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July 15, 2021
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Jody Porter
Partner
19191 South Vermont Avenue
Suite 900
Torrance, CA 90502
Jody spent nearly 30 years of her career with Toyota Motor North America, where she served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel over business and product liability litigation.
While at Toyota, she worked on or oversaw nearly every type of legal issue that automotive companies and many other major corporations face, with a particular emphasis on...
Jody spent nearly 30 years of her career with Toyota Motor North America, where she served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel over business and product liability litigation.
While at Toyota, she worked on or oversaw nearly every type of legal issue that automotive companies and many other major corporations face, with a particular emphasis on class action litigation, government investigations, and crisis management. Jody was one of the lead in–house lawyers who navigated Toyota through the unintended acceleration crisis and has led the defense teams in multiple multi–district class actions, government investigations (DOJ, NHTSA, EPA, and other federal and state agencies), and the Takata air bag crisis.
Additionally, Jody led Toyota’s defense teams in many high–profile dealer cases, product recalls, and government investigations. For three decades, she provided trusted counsel to Toyota’s top executives and other leaders in the areas of product distribution, logistics, state dealer franchise laws, customs and export control, marketing agreements, product planning, and tax and finance, among others. She led the Toyota legal team that established Toyota’s Scion Division, and she managed all of Toyota de Puerto Rico’s legal affairs. She also led the legal team that established Toyota’s sales subsidiary in Mexico and managed all legal affairs in Mexico.
class action litigation, government investigations, and crisis management. Jody was one of the lead in–house lawyers who navigated Toyota through the unintended acceleration crisis and has led the defense teams in multiple multi–district class actions, government investigations (DOJ, NHTSA, EPA, and other federal and state agencies), and the Takata air bag crisis.
Additionally, Jody led Toyota’s defense teams in many high–profile dealer cases, product recalls, and government investigations. For three decades, she provided trusted counsel to Toyota’s top executives and other leaders in the areas of product distribution, logistics, state dealer franchise laws, customs and export control, marketing agreements, product planning, and tax and finance, among others. She led the Toyota legal team that established Toyota’s Scion Division, and she managed all of Toyota de Puerto Rico’s legal affairs. She also led the legal team that established Toyota’s sales subsidiary in Mexico and managed all legal affairs in Mexico.
Experience
Previous Professional Experience
- Toyota North America, Vice President and Executive Advisor (Nov. 2019–March 2020)
- Vice President and Deputy General Counsel (May 2017–Nov 2019)
- Managing Counsel (April 1991–May 2017)
- Litigation Team, Los Angeles office of international law firm (1985–1991)
Education
- Stanford Law School, JD
- University of Virginia, BA
Admissions
- California
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Practice Areas
Previous Professional Experience
- Toyota North America, Vice President and Executive Advisor (Nov. 2019–March 2020)
- Vice President and Deputy General Counsel (May 2017–Nov 2019)
- Managing Counsel (April 1991–May 2017)
- Litigation Team, Los Angeles office of international law firm (1985–1991)
Articles & Speeches
Professional Activities
- Advisory Board, Emory Law Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims (2017–2020)
- Advisory Committee, National Judicial College (2019–2020)
- Co–Chair, Cambridge Forum on Corporate Enforcement (2018–2020)
- Steering Committee, Cambridge Forum on Class Action Defense (2018–2019)
Jody spent nearly 30 years of her career with Toyota Motor North America, where she served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel over business and product liability litigation.
While at Toyota, she worked on or oversaw nearly every type of legal issue that automotive companies and many other major corporations face, with a particular emphasis on... class action litigation, government investigations, and crisis management. Jody was one of the lead in–house lawyers who navigated Toyota through the unintended acceleration crisis and has led the defense teams in multiple multi–district class actions, government investigations (DOJ, NHTSA, EPA, and other federal and state agencies), and the Takata air bag crisis.
Additionally, Jody led Toyota’s defense teams in many high–profile dealer cases, product recalls, and government investigations. For three decades, she provided trusted counsel to Toyota’s top executives and other leaders in the areas of product distribution, logistics, state dealer franchise laws, customs and export control, marketing agreements, product planning, and tax and finance, among others. She led the Toyota legal team that established Toyota’s Scion Division, and she managed all of Toyota de Puerto Rico’s legal affairs. She also led the legal team that established Toyota’s sales subsidiary in Mexico and managed all legal affairs in Mexico.
Experience
Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.Previous Professional Experience
- Toyota North America, Vice President and Executive Advisor (Nov. 2019–March 2020)
- Vice President and Deputy General Counsel (May 2017–Nov 2019)
- Managing Counsel (April 1991–May 2017)
- Litigation Team, Los Angeles office of international law firm (1985–1991)
Education
- Stanford Law School, JD
- University of Virginia, BA
Admissions
- California
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Practice Areas
- Commercial Litigation & Business Torts
- False Advertising & Unfair Trade Practices
- Franchise & Distribution - Corporate
- Franchise & Distribution - Litigation
- General Counsel Services
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturers & Distributors
- Class Action & Multi-Claim Litigation
Industries
- Advisory Board, Emory Law Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims (2017–2020)
- Advisory Committee, National Judicial College (2019–2020)
- Co–Chair, Cambridge Forum on Corporate Enforcement (2018–2020)
- Steering Committee, Cambridge Forum on Class Action Defense (2018–2019)
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