Gordon S. Rather, Jr.

Gordon Rather has been engaged in active trial practice for more than 40 years. Year after year, he has been known as one of the state’s most effective trial lawyers. Clients have characterized him as a “great trial lawyer,” who is “in touch with every detail of a case” in addition to being “thorough and extremely good with juries.” His practice centers on litigation, including complex commercial issues, product liability defense, toxic torts, admiralty and maritime matters, class actions and insurance defense.

Rather’s more recent experience includes:

• Lead trial counsel for the largest hospital system in Arkansas, defending an antitrust action brought by a group of physicians.
• Lead trial counsel for the state’s largest health insurer, defending a class action based on the made whole doctrine.
• Lead trial counsel for a major Arkansas oil company, defending oil field contamination and crude oil release claims.
• Lead trial counsel for a major U.S. chemical manufacturer defending product liability claims.
• Expert witness for the State of Arkansas testifying in support of an award of $180 million in attorneys’ fees on a $1.2 billion judgment.

Rather has been nationally recognized for and involved in the advancement of effective trial advocacy. Notably, he served on the faculty of the ABA-ABOTA Trial Academy at the National Judicial College in 2007 and 2010. He also served on the faculty for the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Princeton in 2010 and on the faculty of the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Harvard Law School in 2012 and again in 2014.