Annesley H. DeGaris

DeGaris Law, LLC

Annesley H. DeGaris

DeGaris Law, LLC

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Annesley H. DeGaris is recognized nationally for mass torts litigation involving defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Mr. DeGaris also has an extensive practice in individual personal injury and wrongful death cases in a variety of circumstances including motor vehicle collisions, tractor trailer collisions, and toxic exposures. He has litigated cases against major trucking companies, insurance companies, chemical manufacturers responsible for toxic spills, aircraft manufacturers, and major pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. DeGaris has served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and as Co-Chair for the Science Committee for In Re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1789. He served on the Science Committee for In Re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2197 and the Science Committee for In Re: Hydroxycut Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, MDL 2087. He served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In Re: Aredia and Zometa Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1760. He served as the Co-Chair of the Science and Expert Committee and as a member of the Administrative Committee of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In Re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1789. Mr. DeGaris currently serves on the Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel Committee for In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2441 and on the State Liaison Committee for In Re: Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation, MDL 2406.

Mr. DeGaris graduated magna cum laude from Samford University and earned his Juris Doctor at Cumberland School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude in 1988. While at Cumberland he was Casenote Editor of the Cumberland Law Review. After graduating from law school, Mr. DeGaris served as a law clerk to the Honorable E. B. Haltom, Jr., United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. While working for the federal district court, Rotary International awarded Mr. DeGaris the Rotary Foundation Scholarship for International Understanding, a full tuition international scholarship. As a Rotary Scholar he attended the University of Melbourne School of Law in Australia, ranked as one of the top 10 law schools in the world. During his time at the University, he was in residence at Trinity College and following the completion of his thesis, received an LL.M. with a concentration in International Law.

On his return to the United States, Mr. DeGaris served as a Staff Attorney for the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia and taught legal research and writing as an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law. Following his return to Birmingham, he taught courses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, taught as a professor of Constitutional Law at the Birmingham School of Law, and taught a course in comparative civil litigation at Cumberland School of Law, Samford University.

Mr. DeGaris is AV Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. DeGaris has been recognized in Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Rue Ratings and was named one of Alabama’s Top 50 Attorneys in a peer review survey. Mr. DeGaris is certified as a Life Member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is listed in “Who’s Who in American Law,” “Who’s Who in America,” and “Who’s Who of Professionals.” In 2013, Best Lawyers selected Mr. DeGaris as Lawyer of the Year for Plaintiff Mass Tort Litigation and Class Actions in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. DeGaris has written extensively on a variety of legal topics including the role of judges in settlements, politics in the judicial system, and dangerous products. His legal writings have been published nationally and internationally in diverse publications ranging from the University of Tasmania Law Review to Federal Rules Decisions (F.R.D), Voir Dire, the Cumberland Law Review, the Australian Dispute Resolution Journal, and the Alabama Association for Justice Journal. He is also a frequent lecturer nationally on a variety of litigation topics.