Andrew S. Chamberlin

Overview

Andrew Chamberlin is a trial attorney with a broad national and international practice. Andrew has handled product liability, and catastrophic injury defense cases  as well as the prosecution and defense of commercial, construction, and intellectual property disputes. He has appeared in state and federal courts across the United States in his role as counsel for various entities.

Additionally, Andrew handles matters involving lithium ion batteries including fire investigations, construction and EPC disputes, and products liability and commercial claims alleging the defective design and manufacture of batteries and battery management systems.  Among other clients involved in the lithium ion space, he represents a major integrator of lithium ion battery components and management systems that engineers, procures, and constructs battery energy storage solutions for utilities.

Andrew understands the value of being “appropriately aggressive.” He strives to understand the business and legal aspects of a given dispute to craft a path that serves the client’s best interests. Though he has tried “bet the company” jury trials, he is equally ready to consider a range of business and legal alternatives. Andrew understands that the best outcome for the client is not always achieved through a favorable verdict; it is possible to win the battle but lose the war.

Andrew helps clients assess the benefits of going to trial, against the inherent litigation and business risk of engaging in a dispute in a public forum. Andrew has developed a highly tailored approach to litigation that is considerate of his client’s specific needs. He is particularly experienced in the representation of  European multinational corporations that view litigation and dispute resolution in ways that frequently differ from domestic corporations.  His innovative thinking is best illustrated by his success in obtaining a highly influential discovery ruling that permits simultaneous compliance with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the French Blocking Statute. See Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District v. Trench France SAS, et al., 303 F. Supp. 1004 (2018).

Andrew prefers to build a partnership with each client that allows him to gain proper insight into the operation of their business, their tolerance for litigation risk, and their perception of the best available outcome.  In appropriate circumstances, Andrew has helped implement pre-litigation investigations and settlement programs for clients facing product issues, allowing them to resolve their disputes and maintain their business reputation without proceeding to litigation or trial.

Andrew is actively involved in the global legal community. He is the past president of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), which is composed of the world’s leading corporate and insurance attorneys and insurance executives. Additionally, he was selected as “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America®, for personal injury litigation defense in the North Carolina Triad area, and one of the two best products liability lawyers in North Carolina by Products Liability Defense.”

Andrew’s recent work has included ICC proceedings, cross-border document collections and discovery issues, disputes related to the French blocking statute, and GDPR compliance. Additionally, he served as a faculty member for the 2014 IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University.  He co-authored  “The Effective Deponent: Preventing Amygdala Hijack During Witness Testimony” published in For the Defense, June 2018. Andrew has also served as an invited speaker on Rule 702, catastrophic event investigation, the trial of a complex case, and the application of technology to the practice of law.

Andrew is also involved in his community.  Andrew has served as President of First Lutheran Church, Board Chair of Greensboro Urban Ministry, and President of the North Carolina Fusion soccer club.  An advocate for the poor and the homeless, Andrew has co-led a weekly breakfast for the homeless for 14 years. 

Andrew is married with two college-age daughters, and he enjoys spending most of his free time with family. He also loves to travel and enjoys all forms of exercise, though he wishes the benefits of his hard work were more obvious!