Anand Agneshwar co-chairs the firm's Product Liability Litigation practice group. Anand represents pharmaceutical and consumer product companies as national, strategic, trial, and appellate counsel in product liability litigation and related litigation. His experience includes bench and jury trials, numerous bench hearings, and hundreds of significant arguments in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. He is recognized nationwide for his courtroom presence and strategic acumen and was the architect of the personal jurisdiction theory that ultimately prevailed in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California. He counsels clients on litigation risks, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory issues, and the litigation and compliance impact of potential legislation. Anand writes frequently on product liability and FDA issues. He maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on protecting civil liberties and chairs the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Anand graduated from New York University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1992, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif, Developments Editor of the NYU Law Review, and published a note entitled "Rediscovering God In The Constitution." Following law school, he clerked for the late Honorable Harold A. Ackerman, U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, and the Honorable Morton I. Greenberg, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Experience
- Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi, as lead national counsel, in Plavix litigation and other prescription drug litigations.
- Sanofi, as lead national counsel, in Thalidomide litigation.
- Hologic, as national counsel, in product liability litigation.
- Wyeth, as counsel, in diet drug litigation since 1997.
- Lead counsel in numerous First Amendment cases involving, among other issues, public school censorship of student-initiated religious speech and retaliation, and arrest of a student for protesting full-body scanners at airport.
- Prominent legal philosophers John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin, Thomas Nagel, Bernard Williams, and Robert Nozick in amicus brief on end-of-life care issues in Supreme Court.
Perspectives
Recognition
"National Practice Area Star" Product Liability and Recall (2024-2025)
"Local Litigation Star" Product Liability (2018)
"National Star" Product Liability (2017)
"Life Sciences Star" Non-IP Litigation (2016)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Consumer Products (including tobacco) (2013-2014, 2016-2022)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices — Defense (2014-2022)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Toxic Tort — Defense (2014-2022)
Healthcare: Life Sciences (2017-2018, 2021-2022)
Credentials
Education
- J.D., New York University School of Law, 1992, magna cum laude
- B.A., University of Rochester, 1987
Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
Clerkships
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, The Honorable Harold A. Ackerman
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, The Honorable Morton I. Greenberg