Meghan Magruder is a Senior Partner in King & Spalding’s Atlanta office and a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group. Ms. Magruder represents corporate clients in insurance coverage and complex commercial litigation matters.
Ms. Magruder has more than twenty-eight years of experience handling complex commercial litigation matters with particular emphasis in insurance coverage, contract and indemnity disputes, mass tort defense and product liability litigation. She handles multi-party, class action, and multi-jurisdictional litigation and various forms of dispute resolution. She also provides clients with counseling on preventative litigation strategies, and advises policyholders on a wide variety of insurance and risk management matters. She serves as lead trial counsel in jury and non-jury trials, as well as lead counsel in international arbitration disputes. In 2011, Ms. Magruder was lead counsel in a lengthy international arbitration in London resulting in successful dismissal of millions of dollars of claims against her client and an award of attorney’s fees in favor of her client. In 2010, Ms. Magruder was lead trial lawyer in a three week federal court jury trial winning a verdict for her client that was one of the top fifteen in the State and second highest in the contract verdict category. Ms. Magruder has been listed in The Best Lawyers In America and Georgia Super Lawyers.
Ms. Magruder represents policyholders in connection with claims in negotiation, litigation and arbitration including international arbitration. She advises clients with respect to all types of insurance policies and all matters of claims, including commercial liability, all risk, property, directors and officers, crime, employment, environmental errors and omissions and electronics specialty policies. She handles property loss and business interruption claims, and she has been retained by companies to assist with insurance strategies in situations where large numbers of cases and class actions, such as consumer class actions, asbestos and other toxic tort litigations have been filed. Ms. Magruder also counsels clients on review of their insurance programs and adequacy of coverages.
Ms. Magruder also has substantial experience representing clients in a variety of commercial litigation areas. Ms. Magruder was lead trial counsel in a winning judgment and zero recovery in connection with a federal litigation involving over $100 million in property damage claims brought against her client. She was lead trial counsel in a recent federal jury trial obtaining a verdict of over $9 million for her client in connection with industrial property damage and business interruption losses.
She also represents clients in a variety of mass tort and product liability matters. For example, she represents a major pharmaceutical company involved in class action consumer fraud cases. She has been national coordinating counsel for international automotive companies involved in benzene exposure litigation. She has also defended companies in multi-jurisdictional asbestos and lead litigation, and she has represented a building products manufacturer in a number of lawsuits alleging defective products.
Recent Publications and Thought Leadership
Mr. Magruder was elected in 2011 as a member of the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the U.S. producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law.
Ms. Magruder is frequently invited to speak on litigation, insurance, tort and environmental law topics and has authored numerous articles and publications. Recent publications include:
- How Do You Protect Your Business When the Sky Really is Falling? Emerging Trends in Property Damage Insurance and Tips for Maximizing Coverage in the Event of Catastrophic Loss, Client Presentation, April 2012.
- How to Tell a Compelling Story in Any Case, for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Annual Meeting, April 2012.
- Bridging the Divide: Litigation in Civil Law Jurisdictions, Common Law Jurisdictions and the United States, and How the IBA Rules Strike a Compromise, for the Atlanta International Arbitration Society Meeting, April 2012.
- The Perfect 10: Invaluable Tips for Litigating Your Insurance Coverage Case, for the ABA Insurance Coverage Seminar, March 2012.
- The Intersection of Contractual Indemnity Clauses and Additional Insured Status: You May Have Less Coverage Than You Think, Client Alert, February 2012.
- Legal Issues for Nonprofits that Work with Children, for the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, September 2011.
- Securities Litigation and SEC Enforcement: Recent Trends and D&O Update, Client Presentation, August 2011.
- Defending Toxic Tort Claims: Effective Strategies and Key Considerations, Chapter in Litigating Toxic Tort and Hazardous Waste Claims: Leading Lawyers on Evaluating Liability, Employing Experts, and Preparing for Litigation, Published by Aspatore Books, 2011.
- Broken Supply Chains, Lost Customers, and Property Damage: Insurance as a Resource for Losses Sustained After the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, Client Alert, June 2011.
- Ensuring Maximum Coverage After Natural Disasters, article appearing in Law 360, May 2011.
- Maximize Your Insurance Recovery for Losses from Tornadoes, Floods, and Other Natural Disasters, Client Alert, May 2011.
