ST. LOUIS – Attorneys John Galvin and Suzanne Galvin left the downtown firm of Fox Galvin on Dec. 6, to work for Thompson Coburn seven blocks away.
John has litigated 10,984 cases at U.S. district court for Southern Illinois, many of them in multi district proceedings.
“I’ve done a lot of really big pharmaceutical, environmental, and commercial cases,” he said on Dec. 9. “Suzanne has done some of those things but it’s fair to say I’m better known.”
He conducted an interview from a New York City cab, with Suzanne beside him.
He said the move to Thompson Coburn was prompted by the need for more support than a small firm could provide.
The Galvins will continue to defend Honeywell in a suit at district court alleging contamination from uranium in Metropolis.
Thompson Coburn not only kept John on the defense team in a product liability suit against Coloplast Corporation but also added Suzanne to the team.
Outside the profession, he and Suzanne have traveled around the nation for 10 years in relief efforts after tornadoes, floods, shootings, and civic unrest.
In 2016, they stepped back from the practice of law all together to work full-time as crisis relief chaplains for the Billy Graham Evangelical Association Rapid Response Team.
They also traveled to a post-earthquake Haiti, and in Iraq, helped Yazidi and Muslim refugees — many of them women and children — driven from their homes by ISIS.
He said they have stopped doing relief trips and are looking for another opportunity.
While in New York, the Galvins are attending a national conference on drug and medical device litigation, an event they've attended for more than 20 years.
He said former partners Ronald Fox and Tom Smith would change their firm’s name to Fox Smith, and he wished them well.
Thompson Coburn chairman Tom Minogue released a statement that he was thrilled to have the Galvins.
“John and Suzanne are outstanding litigators and wonderful, service-oriented people,” Minogue said. “We’re thrilled to have them join our national litigation teams and add their deep experience in multi-district litigation and medical device and pharmaceutical litigation. They practice with passion and integrity, and those are the exact attributes we look for in attorneys joining our team.”