Veronica Hayes Gromada

Veronica Hayes Gromada is a partner in Nelson Mullins' Houston office, where she focuses on national litigation defense. She advises Fortune 500 companies on complex litigation matters, with extensive experience in product liability, mass torts, class actions, multidistrict litigation, and complex corporate defense. Drawing on more than 17 years as a senior in-house litigation leader... at Walmart Inc., she combines sophisticated litigation strategy with a practical understanding of how corporate legal departments assess risk, manage litigation portfolios, and align legal strategies with business objectives.

In her role leading Walmart’s Tort Litigation team, Veronica recovered millions of dollars in more than 450 high-exposure cases by asserting the company’s rights against product and service vendors, component part suppliers, and insurers, and achieved a 30% reduction in the inventory of product liability cases. During her tenure at Walmart, she also oversaw the deployment of discovery strategies for all U.S. labor and employment litigation involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor (DOL), and state equivalents.

Before joining Nelson Mullins, Veronica returned to private practice as a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., where she continued her work in complex litigation defense. Her return to private practice earned her recognition as one of ALM’s top 25 lateral hires in 2022 and as a top Tort Litigator by The National Black Lawyers.

Veronica represents manufacturers and retailers across a broad range of industries, including consumer products, food and beverage, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care products, technology, and automotive. Her practice encompasses the defense of consumer and product class actions, mass torts, and other complex, high-exposure litigation. She works closely with in-house legal teams and corporate executives to develop proactive, efficient defense strategies that address immediate litigation challenges while advancing broader business priorities.

Veronica also counsels clients on litigation risk management, discovery strategy, eDiscovery, and information governance. She brings significant experience navigating sensitive discovery issues, managing complex procedural and administrative motions, and developing defensible litigation processes. Her approach emphasizes practical solutions that help clients manage litigation exposure, streamline discovery, and protect their legal and business interests.

Experience

The 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.

Education

• Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, JD, cum laude (2000)
• Lamar University, College of Arts and Sciences, BA, Political Science (1996)

Admissions

• Texas
• District of Columbia

Practice Areas

• Products Liability
• Class Action & Multi-Claim Litigation
• Consumer Product Safety, Risk Prevention & Regulatory Compliance
• White Collar Defense & Government Investigations

Industries

• Food & Beverage
• Consumer Products & Retail
• Technology and Commercial Transactions