Gordon Rather

Professional Experience

Gordon Rather has been engaged in active trial practice for more than 40 years. Year after year, he has been known as one of the state’s most effective trial lawyers. Clients have characterized him as a “great trial lawyer,” who is “in touch with every detail of a case” in addition to being “thorough and extremely good with juries.” His practice centers on litigation, including complex commercial issues, class actions, product liability defense, toxic torts, admiralty and maritime matters, and insurance defense.

Rather’s more recent experience includes:

• Lead trial counsel for a major hospital system in Arkansas, defending a class action involving hospital billing practices.
• Lead trial counsel for the state’s largest health insurer, defending a class action based on the Arkansas made whole doctrine.
• Lead trial counsel for a major Arkansas oil company, defending oil field contamination and crude oil release claims.
• Lead trial counsel for a major U.S. chemical manufacturer defending product liability claims.
• Lead trial counsel for a U.S. boat manufacturer defending product liability claims
• Expert witness for the State of Arkansas testifying in support of an award of $180 million in attorneys’ fees on a $1.2 billion judgment.

Recognition

Rather has been nationally recognized for and involved in the advancement of effective trial advocacy. Notably, he served on the faculty of the ABA-ABOTA Trial Academy at the National Judicial College in 2007 and 2010. He also served on the faculty for the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Princeton in 2010 and on the faculty of the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Harvard Law School in 2012, 2014 and again in 2016.

His professional activities include:

• National President of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 1996
• American College of Trial Lawyers
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor)

Rather has also been named to:

• The Best Lawyers in America (in five litigation categories)
• Chambers USA (ranked first in litigation)
• Lawdragon, 500 Leading Lawyers in America
• Lawdragon Legends of the 500 
• International Who’s Who for Product Liability Defense
• Mid-South Super Lawyers

Gordon S. Rather, Jr. has received a 5.0 out of 5 AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating. www.martindale.com/ratings

Practice Areas

• Class Action, Mass Tort, and Multidistrict Litigation
• Commercial Litigation & Contract Disputes
• Director & Officer Liability
• e-Discovery
• Environmental Issues & Toxic Torts
• Insurance Defense
• Products Liability

Admitted to Practice

• Arkansas 1968
• United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States Supreme Court

Education

• B.A., Vanderbilt University (cum laude)
• J.D., Duke University