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Partner
John Meltzer
Languages spoken
English
Career highlights
Acting for the principal UK tobacco companies in obtaining an unprecedented judgment of the European Court of Justice annulling the EU Directive banning tobacco advertising.
Acting for the leading manufacturer of the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine in the defence of an English product liability group action.
Conducting product liability audits for leading international consumer goods manufacturers and advising on systems to minimise potential regulatory and litigation risks.
"The leader of the pack…respected by rivals and loved by those he represents" - Chambers and Partners
John is head of Lovells' Product Liability Network and a member of the firm's Life Sciences Group. He has given product safety advice to many of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of consumer goods and represented them in major commercial litigation and product liability disputes.
He has extensive experience of single and multi-party product liability claims, involving a range of products including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vaccines, blood products, tobacco, asbestos, mobile phones and motor vehicles. He has also assisted clients to co-ordinate the defence of cross-border product liability claims, including claims in the US, Canada, Australia and various countries in Europe.
He regularly advises clients on product safety issues such as risk management systems, media handling, labelling, contractual terms and conditions, product recalls, crisis management and liaison with EU and national authorities. In recent years he has advised several international product suppliers on EU-wide product recalls under the General Product Safety Directive.
John was appointed by the European Commission to lead the team that carried out a major study on the Product Liability Directive and its possible reform and is a member of the Working Group established by the Commission to monitor and review product liability developments.
John has published widely and is frequently invited to speak at international conferences on product liability and product safety. He is listed as a leading lawyer in the fields of product liability and life sciences in all of the major directories including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and Who's Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers and Who's Who of Life Sciences Lawyers.