How Law Firms Can Successfully Navigate the Rapidly Evolving Legal Landscape

lane Prescott is a management consultant with MesaFive, LLC, (www.mesafive.com) and has more than 30 years of experience working with the legal profession. He works with law firms and in-house counsel throughout North America, Asia and Europe.

MesaFive, LLC is a boutique management consulting firm serving law firms and in house legal departments, and focuses on strategy, structure and growth.

Darren VanPuymbrouck is a Partner at Falkenberg Ives with an active nationwide trial practice. As first-chair, he has successfully tried dozens of high-profile complex commercial and tort-based cases, and argued appeals across the country. He also manages nation-wide, mass and class actions, setting trial strategy and litigation management and he advises clients on risk-avoidance and product and workplace safety issues.

Recently, he successfully completed a month-long jury trial as first-chair in Ocean County, New Jersey resulting in one of the largest verdicts in that county. In the fall of 2014, he successfully tried a lawsuit that resulted in a $22 Million verdict, among the top 100 verdicts nationally. Mr. VanPuymbrouck recently defeated a RICO class action claim in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and he has tried over 100 cases, taken thousands of expert and fact witness depositions, and successfully argued appeals in state and federal courts around the country.

Mr. VanPuymbrouck also advises, counsels, and conducts investigations for domestic and international clients on product safety, food safety and regulations, litigation exposure, and loss avoidance and in managing client's compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and in responding to CPSC investigations.

Mr. VanPuymbrouck’s practice focuses on product liability, toxic torts, food safety and regulations, insurance coverage disputes, contract negotiations, including UCC "battle of the forms" matters, consumer class actions, and RICO and professional liability disputes. He also has significant experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters through trial and appeal, including in commodity brokerage and trading and post-closing M & A disputes, Fair Housing Act Claims, real estate development disputes, and in many others areas.

Mr. VanPuymbrouck is the Chair of Falkenberg Ives’ Fire & Explosion Team and an internationally recognized leader in the investigation and litigation of catastrophic fire and explosion matters about which he is a frequent speaker. He also conducts emergency response exercises for clients in the petroleum, natural gas, electric generation and transmission, and transportation industries.

Mr. VanPuymbrouck received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government at the University of Washington where he was a Member of the Political Science Honors Program, Officer of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, and an intern at the Seattle Public Defenders Office. Mr. VanPuymbrouck was also a collegiate wrestler and academic All-American. He received his J.D. in 1986 from Loyola University of Chicago where he was an Editor of the Loyola Law Review and the recipient of the President’s Metal for outstanding leadership, scholarship, and service. Following law school, Mr. VanPuymbrouck was selected to clerk for Chief Judge William J. Bauer of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. VanPuymbrouck was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1986, he is a Member of the Norther District of Illinois Trial Bar, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and he has been admitted to practice in many other courts throughout the country.