- Insurance Coverage, Chapter in Regulation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Published by Law Journal Press, 2010.
- Litigation Management By Corporations, in the Multi-Volume Treatise, Business and Commercial Litigation in the Federal Courts, published by Thomson West, 2006; updated pocket parts 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
- Corporate Governance Issues in the Nuclear Power Industry, for the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University, August 2010.
- Executive Liability Conference: Emerging Management Liability Exposures in Times of Growth, presentation, August 2010.
- Insurance Coverage for Losses Related to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, Client Alert, May 2010.
- Transactional Risk: Facilitating Mergers, Acquisitions, Divestures, Spinoffs, Client Alert, March 2010.
- Hot Topics in Insurance Coverage for Environmental Liabilities for the Risk and Insurance Management Society, February 2010.
- Climate Change Liability Moves Forward: Does Your Insurance Cover Your Risk? Client Alert and Mondaq Publication, January 2010.
- What Boards Should Be Doing Right Now, The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, December 2009.
- Board Leadership Advisor: Practical Advice for Troubling Times - What Boards Should Be Doing Right Now, Client Alert, December 2009.
- Techniques to Maximize Coverage and Recovery in D&O and Employment Practices Claims, Client Alert, September 2009.
- Is Your D&O Coverage Adequate: How to Avoid Personal Contribution by Outside Directors in the Event of Claims, Client Alert and Mondaq Publication, August 2009.
- Q and A with King & Spalding’s Meghan Magruder, Profile Published in Law 360, May 2009.
- Developing Business Strategies for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Meeting, May 2009.
- What You Need to Know if Your Insurance Company is in Financial Distress, Client Alert and Mondaq Publication, March 2009.
- Bracing For Climate Change Exposure, Law 360 Publication, February 2009.
- Cyber Liability and Security Breaches, September 2008.
- Insurance Law 2008: Trends and Key Strategies, published by Aspatore Books, 2008.
- Director and Officer Liability: Assessing and Crafting Solutions to the Globalization of Risk, August 2008.
- Cyber Liability and Data Security Breaches: Is Your Company Prepared and Protected? Client Presentation, September 2008.
- Bridging the Gap Between Risk Management, Legal and C-Suite, for the Risk and Insurance Management Society Meeting, January 2008.
- Understanding Insurance Regulations and Coverage, published by Aspatore Books, 2007.
- The Trend of Locally Admitted D&O Policies for U.S. Companies With Foreign Subsidiaries, for the Executive Liability Conference, May 2007.
- Expert Witnesses in Environmental Coverage Disputes for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Meeting, March 2007.
- Finding And Retaining Expert Witnesses And Presenting Their Testimony for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, March 2005.
- Insurance Coverage For Employment Liabilities for Mealey’s Insurance Coverage for Financial Institution Exposures Conference, February 2005. (Paper published).
- Interpreting the Absolute Pollution Exclusion: Canons for Construing Policy Terms and How Courts Decide If It is Absolute for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Meeting, March 2004. (Paper published).
- Recent Developments In First-Party Property Insurance Coverage for Mealey’s Advanced Insurance Coverage Conference, January 2004. (Paper published).
- The Woman Advocate for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Meeting, April 2003.
- Personal Jurisdiction In Cyberspace for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Meeting, March 2002.
Memberships
- Ms. Magruder was an officer of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. She has been involved in leadership in the American Bar Association for many years, including as a member of the Task Force on Judicial Independence and a past member of the Council for the ABA Section of Litigation.
- Among her many professional responsibilities, Ms. Magruder served on the Board of Advisors for the Chemical Waste Litigation Reporter. She also served as both President and Vice President of the Environmental Commission for the Union Internationale des Avocats.
- Ms. Magruder is active in pro bono and community activities. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, and on the Board of Visitors for Emory University. She is a member of Leadership Atlanta Class of 2011.
Other Information
Ms. Magruder received her B.A. from Emory College in 1980 and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law in 1983. She served as law clerk to Judge Robert Hall in the Northern District of Georgia, and to Judge Dorothy Beasley in Georgia State Court. Ms. Magruder practiced law in Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. for over twenty years before joining King & Spalding and relocating to Atlanta. Before joining King & Spalding she was a Senior Partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Ms Magruder is a member of the Georgia, Massachusetts and District of Columbia bars.
