Alicia D. Butler, Consumer Attorney in New York

Alicia D. Butler is a highly skilled, accomplished member of Weitz & Luxenberg’s Environmental, Toxic Torts, and Consumer Protection team. She brings 28 years of experience, primarily representing mass tort plaintiffs injured by environmental or occupational exposures.

At Weitz & Luxenberg, her first priority is helping victims of exposure to the weed killer, Roundup. More trials for clients are beginning in 2026.

As new environmental concerns emerge, Ms. Butler also expects to work with her fellow W&L environmental attorneys in taking on emerging environmental challenges.

Advocating for the Underdog

Ms. Butler’s legal career began with a typing class in high school. At the time, she regularly found office work in law firms. She saw what the attorneys did and decided she, too, wanted to work to help people obtain justice when they were victims of wrongdoing.

She emphasizes, “I always wanted to represent people who have been hurt by others. They deserve compensation and justice. Working here fulfills my goal of fighting for the underdog.”

Science Wins Cases

Ms. Butler says, “I can nerd out on the science. Reading expert testimony and working with expert witnesses is a strength of mine. That’s a privilege not every law firm provides.”

She continues, “It’s the details of the science that can surprise a witness on the stand. I like uncovering something a witness didn’t expect - the nuggets that hold the jury’s attention, rather than boring jurors with tedious scientific facts.”

Ms. Butler adds, “My love of science probably has something to do with the fact that I was raised by scientist parents. My mother was a toxicologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a federal agency whose work we often rely on in our cases. She’s always been an inspiration to me.”

Building Cases from the Ground Up Leads to Wins

“In every instance, attorneys need to build clients’ cases from the ground up. Environmental contamination cases can take a long time and immense effort to bring to trial,” Ms. Butler states.

“But the key to winning lies in the preparation and research you do leading up to trial. When you’re thorough, you can make the best case possible for your clients.”

Every Client Matters

“Each and every client matters. Even in large litigations, impacting hundreds or even thousands of people, we have the pleasure of working one-on-one with clients when their cases are scheduled for trial. That is when we have the opportunity to apply the scientific literature we have amassed to a particular case against a particular defendant and present it in court, the ultimate privilege of being a trial attorney,” Ms. Butler continues.

“The one-on-one experience is incredibly rewarding.”

Experienced Toxic Torts Attorney

Ms. Butler has taken on large-scale environmental polluters and handles litigation involving toxic chemicals. For 18 years, she ran her own legal practice, providing services to firms and lawyers needing immediate attention.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Butler has represented consumers, as well as state and local governmental entities. She provides briefings and argues complex pretrial and appellate issues.

History of Winning Cases

Ms. Butler has worked on many winning legal cases. One example was about the exposure to radiation of more than 300 injured residents of a community in Pennsylvania. Her work contributed to securing one of the largest settlements ever obtained for victims of environmental radiation exposure.

In another legal case, she represented communities and individual plaintiffs. The case involved environmental and occupational exposure to radiation, beryllium, mercury, benzene, MTBE, and other toxic substances.

She was also part of the team that helped the City of Santa Monica, California, recover more than $100 million for contamination of its public water supply with petroleum products.

On the Personal Side

Ms. Butler is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas, the Northern and Western Districts of Texas, the Eastern District of Michigan, and the Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals. She earned her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas, and her B.A. from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Outside the office, Ms. Butler loves spending time with her preteen daughter, as well as running and participating in team sports.