About Us

Lead Counsel

Doug has spent his entire 25-year career litigating complex cases, with an emphasis on those involving complext litigation. Doug began his career at a nationally prominent defense firm where, as a partner, he represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to smaller organizations in a wide variety of complex litigation and pre-litigation matters. During his stint at his previous firm and now at Blackridge LLC, Doug has worked on some of the biggest drug and device litigations in the country. He has also helped design, negotiate and implement some of the largest mass tort settlement programs in the last twenty years. 

Doug has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Plaintiff Lawyers in civil litigation by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He and his firm have previously been named as a Top 25 trial lawyers in both products liability and mass torts. He has acted as lead trial counsel in pharmaceutical litigations and is leading the firm’s efforts in multiple other mass tort litigations.  In his most recent litigation, Doug served as trial counsel and, in that capacity, he was able to defeat the defendant’s summary judgement and expert-related motions – paving the way for multiple trials.  The cases settled just before the first trial. 

As co-lead counsel, Doug prosecuted claims of sexual abuse against a major public university, resulting in a settlement for the victims.  He continues to represent those who have been subject to sexual abuse at the hands of large institutions.  

Doug is regularly asked to co-counsel cases with firms throughout the country due to his expertise in pharmaceutical and complex litigation.  He has also lectured on various topics during his career, including electronic discovery, clinical trial liability, motion practice, and mass tort settlements.  

Doug is currently licensed to practice before all state and federal courts in Missouri and Kansas, and, formerly, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He regularly appears in courts across the country upon receiving permission to practice as a visiting lawyer. 

Doug graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and also served as a member of the Minnesota Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Nebraska, where he graduated in the top 3% of his class as an Academic Merit Scholar.