtroom, Richard holds an adjunct professor position at the University of South Carolina, teaching trial advocacy. He is a regular writer and speaker on trial advocacy and product liability issues.