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Ford Loker is a principal in the Baltimore office. He maintains a general litigation practice concentrating in mass tort and industry-wide litigation, as well as matters involving class actions, products liability, negligence and insurance. He has represented a wide variety of defendants in asbestos personal injury and property damage litigation in Maryland and nationally since 1981. He has tried dozens of civil jury trials to verdict in cases lasting from a week to nearly seven months. He has briefed and argued over 60 reported appellate decisions. In recognition of his accomplishments, the Keene Corporation in 1990 bestowed its first "Lawyer of the Year" award on Mr. Loker. He has handled numerous asbestos appeals, including the seminal case on sufficiency of exposure evidence, Lohrmann v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp., 782 F. 2d 1156 (4th Cir. 1986). He has been retained as an expert witness in lawsuits arising out of asbestos claims concerning the reasonableness of settlements in both personal injury and asbestos-in-public-buildings cases. He currently serves as the National Asbestos Litigation Coordinating Counsel for a former producer of asbestos-containing materials, and in that capacity has negotiated several "mass" settlements. Before entering private practice, Mr. Loker served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City and a member of the Criminal Appeals and Investigations Section of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. Mr. Loker has written and lectured extensively in the fields of trial tactics, appellate advocacy and asbestos medicine. Practice Areas: Commercial & Business Litigation Mass Torts / Environmental Asbestos/Occupational Exposures Class Actions Mold/Sick Buildings/Indoor Air Quality Products Liability Industrial Machinery Litigation Medical Malpractice, Medical Products & Health Care Bar Admissions/Court Admissions:District of Columbia Maryland United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States District Court for the District of Maryland United States Supreme Court Education:University of Maryland School of Law, J.D. 1973, with Honors. University of Virginia School of Law, 1969-1970, (transferred due to military service). College of the Holy Cross, A.B. 1969. Affiliations, Associations and Special Achievements: American Bar Association: (1983-1995) Bar Association of Baltimore City: (1984-1996) Defense Research Institute: Annual Meeting Planning Committee; Industrywide Litigation Committee (Steering Committee, Editor of committee publication); Products Liability Committee; State Representative for Maryland; Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Committee International Association of Defense Counsel: (1995-1998) Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc.: President (1995-1996); Vice President (1994-1995); Secretary (1993-1994); Treasurer (1992-1993); Executive Board Member (1985-2005); The Defense Line, Editor (1985-1987) Maryland State Bar Association: (1981-present) Publications: Distinguishing Between Asbestosis and Silicosis: A Lawyer's Primer on the Proper Diagnosis of Each Disease, MIM Reporter, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (June 2005). Proof of Product Exposure in Asbestos Litigation: The DeMinimis Rule, Products Liability Commentary & Cases, Vol.1, No. 5 (September 1986). Speaking Engagements: A Case of Mistaken Identity: Defense of the Misdiagnosed Mesothelioma, DRI Asbestos Medicine Seminar (November 2003). Asbestos In Buildings Seminar, DRI, Expert Witnesses (January 1992). Asbestos Medicine Seminar, DRI, Asbestos Exposure and Lung Cancer (October 1994). Expert Testimony in Trial Practice in Maryland, National Business Institute (November 1995). Industry-wide Complex Litigation Claims Seminar, DRI, Punitive Damages (February 1999). Managing Electronic Communications, Lorman Education Services Seminar on Document Retention and Destruction (12/16/03, 10/28/04 and 12/07/04). National Trends in Punitive Damages: Will Campbell make a difference Beyond the Beltway, American Chemistry Council - Tort Litigation Group (October 2003). Product Reformulation and Spoliation Issues, DRI, Asbestos Personal Injury Litigation Seminar (November 1999). The Importance of Product Identification, Mealey's Asbestos 101 Conference, Chicago, IL (July 22 - 23, 2004). Nine Day Trial Advocacy Course - Expert Witnesses, MICPEL (1995-2000). Trial Advocacy Programs, USF&G and St. Paul Insurance (1999-2001). | 