Episode #2.4: David Selby & Todd Mathews in The Heart of Law

Written By Caryl Veloso

Two courtroom heroes in the mass tort world, David Selby and Todd Mathews share the mic with Mirena Umizaj in this season's fourth episode. The show starts in full swing as the partners at Bailey Glasser LLP share their stories and humble origins ...

Todd recounts the impact of a kind family and the local church during his early teen years. Despite his plans to become a Southern Baptist preacher, he found his true calling in the courtroom. Through the justice system's pulpit, Todd has aimed to make a difference in people's lives. Specializing in injury claims for almost 20 years, his reputation as "a master-of-all-trades" (as Mirena puts it) made him adept at handling almost any case under the sun—all in the name of serving others. Now distinctly aware of his morality, Todd describes how his worldview shifted. We hear how the murder of his dear friend and colleague, Randy Gori, shook him to his very core.

Meanwhile, David unpacks how his career began at the district attorney's office, immediately entrenched in jury trials. Eventually becoming Division Chief of Alabama’s Violent Crimes Division allowed him to have a "unique perspective to the whole jury system." After subsequently gravitating toward defense and plaintiff work, he and his friend opened a firm in 1999. Soon their practice, Kee & Selby LLP, grew to have about 12 partners in a few years. As David's fame grew in the legal industry, like-mined colleagues asked him to come aboard Bailey Glasser. And the rest is history.

We learn how Todd and David's paths crossed as they began serving on the Executive Committee of the Atrium Hernia Mesh Multidistrict Litigation. Both share a common philosophy and pursuit: they look after the underdog. We hear their compassioned plight for their clients—victims who struggle to survive who are just "living out their unfortunate story." Shifting gears, when asked by Mirena to reflect on the evolution of the legal industry in the last decade, without hesitation, Todd says: "One of the best things that [has] happen[ed] in the last ten years is the focus that has been put on female attorneys … minority attorneys getting opportunities to lead MDLs to have a significant impact." Dovetailing the insight, David remarks on the increasing resources clients and firms now enjoy.

During the deep dive, David and Todd center on the breaking news about the horrendous Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) bankruptcy ruling. At the case's front and center, they dissect the intricacies of how the corporation side-stepped any settlement claims. They expound on how JNJ.N received the protection of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael Kaplan, bringing about the titanic loss of plaintiffs all over America. As David perplexingly puts it, the "stroke of a pen … eviscerated everybody's right to a jury trial." 

While the tireless pursuit of correcting mammoth wrongs brought about by the talc conglomerate continues, the duo doesn't rest. New cases to win and more plaintiffs to protect await them. If we see what they see on the frontlines, we’d likely do the same.


EPISODE SURVEY

  • 00:14:05 - 00:18:20 Moments Defining Todd’s Life

  • 00:22:53 - 00:27:55 David’s Words of Wisdom 

  • 00:28:20 - 00:31:02 Todd’s insight into diversity in the legal field

  • 00:44:33 - 00:52:09 Synopsis of Johnson and Johnson trial

  • 01:02:58 - 01:07:42 David’s analysis of J&J Bankruptcy case legal argument

QUOTABLE QUOTES

David Selby

  • People ask all the time: “ What’s the reason for your [firm's] growth and how is it planned? ” … We don’t have a defined growth pattern ... When there are talented lawyers that we know we want to be with and be doing work with, we go and get them. 

  • There are good stories and there are bad stories, but everybody's life has a story. You don't know what it is. So be careful how quickly you judge people, regardless of how well they appear to have things together ...

  • If we all do what we want to do and do it well, work follows.

  • At the end of the day, the jury trial system is the bedrock of our nation's justice system. 

  • The unsung heroes are our families. 

Todd Matthews:

  • Take time to enjoy things in life ... identify those people in your life that are really important and make sure that they know how important they are.

  • I don't know how much longer I've got on is Earth, but I'm going to enjoy it while I'm here.

  • One great thing I've seen happen in the last 10 years is the focus that has been put on female and minority attorneys getting opportunities to lead MDLs … to have a significant impact, to be elevated to judges, [and] be the judges that are handling these large MDL dockets.

  • Our number one most important goal should always, always be the client. And if it's not, then I question your motivation for being a lawyer… there are no ifs, and’s, or buts about it.

  • The last six years of practicing law have been extremely enjoyable because I get to work with my best friend. It's life-changing ... I do things is different now. The way I think about cases [and] the way I approach cases is different, and it's because of that relationship.


ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

David Selby:

Todd Matthews:


LINKS FROM THE SHOW:

Caryl Veloso
Previous

Episode #2.5: Willie D. Powell III in The Heart of Law
Next

Episode #2.3: Shelby Walton in The Heart of Law