Earlier this summer, the Simmons Firm announced it’s merging with Hanly Conroy Bierstein Sheridan Fisher & Hayes LLP to become the now Simmons Hanly Conroy, effective on July 1. Not only did the merger mean an additional office in New York, it also meant the addition of numerous partners and attorneys with experience, dedication and a passion for helping people.
But who are these partners who now make up Simmons Hanly Conroy? Let’s take a closer look at the people behind our dedicated law firm:
John Simmons
John founded the Simmons Firm in 1999 and has overseen some of the biggest verdicts and settlements in the history of asbestos litigation. After marrying his high school sweetheart and serving as a combat engineer in the Army for two years, John built houses with his father before deciding to become a lawyer.
“I hope that our firm provides the best level of service than any other firm out there,” said John in an interview. “I want to be the best that we can be and provide the highest level of service that we can.”
Paul Hanly
With more than 30 years of civil litigation experience, Paul has handled thousands of cases and helped thousands of people. For the first 20 years of his career, he was national trial, coordinating and settlement counsel to the world’s largest, vertically-integrated asbestos company in its asbestos products liability cases.
“I am honored to have become a member of the finest plaintiffs’ law firm in the country and to be able to impart some of my long courtroom experience to our legion of brilliant younger trial lawyers,” Paul said.
Jayne Conroy
Jayne has played a major role in the success of her firm before it merged with Simmons, and continues to do so. Since 2006, she has helped secure over $300 million in settlements of thousands of pharmaceutical cases for the firm’s clients.
“I love my job. I’m sort of a workaholic,” said Jayne in an interview. “My law partners and I work on very high-profile liability cases, representing thousands of individuals who have been injured [by pharmaceuticals].”
Michael Angelides
Mike has been an instrumental part of the firm’s asbestos litigation success over the years. He has represented mesothelioma victims against some of the largest companies in the nation. Specifically, Mike serves as Managing Partner of Simmons Hanly Conroy.
“I’m proud of the fact that no one helps as many mesothelioma victims as the firm does on an annual basis,” Mike said.
Perry Browder
Perry oversees the firm’s asbestos litigation department. He has worked for more than 20 years helping numerous families resolve hundreds of million-dollar plus cases. In fact, Perry helped secure the largest mesothelioma verdict on behalf of a single client, a $250 million verdict against U.S. Steel.
“Even though we’re one of the largest firms in the country, we treat our clients like family,” Perry said. “We are sensitive to their needs and at the same time we have a proven track record of getting results.”
Ted Gianaris
As head of the firm’s Discovery Department, Ted leads a team of a half-dozen lawyers and many paralegals dedicated to discovering and exposing what big business knew about, and did about, the dangers of chemicals and asbestos. Specifically, Ted spends his time helping victims of mesothelioma, pharmaceutical injuries and other toxic exposures.
“We set out to discover what a corporation knew about the dangers of its products, when they knew it, what they did with that knowledge, and how they covered it up,” Ted said.
John Barnerd
John grew up in East Alton, Ill., a manufacturing community in which many people he knew became sick from asbestos exposure. John has worked with hundreds of people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases
“That’s probably one of the reasons why I am an asbestos trial attorney. There’s a personal connection,” he said.
Andrea Bierstein
Working in the complex litigation department, Andrea has secured millions of dollars on behalf of her clients, including a $32 million antitrust settlement for a medical supply manufacturer. She currently focuses on pharmaceutical litigation, consumer protection, commercial litigation and environmental law.
“I’ve always loved writing and, as a lawyer, I love that I’m able to put my writing to use helping people who’ve been wronged,” Andrea said.
Nicholas Angelides
As a partner with more than 15 years of litigation experience, Nick has helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars for individuals and families impacted by asbestos-related diseases. Nick has extensive experience representing individuals exposed to asbestos through their work as pipefitters, sheet metal workers, ship yard workers, HVAC workers and more.
“I became a lawyer in the asbestos field to hold companies accountable for their decision to poison workers,” Nick said.
Want to get to know the rest of the Simmons Hanly Conroy Partners? Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog series, or click here.
