Profile
Mr. Karlsons specializes in the trial, coordination and global management of high-stake, complex litigation on behalf of major multinational companies. He is the senior partner of the firm, founder of its German, Product Liability, and Class Action Practice Groups and is an active trial attorney who has successfully first chaired to verdict over 40 jury trials.
Mr. Karlsons' hallmark is the pursuit of a thorough and aggressive defense strategy. He has successfully defended for over 40 years numerous European automobile manufacturers in product liability, consumer class action and asbestos litigation in the United States. As national coordinating counsel for one such German automobile manufacturer, his strategy and reputation for no-holds barred litigation has reduced the new filing of cases by over 70%. Moreover, the vast majority of cases that get filed are then routinely dismissed by voluntary dismissal or summary disposition by the court without payment or trial. When cases are tried, they are won. Where recovery of defense costs is allowed by law, many such victories are further crowned by a substantial award of costs against the losing plaintiff.
Mr. Karlsons has also defended actions involving commercial and other disputes. His international background, knowledge of German and other languages and understanding of foreign cultures and business practices, combined with hands-on litigation acumen uniquely qualifies him to advise and defend multinational companies.
Litigation Coordination
Mr. Karlsons established and now heads the firm’s practice and team providing litigation coordination for multi-national companies sued in the United States. As national litigation coordination counsel for foreign companies, the team oversees all aspects of their defense, including cross-border legal issues involving challenges of jurisdiction, service of process, discovery and defense at trial and on appeal.
Matters coordinated and defended for foreign companies and their subsidiaries, include litigation involving product liability, consumer class actions, asbestos, ATCA, commercial, and intellectual property claims.
As coordinating counsel, Mr. Karlsons consults and provides in-house training to foreign corporations on procedures for reducing United States litigation risk and exposure and best practices for document retention, e-discovery management and other litigation related issues.
Product Liability Defense
Mr. Karlsons personally defends at trials throughout the United States, European automobile manufacturers involving claims of defective design and manufacture. He is particularly skilled in preparing and presenting foreign witnesses in United States proceedings and developing innovative defenses to emerging product liability issues involving advanced active and passive safety systems.
He also defends a broad spectrum of other products, including material handling, construction, and recreational equipment, boats and airplanes. (He is a licensed private pilot).
His practice also includes defense of asbestos and other toxic substance claims, particularly involving friction products in automobiles.
Commercial Litigation
He represents clients in a broad spectrum of commercial disputes including software and copyright violations and related intellectual property claims.
Mr. Karlsons is admitted to the practice of law in Latvia and has litigated in Latvian courts a libel and slander action against a local newspaper.
He has acted as counsel for the government of Latvia and participated in cross-border litigation and dispute resolution involving telephone company privatization licensing rights, fishing fleet privatization violations, and establishment of national oil rights in the Baltic Sea.
International Business
Mr. Karlsons is an active member of the Latvian business community. He has extensive experience with legal and practical issues involving Latvian real estate transactions, land privatization, and land development, as well as applications for European Union development funding for projects in Latvia.
Presentations and Publications
Coordination Programs and Strategies: The Essential Basis for Successful Product Liability Defense (with Troy M. Yoshino) (2008).
"Champions of the Courtroom: The Art of Trying Cases," Panel Member, Annual Trial Symposium for Litigation Section of California State Bar, Napa, California (April 16, 2006).
"Application of U.S. Discovery Rules to Non-U.S. Operations and People," Product Liability Advisory Council, Fall Conference on Globalization of Product Litigation, San Francisco, California (October 27, 2005).
"The Role of Civil Law Remedies in Ensuring Consumer Product Safety," lecture to the University of Latvia Faculty of Law, Riga, Latvia (1991).
"Hot Issues on the Product Liability Front," ABA Product Liability Subcommittee Meeting (1990).
"Product Liability Considerations When Doing Business in the United States," presentation to the Dutch Manufacturer Association, The Hague (1989).
"Special Considerations Bearing on the Depositions of a Plaintiff in Product Liability and Malpractice Litigation," Practicing Law Institute Program on Medical Malpractice Defense (1984).
Amicus curiae brief re California Jurisdiction in cases involving foreign plaintiffs in Holmes v. Syntex Laboratories, Inc., sponsored by the Motor Vehicle Manufacturer Association (1984).
"Substantive and Technical Defenses in Automobile Product Liability Litigation," Practicing Law Institute (1983).
"Necessary Discovery in Preparation Before Depositions in Product Liability Actions," Practicing Law Institute Seminar on Product Liability Litigation (1983).
"Strategy When Deposing the Non-Party Expert Witness," Practicing Law Institute Seminar on Product Liability Litigation (1983).