Evelyn Fletcher Davis

Evelyn Fletcher Davis is a Senior Partner practicing in the Atlanta office of Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP. As one of the nation’s leading toxic tort and product liability defense attorneys, Evelyn has tried, managed, and settled thousands of cases in complex toxic tort litigation. She has litigated cases involving asbestos, silica, mold, benzene and other chemicals, in addition to transportation and general product liability cases. Evelyn practices at the state, federal, and appellate court levels in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, where she has acted as local, regional, and national counsel for over forty corporations. She currently serves as national coordinating counsel to a global manufacturer of wire and cable products. A few of Evelyn’s prominent clients include CertainTeed Corporation, Dana Corporation, United Parcel Service (UPS), Shell Oil Company, Flowserve Corporation, Foseco, Inc., and Gardner Denver.
Professional Experience
Toxic Tort and Product Liability
Evelyn maintains an active practice in toxic tort and product liability litigation. She defends cases involving products such as brakes and linings for automobiles, trucks, motors and cranes, gaskets in automobiles, trucks and equipment, construction materials, roofing materials, joint compounds, building wall panels and wall boards, floor tiles and sheetings, cement, sewer pipes, pipe coverings, heat transfer products, pumps and packing, valves, steam and gas turbines, silica, and benzene. Her work involves examination and knowledge of the intended uses of products, operating principles, maintenance schedules and procedures, applicable regulations, and industry standards, all of which she applies to the development of aggressive defense strategies during all stages of trial.
Transportation
Evelyn defends national trucking companies, their drivers, and insurers against catastrophic injury and property damage claims. She is experienced handling cargo claims under the Carmack Amendment for food products, including fresh produce.
Appellate Practice
Evelyn actively defends environmental toxic tort cases in the trial and appellate courts in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. She is instrumental in the Florida dockets, where she leads her litigation areas in aggressive motion practice and enforcement of new legislation. She tries multiple cases in different counties and pursues and defends appellate review for her clients as necessary. See E.g., Genuine Parts Co. v. Parsons, 917 So. 2d 419 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006); Flowserve Corporation (f/k/a Durametallic, Inc.) v. Bonilla, et al., 952 So. 2d 1239 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007); Williams, et al., v. American Optical Corp., et al., 2008 Fla. App. LEXIS 12031 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008); Witkiewicz, et al v. ACandS, Inc., et al., No. 4D08-1170 (Fla. 4th DCA); American Optical Corporation, et al., v. Spiewak, et al., Nos. SC08-1616 and SC08-1640 (Fla. Sup. Ct. cases consolidated 2008); and American Optical Corporation, et al., v. Williams, et al., Nos. SC08-1617 and SC08-1639 (Fla. Sup. Ct. cases consolidated 2008).
Professional affiliations
- Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (Member, 2010 to present)
- Board of Directors (2014 to 2017)
- Diversity Committee (2013 to present)
- Long Range Planning Committee (2012, 2013)
- Finance Committee (2014)
- Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (Member, 2009 to present)
- Vice Chair, Deposition Boot Camp
- Georgia Representative, State and International Representatives
- Member, Toxic Tort and Environmental Law
- Member, Professional Women's Forum
- International Association of Defense Counsel (Member, 2008 to present)
- State Coordinator in Georgia for iCivics (2014 to present)
- Alabama Defense Lawyer’s Association (Member, 2008 to present)
- Florida Defense Lawyer’s Association (Member, 2008 to present)
- National Association of Women Lawyers (Member, 2005 to present)
- Georgia Defense Lawyer’s Association (Member, 2003 to present)
- Board of Directors (2007 to 2012)
- Participant, Trial Academy (1998)
- GDLA Newsletter Editor (2012)
- Defense Research Institute (Member, 2001 to present)
- Chair, Women in the Courtroom Committee (2009 to present)
- Chair, Women in the Profession Seminar (2010)
- Chair, Asbestos Medicine Seminar (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017)
- Board of Directors, Regional Representative for Southeast (2008 to 2011)
- Chair, Blockbuster Speaker Committee, Annual Meeting (2008 to 2010)
- Vice Chair, Women in the Profession Seminar (2009)
- Marketing Chair, Women in the Profession Seminar (2008)
- Women in the Courtroom Committee (2007 to present)
- Diversity Committee (2007 to present)
- Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee (2000 to present)
- Alabama State Bar (Member, 2000 to present)
- The Florida Bar (Member, 1999 to present)
- Atlanta Council Younger Lawyers (Member, 1998 to 2006)
- Board of Directors (1998 to 2006)
- Atlanta Bar Association (Member, 1998 to present)
- State Bar of Georgia (Member, 1998 to present)
- New York State Bar Association (Member, 2014 to present)
- Lawyers Club of Atlanta
Honors
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
- Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Insurance Law (2015-2018)
- Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine (2014-2015)
- Super Lawyer "Rising Star," Super Lawyers Magazine (2005-2006, 2009-2011)
- Litigation Counsel of America Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, Fellow
- Top Rated Lawyer in ‘Mass Torts Law,’ American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell (2013)
- Most Powerful and Influential Women of Georgia, Georgia Diversity Council (2014)
Presentations
- “Succession Planning: Protecting Your Firm & Clients’ Legal Interests in Times of Transition,” IADC/FDCC Joint Law Firm Management Conference, Chicago, Illinois (April, 2017)
- Program Chair, Asbestos Medicine Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017)
- “Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Transparency Issues in Florida,” Annual Legislative Conference, American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), Palm Beach, Florida (November 2016)
- “Jurisdictional Update: Florida (2015-2016),“ Defense Asbestos Litigation Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada (June 2016)
- “Proving the Share Case: Witnesses and Document Proof,” Defense Asbestos Litigation Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada (June 2015)
- “In-House/Insurance Corporate Perspective,” Asbestos Defense Strategic Summit, Perrin Conferences, San Francisco, California (November 5, 2014)
- “Back to the Future: Combating the Reemergence of Lung Cancer Cases in Asbestos Litigation,” Winter Meeting, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2014)
- Speaker, Litigation Management College for Claims Professionals, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2013 and 2014)
- Program Chair, Women in the Law Seminar, Defense Research Institute (March 2010)
- “Ethics for the Everyday Lawyer,” Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers (June 2009)
- “Women in the Law,” Annual Meeting, Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (June 2009)
- Program Vice Chair, Women in the Law Seminar, Defense Research Institute (March 2009)
- “New Plaintiff and Product Investigation - For the Novice, the Experienced, and In Between,” Asbestos Medicine Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2007, 2008, and 2009)
- Program Marketing Chair, Women in the Law Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2008)
- “Women in the Law,” Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (2008)
- “In-Depth Discovery Issues,” Mealey’s Benzene Litigation Conference (2008)
- “Skits and Suds,” Continuing Legal Education Seminar for Young Lawyers, Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (2008)
- “The Business of Practicing Law: The Hard Reality of What Law School Does Not Teach You About The Business of Law and Marketing,” Florida State University College of Law (2007)
- “Role of Plaintiff in Trucking Mock Trial,” Preeminent Trial Lawyer Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2007)
- “Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty of a Silica Deposition,” Silica Medicine Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2006)
- “The Asbestos Deposition Primer - For the Novice, the Experienced, and In Between. What Makes a Great Plaintiff’s Deposition When You Take the Time To Do It Right,” Asbestos Medicine Seminar, Defense Research Institute (2006)
- Quarterly presentations at The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Multi District Litigation meetings
Articles and publications
Trials
- Yves J. Lagueux, et al v. AC&S, Inc., et al.
- Lynda Daly, et al v. ArvinMeritor, et al.
- Mallia v. Bennett Auto Supply
- Clarence Bentley v. Union Carbide
- Robert W. Lustgarten and Phyllis Lustgarten v. A. W Chesterton
- The Trust Company of Virginia as Executor of the Estate of James L. Perkins, et al v. AC&S, Inc., et al.
Practice areas
Education
J.D., cum laude, Florida State University College of Law (1998)
- Law Review; Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law; Journal of Transnational Law and Policy
B.A., with honors, English, University of California, Santa Barbara (1994)
Bar admissions
Courts
- State and Superior Courts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia
- Appellate Courts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia
- Supreme Courts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
News
- Seventeen Lawyers Selected to The Best Lawyers in America© 2018
- Sixteen Lawyers Selected to The Best Lawyers in America© 2017
- Seventeen Lawyers Selected to The Best Lawyers in America© 2016
- Evelyn Fletcher Davis Honored as Most Powerful and Influential Women in Georgia
- HPTY Provides Leadership to Launch New iCivics Program in Georgia School System
- Fifteen Lawyers Selected to The Best Lawyers in America© 2015
- Evelyn Davis and Matt Barr Elected Fellows in the Litigation Counsel of America