Jeffrey Bash

Managing Partner

Jeff.Bash@lewisbrisbois.com

Jeff Bash is the managing partner of the Madison County, Illinois office of Lewis Brisbois (located in metropolitan St. Louis) and a chair of the Asbestos Litigation Practice. He focuses his practice on the defense of manufacturers, retailers, suppliers and premises owners in toxic/mass tort and environmental litigation. He provides proactive solutions aimed at reducing potential liability and exposure to clients. Mr. Bash also has extensive experience representing health care providers, trucking and insurance companies. He is licensed to practice in the State Courts of Illinois and Missouri and the United States District Courts for the Southern District of Illinois and Eastern District of Missouri and is frequently called upon by clients to represent them in other states.

Mr. Bash has successfully managed complex commercial litigation for Fortune 500 corporate clients in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois and in neighboring counties in Missouri, such as the City of St. Louis, for more than 15 years, including serving as National Coordinating and National Settlement Counsel. He has tried cases to verdict and specializes in mitigating risks for clients through diligent trial preparations, motion practice and settlement negotiations. He has been retained by clients to negotiate settlements and dismissals nationwide. Mr. Bash has taken the lead in pressing defenses such as a lack of personal jurisdiction, forum non conveniens, products liability statutes of repose and medical causation. He has also drafted and argued numerous dispositive motions including motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment. Mr. Bash has defended the firm’s clients in hundreds of depositions of plaintiffs, corporate representatives, co-workers, medical providers and experts. In addition, he has experience litigating claims involving hospital billing disputes. Mr. Bash also has extensive experience defending clients in benzene exposure claims, wrongful foreclosure, aviation litigation and general insurance casualty claims.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Asbestos Litigation
  • Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation
  • Products Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • General Liability

Additional Experience

Admissions

Illinois

Missouri

United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois

United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri

Associations

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Madison County Bar Association
  • St. Clair County Bar Association
  • Bar Association Metro St. Louis

Awards & Honors

  • St. Louis Top Lawyers, 2024
  • Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2023-2024
  • Leading Lawyer, Leading Lawyers Magazine, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Asbestos Litigation Expert of the Year in the US, Issued by The Lawyer Network – Annual Awards 2022
  • Rated Top Lawyer, Avvo, 2022
  • Most Honored Lawyers - Top 5%, The American Registry, 2022
  • Lawyers of Distinction – Top 10% of lawyers in the USA, 2017, 2020
  • Best Lawyers in Illinois, Published in the Chicago Tribune, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Best Lawyers in St. Louis, Published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, 2017
  • Best Lawyers In America, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Leading Lawyers (Illinois) – Personal Injury Defense Law: General; Products Liability Defense Law; and Toxic Torts Defense Law, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
  • Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, Civil Litigation Defense, 2012, 2013
  • Top Attorneys - Illinois Outstanding Young Lawyers - Civil Litigation Defense, Published in Chicago Magazine, 2013

Professional Presentations

  • Presenter at 2011 Claims Handling Seminar on the current state of Illinois premises liability law
  • Presenter at the 2013 HarrisMartin’s Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri on current and important decisions in Illinois and Missouri

Education

Saint Louis University School of Law

Juris Doctor, 2003

University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana

Certifications

Health Law Certificate, Saint Louis University School of Law, 2003

Representative Cases

  • Nichols v. The Dow Chemical Company. Jury Trial, City of St. Louis, Missouri, February 2014. Served on trial team in this wrongful death action seeking punitive damages and $21,000,000 in compensation. After a three-week trial, the jury returned a defense verdict in Dow’s favor.
  • Mwesigwa v. DAP Inc., 637 F.3d 884 (8th Cir. 2011). Summary Judgment. Products liability labeling claims against DAP Inc. preempted by Federal Hazardous Substances Act after Mwesigwa used a can of DAP Gel Formula Contact Cement which allegedly resulted in a flash fire causing burns to 80% of his body, $2,000,000 in medical expenses and his ultimate death.
  • Ratermann v. Tri-County Elec. Co-op., Inc. 229 Ill.2d 658, 897 N.E.2d 263, 325 Ill.Dec.15. Jury Trial, Marion County, Illinois, 2009. Not guilty verdict for electric utility where plaintiffs claimed a power surge resulted in a home fire. Plaintiffs relied upon res ipsa loquitur and plaintiffs’ cause and origin expert maintained there was physical evidence of a massive high voltage surge of electricity causing simultaneous fires in two breaker panels.
  • Berry v. American Standard, Inc. 382 Ill.App.3d 895 (5th Dist. 2008). Summary Judgment. Denial of use of deceased plaintiff’s discovery deposition as admissible evidence to defeat defendant’s summary judgment motion.
  • Rozumek v. Union Carbide Corporation. United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, July 2015. Personal Jurisdiction. The Court granted Union Carbide Corporation’s, a miner and supplier of asbestos fibers, Motion to Dismiss based upon a lack of personal jurisdiction.