Lauren Guth Barnes

Defective Drug and Medical Device Litigation Attorney

Lauren Guth Barnes is an attorney in Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro’s Boston office where she has worked since 2003.  Her practice includes consumer protection, product liability, and personal injury litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers and she has represented hundreds of patients injured by faulty medical devices in litigation involving products such as the Charité Artificial Back Disc and the Taxus Stent.

Ms. Barnes has been active in the fight against federal preemption of consumer rights, working to ensure consumers and third party payers maintain an ability to seek remedies when medical device and pharmaceutical makers violate consumer protection laws.

Ms. Barnes also works on complex class actions and oversees day-to-day operations in the firm’s Zyprexa litigation, which resulted in certification of a nationwide class of third party payors.  She was heavily involved in the appellate briefing to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the certification and coordinated the amicus effort in support of the plaintiff class.  Ms. Barnes also served as the primary contact for day-to-day operations in the State of Connecticut v. Eli Lilly and Co. Zyprexa litigation, shepherding the case through discovery and summary judgment briefing before reaching a settlement for the State.  Active in a number of cases, Ms. Barnes also currently represents health benefit providers in the firm’s Ketek, Guidant, and Medtronic litigation. 

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Barnes worked with Conflict Management Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peaceful resolution of international disputes and teaching negotiation skills.  During her association with the organization, Ms. Barnes worked with members of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on a pilot project in Bosnia-Herzegovina designed to ease tensions and encourage reconciliation.  Ms. Barnes helped edit a book developed out of the project – “Imagine Coexistence” – and contributed a chapter to it.

Ms. Barnes graduated cum laude from Williams College in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations.  She earned her law degree cum laude from Boston College Law School in 2005, where she served as Articles Editor for the Boston College Law Review.  She is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the District of Massachusetts, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  

Ms. Barnes is active in the American Association for Justice, where she holds a leadership role in the Class Action Litigation Group, is an officer in the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus, co-chairs the Law Students Committee, is on the Board of Governors for the New Lawyers Division, and serves on several other committees.  She also recently helped re-launch the Women’s Caucus for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and maintains an active leadership role in that organization.

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