Downing Admitted To American College Of Trial Lawyers

Don Downing, vice president of the St. Louis plaintiff law firm Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C., has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America.

Downing practices in the areas of class actions, mass torts and complex commercial litigation.

He was one of four co-lead plaintiff counsel who in 2018 obtained a $1.51 billion settlement with Switzerland-based Syngenta on behalf of U.S. corn growers in a nationwide class action lawsuit. It is believed to be the largest agricultural settlement in U.S. history.

Downing previously was a national co-lead counsel representing thousands of U.S. rice farmers and other related businesses in multidistrict litigation over contaminated rice supplies. He led negotiations that resulted in a $750 million settlement for the plaintiffs. Additional settlement payments to affected businesses brought the total settlement payments to over $1 billion.

A native of Kennett, Mo. and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law, Downing was a member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators from 2009 to 2014, serving as chairman in 2014. In 2011, he received the Citation of Merit, the University of Missouri School of Law’s highest honor.

He resides in Webster Groves, Mo.

Founded in 1950, the American College of Trial Lawyers is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship. Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.

There are currently approximately 5,800 members in the United States and Canada, including active Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Judicial Fellows (those who ascended to the bench after their induction) and Honorary Fellows. The College maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice through education and public statements on independence of the judiciary, trial by jury, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, and fair and just representation of all parties to legal proceedings. The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.

Gray, Ritter & Graham, P.C. is a plaintiff litigation firm located in downtown St. Louis. The firm’s primary areas of practice are catastrophic injury and death, complex commercial and consumer litigation, product liability, railroad and river worker injuries, automotive and aviation litigation, and professional negligence. For more information, visit www.grgpc.com.