David Byrne is a shareholder in our firm’s Mass Torts Section. His current focus is on product liability actions involving medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Before moving to the Mass Torts Section, David handled numerous complex environmental cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States. During the course of his environmental practice, David has represented individuals, businesses and municipalities, and assisted numerous clients in obtaining multi-million dollar settlements or verdicts. In 2003, David was involved in the landmark $700-million toxic tort settlement with Solutia, Monsanto and Pharmacia over PCB contamination in Anniston, Ala.

David also has assisted clients in obtaining multi-million dollar settlements or verdicts in other types of cases involving food-product franchises, the Federal Tort Claims Act, accounting malpractice, motor vehicle franchise disputes, consumer fraud, the funeral services industry, premises liability, insurance agent contract disputes, and defective products. As you can readily see, David had a broad range of experience in a number of areas before focusing on his most recent specialty fields.

David is a 1989 graduate of the Citadel where he served on the Cadet Honor Committee. He obtained his law degree in 1992 from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During his time at Cumberland, David was elected to the positions of Chief Justice of the Student Honor Court and Director of the Student Trial Advocacy Board. His peers elected David as the Best Student Advocate in 1991.

Following graduation, David served as a Deputy Alabama Attorney General and as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert Varner and Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Judge John M. Patterson. David currently serves as the Chair of the Alabama State Bar’s Federal Court Practice Section. He is a past-president of the Montgomery County Trial Lawyers Association and currently serves on the Board of the Federal Bar Association (Middle District of Alabama Chapter). David is also a member of the Board of Governors for the Alabama Association for Justice and is a Master Bencher with the Justice Hugh Maddox American Inn of Court. In 2009, David was appointed to serve as the Chair of the Alabama Bar’s Federal Practice Section Task Force.

David is a regular speaker at state, regional and national environmental law seminars. Most recently, he served as a speaker and faculty member for the HB Litigation Coal Ash & Slurry Contamination seminar and the American Association for Justice’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill Litigation seminar.

David and his wife Betty Bobbitt have been married for 19 years, and they have two beautiful children, Betsy and Bryson. The family attends Young Meadows Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Ala, where David serves as a deacon. David is a hard worker and an excellent trial lawyer. He cares deeply about the causes he undertakes and the clients he represents. We are blessed to have David with the firm.