Episode #2.1: Paul Farrell in The Heart of Law
The Heart of Law’s second season debuts with a forcible gale as Paul Farrell shares the mic with Mirena Umizaj. Respected by his contemporaries as the vanguard against the opioid scourge, our keen host deconstructs the rife ways propelling Paul to fly in the face of titan cases. Jumping quickly into the deep-dive, they weigh in on the steady, impressive rise of women in the legal field. Utilizing zoo animals and oceanic metaphors, Paul and Mirena contemplate what to expect from the diverse personality types holding the legal empire together. All the while deconstructing the indelible mark of two distinct paradigm shifts in the industry.
Getting into the show's crux, Mirena asks Paul about his journey through the colossal MDL, National Prescription Opiate Litigation he took on. He recounts Eric Eyre’s investigative journalism expose’ (winning him the 2017 Pulitzer Prize), the three women whose stories made an impact on the prescription opioid epidemic (winning them an Academy Award), the horrific 780 million pain pills sold in a six-year window, the 20% infants born addicted to opium every year, and multifarious other situations spurring this gorgonian case that began in Huntington, West Virginia. Aligning forces with Mike Papantonio and Russell Budd, along with states like Ohio and Kentucky, Paul waged one of the biggest legal battles this nation has known. Anticipating the release of the documentary, The Bellwether, produced by Clay Tweel (a filmmaker who followed Paul throughout the four-year case) and a positive verdict in early 2022—no matter the outcome—he looks straight ahead.
We hear his frustration as he revisits Nixon’s Environmental Protection Act, decades of presidents’ shifting promises, insidious political agendas, staggering Congressional regulations all leading to the Coal and Steel Mining Industry’s demise in West Virginia—leaving hundreds jobless in its wake. Clearly disenchanted at the hypocrisy of the US government building fossil fuel-burning power plants in Iraq and Afghanistan, while “putting coal companies out of business and … [not] even hav[ing] the decency to reimburse their pension funds,” we clearly grasp why he ran for office in the 2016 Presidential Elections with a mere $2,500.00. Despite his loss, Paul beat Hillary Clinton by 113 votes in Mingo County, West Virginia, ranking second place. Mirena proudly reminds him of his ineffaceable mark, influencing change in the CDC’s guidelines and standards of care.
What’s next for our champion? Without batting an eye, he says: “Google. The single largest monolithic monopoly in the history of the world.” All 300 newspapers who implored him to fight for their cause will find an indomitable warrior storming even Olympus itself.
EPISODE SURVEY:
[00:06:52] Paul and Mirena discuss the growth and future of women in the legal industry.
[00:36:08] Lawyers and Lions? Listen as Paul draws comparisons of the characteristics in the legal industry and lion packs.
[00:42:14] Discover who Paul Farrell is and what inspires him.
[01:03:17] Opioid litigation is more than a project to Paul; it is of major personal importance. Find out why here!
[01:15:22] Paul recounts his experience running for President of the United States.
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
“From the perspective of generational changes, I think we're on the precipice of some big changes … a revolution in the gender power within our industries.”
“You can travel to exotic locations to find your zen, but some of us kind of found it by trial and error.
“I'm looking for those that have depth. And those that have depth, I want to surround myself with.”
“When I … surrendered to the idea that I couldn't control everything—and I kept my life in an open, clean direction—what I found is that whatever higher power you believe in, the path is not difficult to find.”
“If I just stop and listen. It's easy to hear if I just stop to see the beauty is apparent.”
“There is a difference between the animal that we think we are, and then the animal that others perceive us to be.”
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Founding member of Farrell & Fuller, LLC, in San Juan, PR
Focused his practice on the opioid litigation and filed some of the first diversion cases in the country
Regarded as a pioneer and authority on the diversion claims directed against the opiate prescription drug manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers
Considered one of the premier trial lawyers in southern West Virginia with experience prosecuting medical malpractice cases, birth trauma cases, and negligent credentialing cases
Appointed Co-Lead Counsel of MDL 2804 styled, In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation
Named West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Member of the Year (2002)
Past President of the West Virginia Association for Justice (2011-2012)
LINKS FROM THE SHOW:
Swing by Paul’s practice: Farrell & Fuller, LLC
Read up on some of Paul’s articles
Visit Mirena’s Mod Website and LinkedIn
Shownotes and podcast production by Caryl Veloso