Alexander, Mary Rose

Mary Rose Alexander

Partner

She/Her/Hers

mary.rose.alexander@lw.com
    Alexander, Mary Rose

    Mary Rose Alexander

    Partner

    mary.rose.alexander@lw.com
    Ranked: Environmental Litigation

    Chambers USA 2023

    Leading Lawyer – Industry Focus: Environment: Litigation

    The Legal 500 US 2023

    "Mary Rose Alexander is the best! She is creative and extremely hardworking."

    The Legal 500 US 2023

    Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law

    Lawdragon 2023

    Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America

    Lawdragon 500 2023

    “Mary Rose Alexander handles high-stakes environmental litigation on behalf of a range of clients, including local authorities and companies in the chemical and energy sectors.”

    Chambers USA 2022

    "She is a great litigator all around."

    Chambers USA 2021

    "She does a fantastic job, helps take the lead on strategy, works well with witnesses and is an incredibly good writer."

    Chambers USA 2021

    Top 250 Women in Litigation

    Benchmark Litigation 2023

    Profile

    Mary Rose Alexander, Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office, represents Fortune 500 companies in their highest-stakes litigation and trials, often in the most hostile jurisdictions in the US.

    A nationally recognized trial lawyer, Ms. Alexander leverages her extensive experience to help clients navigate complex commercial litigation and trials in state and federal courts and arbitration forums across the country involving:

    • Public nuisance / toxic torts / product liability and consumer fraud
    • Class actions
    • Environmental regulations
    • Major industrial accidents
    • Energy and oil and gas contracts
    • Insurance coverage

    In representing clients, she draws on considerable success defending against multi-state, multi-plaintiff litigation, particularly with energy, manufacturing, and chemical company clients. She is especially skilled in cases involving complicated scientific matters related to chemicals.

    Ms. Alexander regularly garners recognition for her trial work from leading industry publications, including Chambers USA, Lawdragon, The American Lawyer, The Legal 500, Crain’s Chicago Business, Benchmark Litigation, and Best Lawyers in America.

    Her diverse platform and unique skill set led to her appointment as the firm’s Vice Chair of both the Litigation & Trial and Environment, Land & Resources Departments. Ms. Alexander is also the former Global Chair of the firm’s Women Enriching Business committee.

    Experience

    A sample of the disputes Ms. Alexander has handled includes:

    Public Nuisance and Toxic Torts

    • Dow Chemical Company in alleged public nuisance litigation relating to PCE used by California dry cleaners; 2022 jury trial and 2023 jury trial setting
    • Clorox in alleged public nuisance litigation regarding micro plastic in the ocean; recent demurrer victory
    • Marathon Oil involving alleged public nuisance litigation relating to methane release

    Class Actions

    • Netflix in multiple putative class actions involving state franchise taxes; multiple recent district court, appellate court, and state supreme court wins
    • Weyerhaeuser in multiple putative class actions / product liability and consumer fraud lawsuits involving building products following national recall; recent jury trial and appellate win
    • DTE Energy in putative class action / failure-to-warn litigation involving flooding; recent motion-to-dismiss win
    • Nalco Company in numerous class actions arising out of the Gulf of Mexico 2010 oil spill; obtained summary judgment that federal law preempts claims

    Environmental Regulations

    • Anadarko in a US Tax Court dispute involving the tax treatment of a US$5 billion environmental settlement; 2023 bench trial
    • Dow Chemical Company in:
      • Natural resource damage litigation regarding alleged dioxane releases
      • CERCLA litigation involving Norfolk Southern Ohio release
    • Northern States Power Company of Wisconsin in CERCLA litigation involving PAH contamination; federal trial
    • Georgia-Pacific Corporation in CERCLA litigation involving the US$1.6 billion PCB remediation of the Fox River; federal trials

    Industrial Accidents

    • Syngenta in ICC arbitration involving industrial action; 2021 remote trial
    • LG Polymers India in litigation and regulatory matters arising from 2020 industrial accident in Vizag, India

    Oil and Gas Contracts

    • CONSOL Inc. in state court trial involving a midstream gas joint venture; obtained complete trial victory
    • Mercuria Energy Trading Inc. in state court trial involving crude by rail
    •  Arizona Public Service Company in arbitration involving a coal supply contract with the Navajo Nation; obtained complete resolution

    Qualifications

    Bar Qualification

    • California
    • Illinois

    Education

    • JD, Columbia University School of Law, 1989
    • BA, University of California, San Diego, 1986

    Languages Spoken

    • English

    Practices

    Industries

    Recognition

    Read More

    News & Insights

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