Bill Custer's practice frequently has involved the management and coordination of multi-jurisdictional and national litigation on behalf of the firm's largest corporate clients. In this role he has acted as national discovery counsel for one of the country's largest retail companies, national coordinating counsel for the defense of toxic tort claims against a Fortune 500 manufacturing company and national Daubert counsel for another Fortune 500 manufacturing corporation.

Mr. Custer also has extensive experience representing clients in a wide range of banking, commercial and antitrust litigation and has represented regional, national and international banking concerns in cases involving such matters as lender liability, RICO, truth in lending and fiduciary liability. He also has represented corporations in antitrust litigation involving private enforcement of the Sherman Act, The Clayton Act and the Bank Holding Company Act.

One of Mr. Custer's areas of concentration is product liability and the related field of toxic tort litigation. In the course of his career, he has represented several manufacturing concerns involved in nationwide litigation over the safety of their products. In recent years, Mr. Custer has developed extensive experience in the emerging area of litigation related to indoor air quality. This litigation has involved cutting edge theories of liability and injury advocated by the plaintiffs' bar including medical monitoring, RADS and multiple chemical sensitivity. Mr. Custer's defense of such cases has been distinguished by the innovative use of The Supreme Court's decision in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to exclude from evidence the opinions of a number of leading experts utilized by the plaintiffs' bar. He is frequently called upon by trade groups and others to speak on these subjects.

Bar and Court Admissions

Georgia, 1986

United States Supreme Court

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

United States District Courts for the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Georgia

Education

University of Georgia, J.D., 1986

Emory University, B.A., 1983

Publications

• "The Development of Judicial Policy on the Phenomenon of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in the Post-Daubert Era," 15 Journal of Toxicology and Industrial Health 428, co-authored with E. Kertscher, 1999
• "Tainted Imports Require Refresher On CPSC Reporting Requirements; Companies Must Report a Product if a Defect Constitutes a Substantial Product Hazard," Industry Week, co-authored with Adwoa Ghartey-Tahoe Seymour, August 2007
• "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome: The Wavering Influence of the Courts on Public Policy," 24 Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology S182, 1996

Professional Affiliations

• Lawyers Foundation of Georgia
• State Bar of Georgia – Board of Governors
• State Bar of Georgia – Trial Practice Section
• State Bar of Georgia – Products Liability Section, Newsletter Editor

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Best Lawyers (Commercial Litigation, 2007-2010)
• Georgia Super Lawyer (2007-2009)
• Everybody Wins! – Director