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Richard B. North, Jr.
Partner

Atlantic Station
201 17th Street NW, Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30363
Tel: 404.322.6155
Fax: 404.322.6050
richard.north@nelsonmullins.com
Areas of Law
Appellate
Automotive and Truck Products
Aviation
Class Action Defense
Litigation
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation
Product Counseling, Reporting and Liability Defense
Toxic Torts
Transportation
Education
University of Virginia School of Law
Harvard College
Bar Admissions
Georgia

Richard B. North, Jr. is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Atlanta where his litigation practice includes aviation law, product liability, and commercial litigation. A former leader of the Firm's General Litigation practice group, he presently heads up a team of 10 lawyers. 

Mr. North has tried complex cases in courts throughout the nation and has also advised clients on litigation matters in international jurisdictions. He has served as regional counsel for medical device and heavy machinery manufacturers. Mr. North has also coordinated the development of epidemiology and regulatory experts as a part of the Firm's national representation of a major pharmaceutical company.  Presently, he serves as national counsel for a medical device manufacturer in litigation involving vascular devices and urological products. 
 
Mr. North has an extensive appellate practice and has appeared frequently before the state and federal appellate courts in Georgia. He has also appeared before federal courts in a number of other jurisdictions. Some of the appeals in which Mr. North has been involved, which impacted Georgia law, include the following:
 
  • Ellis v. C. R. Bard, Inc., 311 F.3d 1272 (11th Cir. 2002) (learned intermediary defense) 
  • Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. Townsend, 279 Ga. 511 (2005) (dram shop liability of air carrier) 
  • Ogletree v. Navistar International Transportation Corp., 245 Ga. App. 1 (2000) (proximate cause in multi-stage manufacturing process) 
  • International Harvester Co. v. Cunningham, 245 Ga. App. 736 (2000) (product manufacturer's rights in discovery) 
 
Mr. North also frequently appears in state and federal courts on behalf of defense organizations in an amicus curiae role. 
 
A member of the State Bar of Georgia, Mr. North is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Eleventh Circuits; and the U.S. District Courts for the Middle District, the Southern District, and the Northern District of Georgia. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in numerous federal and state courts throughout the country. Mr. North is a sustaining member of the Product Liability Advisory Council. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Atlanta Bar Association, the International Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute. 
 
Mr. North is the author of "Little Risks, Lots of Utility: Restating the Defense in Product Liability," Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Journal, 1999; Reigning in Punitive Damages: The Arsenal Under Siege," Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Journal, 1990; and "A Warning Claim: The Differing Treatment of Georgia Product Liability Actions in State and Federal Court," The Atlanta Lawyer, Summer 1989. Mr. North is also co-author of "Reining in Punitive Damages: The Growing Arsenal of Limitation," Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Journal, 1990. 
 
A native of Rossville, Ga., Mr. North earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature, cum laude, from Harvard College in 1979. He earned a Juris Doctor in 1982 from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a Dillard Fellow. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. North served as a law clerk to Judge Albert Henderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He began his legal career with an Atlanta litigation firm and joined Nelson Mullins as a partner in 1995. 
 
Mr. North is a member of the Board of Governors for the Alliance Francaise in Atlanta, and he and his family are members of Northside United Methodist Church.