Neal Walters > Ballard Spahr LLP > New Jersey, United States > Lawyer Profile
Ballard Spahr LLP Offices
700 EAST GATE DRIVE
SUITE 330 MOUNT LAUREL
NJ 08054-0015
NEW JERSEY
United States
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Neal Walters
Work Department
Litigation
Position
Partner and Leader of Ballard Spahr’s Product Liability/Mass Tort Group
Career
Neal Walters is the Practice Leader of Ballard Spahr’s Product Liability and Mass Tort Group, and a member of the firm’s Manufacturing and Retail Industry Groups. Neal has a diverse trial and litigation practice focused on protecting product companies, as well as clients involved in technical matters, against a broad range of risks. As counsel for several consumer product manufacturers, he has defended and coordinated product liability and consumer claims, including class actions, through trial in jurisdictions across the country.
He also counsels companies on contractual, regulatory, and liability issues arising in the development, sale, and servicing of products. Most recently, this has included responding to emergent requests from clients to address COVID-19 related product risks, including the evaluation and support of emergency PPE.
Admissions
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Memberships
Rutgers School of Law-Camden, former Adjunct Professor, Pretrial Advocacy and Electronic Discovery
Defense Research Institute
Neal is a Trustee of the Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Governance Committee, of the South Jersey Food Bank. Neal was a collegiate baseball player and is an athletics enthusiast. He is an avid golfer and is actively involved in coaching a variety of youth sports for the Marlton (New Jersey) Recreation Council.
Education
Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey School of Law-Newark (J.D. 1993)
Rutgers College (B.A. 1990)
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
At Ballard Spahr LLP, the product liability and mass tort team frequently work on high-value and complex product cases pending in both the federal and the state courts. Operating primarily out of New Jersey, the team specializes in handling complex product liability cases nationwide, from catastrophic injury claims to national class actions and appeals. The firm serves a diverse client base, including leading automotive companies and emerging technology firms, offering strategic counsel on product risks, warranties, and compliance to prevent litigation. Notable recent achievements include defending Subaru in six national class actions, securing rare post-trial class decertification in a major case, and successfully limiting class actions at early stages. Head of team Neal Walters directs the group, with extensive experience counseling automotive companies on regulatory, product development, and service issues, as well as defending them in product liability litigation. Steven Burkhart, a former general counsel, works out of Maryland to bring additional expertise in commercial litigation, internal investigations, product liability, and risk management matters, while Casey Watkins specializes in hands-on autonomous vehicle regulatory experience, further bolstering the team’s technical expertise. All lawyers mentioned are based in New Jersey unless otherwise stated.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Philadelphia Elite > Commercial disputes
- Minneapolis Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Minneapolis Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Seattle Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Seattle Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Philadelphia Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Philadelphia Elite > Intellectual Property
- Philadelphia Elite > Real estate
- Finance > Project finance
- Seattle Elite > Real estate
- Philadelphia Elite > White-collar crime
Firm Rankings
- Salt Lake City Elite > Commercial disputes
- Seattle Elite > Commercial disputes
- Philadelphia Elite > Commercial disputes
- Minneapolis Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Minneapolis Elite > Corporate and M&A
- Seattle Elite > Corporate and M&A
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Seattle Elite > Real estate
- Philadelphia Elite > Real estate
- Philadelphia Elite > Real estate
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): municipal
- Philadelphia Elite > White-collar crime
- Philadelphia Elite > White-collar crime
- Los Angeles Elite > Banking and finance
- Philadelphia Elite > Banking and finance (including restructuring)
- Salt Lake City Elite > Commercial disputes
- Seattle Elite > Commercial disputes
- Portland Elite > Commercial disputes
- Portland Elite > Commercial disputes
- San Francisco Elite > Finance and restructuring
- Finance > Fintech
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Real estate > Real estate
- Los Angeles Elite > Real estate
- Philadelphia Elite > White-collar crime
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense