John Goodson
Here are profiles of the 17 attorneys involved in the case of Mark and Katherine Adams v. United Services Automobile Association:
Representing Plaintiffs Mark I. and Katherine S. Adams:
• Kenneth “Casey” Castleberry
Partner
Murphy Thompson Arnold Skinner & Castleberry
Batesville
Born May 19, 1978, Casey Castleberry received his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2003. His practice areas include personal injury, Social Security disability and commercial litigation.
• Stephen C. Engstrom
Stephen Engstrom Law Office
Little Rock
Stephen Engstrom earned his law degree from the UA School of Law in 1974. His practice areas include personal injury, class actions, commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense.
• John Goodson
Partner
Keil & Goodson
Texarkana
John Goodson is a partner in one of the most lucrative law firms in Arkansas. Keil & Goodson is one of three firms that together generated $420 million in attorneys’ fees tied to settlements in class-action lawsuits, mainly in Miller County, between 2005 and 2012. Goodson also has been a key campaign contributor in several political races. In January, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Goodson, his law firm and five out-of-state class-action firms were among the biggest campaign donors to state Supreme Court justices, including his wife, Justice Courtney Goodson. Former Gov. Mike Beebe named Goodson to a 10-year term on the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees in 2011.
• D. Matt Keil
Partner
Keil & Goodson
Texarkana
Matt Keil received his law degree from what is now the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and became a licensed attorney in Arkansas in 1986. The class-action strategy that his firm, Keil & Goodson, used to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements was ruled illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court in a unanimous decision in 2013.
• Matthew L. Mustokoff
Partner
Kessler Topaz Meltzer Check LLP
Radnor, Pennsylvania
Matthew Mustokoff is a securities and corporate governance litigator. He has represented clients in a variety of matters, including financial fraud, market manipulation, corporate takeovers, fiduciary mismanagement of investment portfolios and patent infringement. He also is a speaker and writer on securities and corporate law issues. Based on John Goodson’s recommendation, Mustokoff’s firm, along with Cooper & Kirk of Washington, last year received a no-bid contract from Arkansas Auditor Andrea Lea to pursue unclaimed U.S. Treasury Bonds that belong to Arkansans. Although it’s considered a long shot, if successful the firms could share some $40 million in attorneys’ fees by collecting a contingency fee nearly twice what other states have committed to pay.
• Timothy J. Myers
Partner
Taylor Law Firm
Fayetteville
Timothy Myers received his law degree from the UA School of Law in 1993. His practice areas include auto/truck accidents, insurance litigation, Social Security disability and wrongful death. The Compton, California, native’s professional memberships include the American Association for Justice and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
• Richard E. Norman
Partner
Crowley Norman LLP
Houston
Rich Norman represents plaintiffs in class actions and other legal matters. He has handled dozens of consumer and securities class actions. His practice area also includes automotive product liability litigation and wrongful death and catastrophic injury. Norman received his law degree from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, in 1993.
• William B. Putman
Partner
Taylor Law Partners
Fayetteville
William Putman received his law degree from the UA School of Law in 1991. The Fayetteville native’s practice areas include professional licensing and disciplinary matters, civil litigation and class actions. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
• Jason Earnest Roselius
Partner
Mattingly & Roselius
Oklahoma City
The son of a judge, Jason Roselius wanted to be an attorney at an early age. He received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1995. His practice includes state and national class actions and wrongful death and serious personal injury cases.
• W.H. Taylor
Partner
Taylor Law Firm
Fayetteville
In 1981, W.H. Taylor was admitted to the Arkansas Bar. He graduated from the UA School of Law. The Pine Bluff native is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His practice areas include criminal defense, civil litigation and business and commercial litigation.
• A.F. “Tom” Thompson III
Partner
Murphy Thompson Arnold Skinner & Castleberry
Batesville
Tom Thompson earned his law degree from the UA in 1976. His practice areas include personal injury, products liability, admiralty and maritime law, workers’ compensation and family law. His memberships include the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.
• Stevan Earl Vowell
Partner
Taylor Law Firm
Fayetteville
Stevan Vowell received his law degree from the UA in 1975. His practice areas include criminal defense (both at the state and federal levels), domestic relations, products liability and civil litigation. The Harrison native is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
• R. Martin “Marty” Weber Jr.
Of Counsel
Crowley Norman LLP
Houston
Marty Weber represents plaintiffs in personal injury, commercial litigation and consumer class-action cases. Many of these cases have involved complex procedural and jurisdictional issues. He received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Houston Law Center.
Representing Defendant United Services Automobile Association:
• Wystan Ackerman
Partner
Robinson & Cole LLP
Hartford, Connecticut
Wystan Ackerman focuses his practice on three areas: class actions, appeals and insurance coverage litigation. He successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles, which resulted in the unanimous 2013 ruling that a strategy used by John Goodson, Matt Keil and others to evade federal jurisdiction by minimizing the damages sought in a class-action lawsuit was a violation of the federal Class Action Fairness Act. Ackerman has defended class-action cases in several states, including California and New York.
• Stephen O. Clancy*
Counsel
Robinson Cole LLP
Hartford, Connecticut
Stephen Clancy’s practice areas include insurance coverage litigation, professional liability defense, commercial litigation and products liability. While attending the University of Connecticut School of Law, he served on the editorial board of the Connecticut Law Review.
* Judge Holmes said he does not plan to sanction Clancy.
• Stephen Edward Goldman
Managing Partner
Robinson Cole LLP
Hartford, Connecticut
Steve Goldman has more than 35 years of experience as an attorney and has practiced in 28 states. His practice area includes representing property insurance companies. He also has experience litigating class actions, especially those based on insurance coverage issues.
• Lyn P. Pruitt
Member
Mitchell Williams Selig Gates & Woodyard
Little Rock
Lyn Pruitt received her license to practice in Arkansas in 1984. She joined Mitchell Williams as an associate in 1986 and has been a member since 1990. Her practice focuses on litigation, products cases, consumer class actions and toxic tort matters with an emphasis in drug and medical device cases. In August, Pruitt was named director of the International Association of Defense Counsel’s 2017 Trial Academy. The academy is one of the country’s oldest and most respected programs for developing defense trial advocacy skills.
Sources: Websites of the attorneys’ firms, public records
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