Robert McCorkle

Education

	Stanford Law School (L.L.B. 1966)
	University of New Mexico (B.B.A. 1963)

Professional Experience

Mr. McCorkle has practiced in litigation for 36 years. He has tried more than 100 jury trials in federal and state courts involving product liability, complex commercial, corporate litigation, and professional liability. He is now of counsel to the firm, after serving for many years as the director of the product liability practice group.

In the first part of his career, Mr. McCorkle concentrated on personal injury doing both insurance defense and representing plaintiffs. For several years, he was lead trial counsel for all law enforcement agencies in the State of New Mexico and for all ski areas in New Mexico. During the second half of his career, Mr. McCorkle has become more involved in products liability and complex commercial cases.

Mr. McCorkle has handled cases involving all types of products and issues including automobiles, trucks, general aviation, boats, motorcycles, crashworthiness, tires, rims, forklifts, cranes, medical products, chemical, toxic torts, water contamination, gas, electrical, oil field accident, pipeline failures, mining equipment, manufacturing equipment, and manufacturing plants. Mr. McCorkle has been New Mexico counsel for several motor vehicle manufacturers and for mass tort cases. He also has done royalty payment, insurance coverage, and bad faith cases.

Mr. McCorkle was lead defense counsel for all litigation arising from the 1980 Penitentiary of New Mexico riot in which the prison was destroyed, 33 inmates died, and hundreds were injured. He was also lead counsel for three years in the class action prison conditions case, Duran v. Bruce King, Governor of the State of New Mexico, et al., United States District Court for the District of New Mexico; Cause No. CIV 77-721C.

Mr. McCorkle was lead counsel for Shearson Lehman Brothers in five shareholder class action cases resulting from the largest bankruptcy of a New Mexico bank holding company, Greenfield, et al. v. First City Financial Corporation; United States District Court for the District of New Mexico; Cause No. CIV 84-0407HB. He was lead counsel for a major defendant in several class action shareholder cases and related derivative cases resulting from Public Service Company of New Mexico’s exit from diversification. This was the largest shareholder litigation in New Mexico, Farber v. Public Service Company of New Mexico, et al., United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, Cause No, CIV 89-0456JB. Mr. McCorkle was lead counsel for a significant defendant in a RICO civil conspiracy lawsuit brought by the Resolution Trust Corporation following the failure of one of the country’s largest financial institutions, Western Savings and Loan Association of Arizona, In Re: Western Savings & Loan Resolution Trust Corporation; In the United States District Court for the District of Arizona; MDL Docket No. 995.

Professional Memberships and Activities

	Has achieved the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating
	Listed in Best Lawyers in America
	Advocate in American Board of Trial Advocates
	New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association
	Litigation Section of the American Bar Association
	Listed in Who’s Who in Product Liability Litigation International