Michael J. Wagner

Michael Wagner serves on Baker McKenzie’s Global Executive Committee and is the firm’s Chair, North America. He also chairs the firm’s Global Pro Bono & Community Service Committee. He is responsible for the firm’s six global industry groups and is a past Chair of its Global Healthcare Industry Group.

He is a leader of the firm’s Product Liability, Safety & Recall Practice and is a senior member of the North American Litigation & Government Enforcement Practice Group. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 1983, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Fred J. Cassibry of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.

Michael regularly works on civil litigation — particularly commercial and tort litigation for global companies in the pharmaceutical and healthcare, medical device, consumer and food products, and IT industries. He has tried numerous cases to verdict before juries, routinely having primary counsel responsibility for the defense of commercial and product liability claims.

He also helps major companies conduct national and international product recalls, respond to foodborne illness outbreaks and meet the challenges of highly publicized mass tort and commercial claims.

He was selected by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to serve as a stakeholder delegate to participate in the Third Biennial United States–China Consumer Product Safety Summit in China in October 2009. The Summit included a series of direct discussions between senior representatives of the CPSC and AQSIQ, the CPSC’s counterpart agency in China.

Education:

• University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.) (1981)
• Northwestern University (B.S. Journalism) (1978)
• Northwestern University School of Law (Visiting Student 1980-81)

Admissions:

• U.S. District Court~United States (1981)
• Illinois~United States (1981)

Professional Associations and Memberships : Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession – Board of Directors