William Audet | J.D., LL.M., LL.D. (h.c.)
Attorney William M. Audet has been practicing law for over thirty years and prosecuting complex individual and class action case in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In recognition of his experience and dedication to his clients, Mr. Audet has been appointed to leadership roles in dozens of significant MDL, federal and state cases. Mr. Audet is the founding partner of Audet & Partners, LLP, a San Francisco based law firm with cases filed in state and federal courts in almost every state in the United States.
Michael McShane | J.D.
Michael McShane earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, before earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon, where he was the Articles Editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. A member of the California State Bar since 1987, during the last thirty years Mr. McShane’s practice has been devoted exclusively to prosecuting complex class action litigation throughout the United States. Michael McShane has served as class counsel and lead counsel in dozens of cases during his career, primarily in Federal District Courts and usually in Multi-District Litigation (MDL) proceedings. He is a member of the bars of the California Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court and has been admitted to practice in many Federal District Courts and Courts of Appeal. Mr. McShane has represented millions of class members and recovered well over a billion dollars on their behalf. His areas of practice include products liability involving defective roofing, siding and plumbing, consumer claims, antitrust litigation, insurance fraud and medical/pharmaceutical overcharge cases.
Mark Burton | J.D.
Mark Burton is of Counsel to Audet & Partners. He graduated in 1995 with a Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law, where he was an associate editor of the Golden Gate University Law Review. During law school he clerked for the San Francisco Superior Court and practiced as a certified law clerk at the Contra Costa Public Defenders Office. Mr. Burton’s practice focuses on complex litigation, including class and non-class action claims involving mass torts, product liability, personal injury, employment claims and consumer class actions. He successfully tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts in a variety of matters and is as a Super Lawyer every year since 2008.
David Kuang | J.D.
“David” Ling Y. Kuang graduated with a B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Economics, from University of California, Davis and later earned a J.D. from Golden Gate University, School of Law in 2013. He focuses his practice on the prosecution of class actions and other complex matters in both California state courts and federal courts throughout the United States. His work has earned him numerous accolades including recognition as a top attorney by SuperLawyers® (selection onto their 2019 Rising Stars list, an honor reserved for top 2.5% of attorneys in the state). Representative case work includes being part of a trial team that sought, on behalf of a class of insurance purchasers, restitution in excess of $100M dollars, pursuing actions against Fortune 100 companies for product defects, and safeguarding privacy and consumer data protection in suits against Silicon Valley scions. His experience prior to joining Audet & Partners include, among others, gaining a wide breadth of judicial insight working with Associate Justice Nathan D. Mihara in the California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District; and further expanding his experience on the international stage, having clerked for the Honorable Sharon D. Melloy in the Hong Kong District Courts.
Thom Smith | J.D.
Thom E. Smith received his B.A. degree in English from Louisiana State University in 1990. In 1993, Mr. Smith was awarded a J.D. from Boston College School of Law and was thereafter admitted to the bar in Massachusetts, Louisiana, and California. Since 1995, Mr. Smith’s practice has primarily been in product liability and mass tort litigation. At Audet & Partners, LLP, as mass tort case coordinator, Mr. Smith focuses his work on the organization and administration of litigation, settlement, and claim processing of defective pharmaceutical and medical device cases involving Transvaginal Mesh, Plavix, and Granuflo.