The old razzle dazzle

Mark Lanier has become a folk hero to pharmaceutical tort lawyers by winning threeVioxx rofecoxib cases against Merck & Co. Inc.

Lanier's weekday courtroom demeanor reflects his weekend job as a Baptist preacher. Speaking at a conference on Avandia litigation in Chicago on July 13, Lanier demonstrated how he mixes legal erudition, a folksy style, and religious fervor to convince juries that corporations have wronged his clients. ...