Executive Committee

MARGARET BRANCH

Margaret Moses Branch is married to Turner W. Branch, senior partner of the Branch Law Firm. Ms. Branch has two stepchildren, both attorneys, and nine nephews and nieces. She is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and International Women's Forum. She serves on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association, and the Board of Directors of the Center for Civic Values (Interest on Legal Trust Accounts). She was Chair of the Association of Trial Lawyers Women's Law Caucus, and was founding President of the New Mexico Women's Bar Association. She is a frequent lecturer on Continuing Legal Education programs for attorneys. Ms. Branch currently serves as Vice Chair of the Association of Trial Lawyers of the America Tobacco Litigation Group.

In her practice, Margaret Moses Branch has been particularly interested in women's health issues. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer ATLA Litigation Group. She was moderator for the National College of Advocacy, Medical-Legal Update Seminar, for the section entitled "Medicine and the Law: Special Issues Facing Women." Ms. Branch served as a moderator of the ATLA National College of Advocacy, "Litigating Women's Health Issues" in October 1992.

She has served as counsel in cases which involved failure to diagnose breast cancer, colon cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatitis, leukoplakia, peritonitis, appendicitis, compartment syndrome, aneurysms, pneumonia, meningitis, abruptio placenta, kernicterus and other illnesses and diseases. She has been involved in cases that addressed issues of surgical negligence, i.e., laminectomies, cholecystectomies, colonoscopies, hernia repairs and hip replacements. Additionally, she has been involved in cases that dealt with obstetrical issues, i.e., failure to perform timely Caesarean sections, inappropriate radiological procedures, unnecessary hysterectomies and incomplete abortions.

In July of 1992, Ms. Branch was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Multi-District Litigation Plaintiffs' Steering Committee which is responsible for representing all women nationwide who file breast implant cases in the federal court system. She also served as chair of the Mentor Committee which negotiated a 23b(1)(B) limited fund class settlement of *$25.8 million. Ms. Branch served on the five-member team that negotiated an opt-out Rule 23 class settlement in the amount of *$4.75 billion. In March of 1994, she was appointed settlement class counsel in the Breast Implant Global Settlement. Most recently, Ms. Branch was appointed to the Tort Claimants' Committee to protect the interests of Dow Corning claimants and assist in formulating a bankruptcy plan.

Ms. Branch has also been involved in toxic tort cases involving hydrogen sulfide, natural gas, hydrochloric acid and pesticides; and she is particularly interested in environmental issues and legal resolutions.

Ms. Branch was actively involved in the L-Tryptophan Multi-District Litigation. L-Tryptophan is an amino acid that was marketed as a therapeutic aid for insomnia, premenstrual syndrome and depression. It was a product (primarily used by women) which required no governmental safety testing until the product was associated with Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes scleroderma, pulmonary hypertension and brain lesions.

She has been actively involved in women's health issues, including defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices. She has written articles for the American Trial Lawyers Association, New Mexico Bar Association, New York Bar Journal, Texas Bar Association, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association and Lawyers Education Institute.

*Past successes cannot be an assurance of future successes because each case must be decided on its own merits.

Areas of Practice:

Toxic Tort
Natural Gas
Hydrochloric Acid and Pesticides
Environmental Issues
Legal Resolutions

Litigation Percentage:

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

New Mexico, 1978
U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1988
U.S. District Court District of New Mexico, 1978

Education:

University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1978 J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1975; B.S., Bachelor of Science; Honors: With Honors

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Instructor, Preparation and Presentation of Medical Expert Testimony, Texas Trial Lawyers Seminar, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 1990

Instructor, University of New Mexico School of Law Trial Practice Session, 1990

Instructor, Trial Practice Errors, Stetson Law School Trial Practice Class, 1990

Instructor, 1991 Update on Torts - New Trends in Business Torts, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association Seminar, 1991

Instructor, Update in the Areas of Sexual Discrimination and Civil Rights, New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association Seminar

Instructor, Medicine and the Law: Special Issues Facing Women, Association of Trial Lawyers of America National College of Advocacy, Medical-Legal Update Seminar, 1992

Instructor, Choosing and Preparing the Economic Expert: Appraiser, Accountant, Economist, Law Education Institute, 1992

Speaker, Moderator, Litigating Women's Health Issues, Association of Trial Lawyers of America National College of Advocacy, 1992

Speaker, Essentials of Trial Practice: Medical Malpractice Section, Association of Trial Lawyers of America National College of Advocacy, 1992

Speaker, Rainmaking: How to Get and Keep Clients, Women Litigators' Forum, 1993

Speaker, Guinea Pigs Again: Women's Rights in Health Issues: Plastic Surgery, Breast Implants and other Procedures, Association of Trial Lawyers of America National College of Advocacy Annual Convention

Speaker, Multi-District Litigation and Class Actions, Albuquerque Lawyers' Club, 1993

Speaker, Breast Implant Litigation, Law Education Institute National Continuing Legal Education Conference, 1993

Speaker, Strategies and Techniques for Negotiating Cases with Manufacturers, ATLA National College of Advocacy, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Seminar, 1993

Speaker, Mentor Settlement: Rule 23 Mandatory Settlement: MDL Discovery Progress, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National College of Advocacy Breast Implant Seminar, 1993

Speaker, Breast Implant Global Settlement Resolution, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National College of Advocacy Breast Implant Seminar, 1993

Speaker, Use of MRIs and Neuropsychology Reports in L-Tryptophan Cases, Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, 1993

Speaker, The High Impact Resume and Impressive Interview Techniques: A Hiring Partner's Perspective, Association of Trial Lawyers of America From Classroom to Courtroom Seminar, 1993

Co-Chair, Specialized College, Damages, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National College of Advocacy, 1994

Invited Speaker, Status of Breast Implant Litigation, Texas and New Mexico State Bar, 1994

Honors and Awards:

Fellow, New Mexico Bar Foundation

Professional Associations and Memberships:

University of New Mexico Graduate Students Association, 1976 - 1977 Vice President

University of New Mexico Graduate Students Association, 1977 - 1978 President

New Mexico, 1980 - Present; Real Estate Broker

National College of Trial Advocacy, University of Washington, 1985 Member

Hastings College, Advanced College, Products Liability, 1991 Member

State Bar of New Mexico, Committee on Implementation of the Task Force, 1990 - Present Recommendations on Women in the Legal Profession, Member

Second Judicial District, 1991 - Present Member, Judicial Selection Committee

Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1992 Exec. Committee, Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer Litigation Group

Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1993 - Present Vice Chair, Women Trial Lawyers Caucus

Breast Implant Multi-District Litigation, MDL 926, 1992 - Present Member

Plaintiffs' Negotiating Team for Mentor Rule 23 Settlement in MDL 926, 1993 Co-Chair

Plaintiffs' Negotiating Team for Proposed Breast Implant Global, 1993 Settlement in MDL, Member

Albuquerque Bar Association Member

State Bar of New Mexico, 1982 Vice President, Young Lawyers Division

New Mexico Womens Bar Association, 1990 - 1991 President

New Mexico Womens Bar Association, 1990 - Present Member, Board of Directors

New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association, 1993 Member, Board of Directors

Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1992 Co-Chair, Membership Task Force

Albuquerque Lawyers Club Member

Association of Trial Lawyers of America Sustaining Member

Birth Information:

February 28, 1953, Salzburg, Austria

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