Presentation Title: Legal Issues for global food safety

William D. Marler, Esq.
MarlerClark attorneys at Law

An accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert in food borne illness litigation, William Marler has been a major force in food safety policy in the United States and abroad. He and his partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. His advocacy for better food regulation has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety, including recent testimony to US Congress Committee on Energy and Commerce. Marler Clark is considered the nation's foremost law firm representing victims of foodborne illness and other serious personal injuries.

William Marler began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, resulting in her landmark $15.6 million settlement. Marler has focused his practice on representing individuals in litigation resulting from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, hepatitis A, and other food contamination cases. He has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak in the United States against such companies as Wholesale Club, Chili's, Chi-Chi's, ConAgra, Dole, Excel, Golden Corral, KFC, Sheetz, Sizzler, Supervalu, and Wendy's, securing over $300,000,000 for his clients.

Under the umbrella of OutBreak, the nonprofit consulting arm of Marler Clark dedicated to food safety advocacy, Mr. Marler travels widely to speak to food industry groups, fair associations, and public health groups about the litigation of claims resulting from outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the issues surrounding it. He is also a frequent writer on topics related to foodborne illness. His articles include "Separating the Chaff from the Wheat: How to Determine the Strength of a Foodborne Illness Claim", "Food Claims and Litigation", How to Keep Your Focus on Food Safety, and "How to Document a Food Poisoning Case" (co-authored with David Babcock.) His blog, www.marlerblog.com is avidly read by the food safety and legal communities.

Mr. Marler is a graduate of the Seattle University School of Law in 1987.
In 1998 he became the Law School's "Lawyer in Residence." This year, Mr. Marler was given the 2008 Outstanding Lawyer Award by the King County Bar Association, as well as being given the Public Justice Award by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. He has been profiled in numerous publications.

He is married to Julie Marler and has three daughters, Morgan, Olivia, and Sydney. He is a former board member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers, a member of the board of directors of Bainbridge Youth Services, a former regent at Washington State University, and a member of the Children's Hospital Circle of Care.