2026 Meet the Speakers: ADAO Conference Session IV – Asbestos and the Law: Litigation, Regulation, and Legislative Action

Register Today | Conference Details | “Meet the Speakers & Honorees” 7-Week Series 

Posted on August 17, 2026

ADAO is proud to launch our 2026 “Meet the Speakers & Honorees” seven-week blog series in celebration of ADAO’s 21st Annual Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference, taking place on September 25–26, 2026. Each week, we’ll spotlight the distinguished speakers, honorees, sponsors, and ADAO leaders whose expertise, leadership, and dedication are advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, and the law.

We are deeply grateful to these individuals and organizations for generously sharing their time, knowledge, and experience with our community. Their commitment to science, public health, advocacy, and justice continues to inspire action and strengthen our shared mission to prevent asbestos exposure and eliminate asbestos-caused diseases.

Join us this September for two days of education, collaboration, and action. Register today and be part of the conversation shaping the future of asbestos prevention and public health.

Speaker information for Session IV — Asbestos and the Law: Litigation, Regulation, and Legislative Action

Barry Castleman, ScD — Opening Perspective: Corporate Accountability and the Continuing Fight for Justice

Barry Castleman, ScD is an Environmental Consultant trained in chemical and environmental engineering.

He holds a Doctor of Science degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He has been a consultant to numerous agencies of the US government and other governments, international bodies, and environmental groups dealing with a wide range of public health issues.

He has testified as an expert in civil litigation in the US on the history of asbestos as a public health problem and the reasons for failure to properly control asbestos hazards. Dr. Castleman has spent the past 50 years working on asbestos as a public health problem.

Warrior — Warrior Perspective: Why Prevention, Accountability, and Justice Matter

Robert Sussman, JD — EPA’s Asbestos Program Under TSCA: Part I Litigation, Part II Enforcement, and the Path Forward 

Robert Sussman, JD, is the principal in Sussman and Associates, a consulting firm that offers advice on energy and environmental policy issues to clients in the non-profit and private sectors. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School.

Bob served in the Obama Administration as C0-Chair of the Transition Team for EPA and then as Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator from 2009-2013. He served in the Clinton Administration as the EPA Deputy Administrator during 1993-94.

At the end of 2007, Bob retired as a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins, where he headed the firm’s environmental practice in DC. Bob was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress in 2008. He has served on the Board on Environmental Science of the National Academy of Sciences and as a Commissioner of the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin.

Bob is a magna cum laude 1969 graduate of Yale College and a 1973 graduate of Yale Law School. Bob has authored numerous articles and columns on energy and environmental issues.

Harminder Bains — Legacy Asbestos, Ongoing Exposure Risk, and Legal Challenges

Harminder Bains is a partner at Leigh Day, a law firm in London, UK. Her father died from mesothelioma and as a consequence she has campaigned and successfully used the law to protect the rights of victims of asbestos related diseases. Many of her cases have been reported as a result of setting precedents and have shaped current legislation for other lawyers in the UK. She has a formidable reputation as one of the country’s leading litigators. Due to this reputation, she represented the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK pro bono in their application for historical documents which revealed that Cape knew that simply handling Asbestolux released asbestos fibres and could cause mesothelioma.  Cape deliberately prevented warning labels being placed on Asbestolux due to their concerns about loss of profitability.  

TBD — The New Battleground: Standing to Protect Public Health in Environmental Litigation

Linda Reinstein, BcPA — The White House East Wing FOIA Litigation: Transparency as a Public Health Tool 

Linda Reinstein is a leading public health advocate and serves as the President & CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). Her journey into advocacy began in 2003 when her husband, Alan, was diagnosed with mesothelioma — a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. In response, she co-founded ADAO in 2004, focusing the organization on increasing awareness about the hazards of asbestos, advocating for a global asbestos ban, and providing support to those affected by asbestos-related diseases.

ADAO has grown into the largest independent nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, eliminating asbestos-related diseases, and pushing for regulatory reform. Focused on evidence-based advocacy, Reinstein has been a vocal presence, frequently testifying before Congress and other governmental agencies, and influencing national and international policies related to asbestos.

Reinstein’s work has significantly contributed to asbestos awareness and the protection of public health around the world. She continues to be a key figure in advocating for a global asbestos ban and supporting individuals and families affected by asbestos-related diseases. Currently, she is involved in organizing the 21st Annual ADAO Awareness and Prevention Conference and advancing the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act (ARBAN).

TBD — The ARBAN Act: Closing the Loopholes and Finishing the Ban 

Perry Browder, Jessica Dean, Andrew Patterson & Greg Sandifer — Legal Perspectives on Asbestos Litigation: Recent Cases and Their Public Health Impact (Panel Discussion) 

Partner Perry Browder is Senior Attorney of the Asbestos Department at Simmons Hanly Conroy. He has worked for more than 30 years, helping numerous families resolve hundreds of million-dollar-plus cases. He started at the firm in 2001 and played a key role in helping it develop a national reputation. Within a few years, he had successfully secured one of the largest asbestos verdicts in the country, a $250 million verdict against U.S. Steel.

Today, Perry manages the firm’s almost 100 asbestos attorneys, who are organized into multiple trial teams. He oversees all asbestos cases to ensure they are handled efficiently, maximizing results and minimizing hassle for clients and their families so they can focus on their health.

Under Perry’s direction, the firm has developed extensive resources, including an in-house medical department, a dedicated research department, a nationwide network of medical experts, and more.

Perry is currently the 150th President of the Illinois State Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI). He is a past president of both the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

Jessica Dean works at Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP. She is from St. Louis, MO and now lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and three dogs.  She was lead trial counsel and obtained successful verdicts in Texas, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and California.  She won the National Law Journal’s Top 100 verdicts for 4 of those verdicts. She argued to the Washington Supreme Court, who wrote an opinion validating the role and power of the jury to assess damages.  The jury verdict of 81.5 million dollar was reinstated. See, Coogan v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec, Inc., 197 Wn.2d 790, 815, 490 P.3d 200 (2021).  She is grateful to represent people who typically would not know how to navigate the legal system and very much hopes she is a source of comfort and strength for them and their families. Most of her clients were diagnosed with mesothelioma, a preventable cancer.

Andrew Patterson, Associate, Motley Rice LLC, advocates for people suffering from mesothelioma and other life-threatening lung diseases caused by asbestos exposure. Having lost a loved one to mesothelioma at a young age, he understands the harm that asbestos exposure causes to individuals and their families. Andrew is also part of the firm’s public client practice group.

Andrew works with clients, claimants and co-counsel to investigate, file, and resolve asbestos-related claims for those who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases both inside and outside of the tort system. He works with the firm’s South Carolina asbestos team in representing clients in the state court system. Andrew files claims with the various bankruptcy trust facilities established to compensate asbestos claimants as well as pursuing recovery through alternate dispute resolution and other administrative settlement agreement processes. He also represents asbestos creditors serving on claimants’ committees in Chapter 11 reorganization proceedings. 

Greg Sandifer has been practicing law since graduating from law school in 2005. He began his legal career as a prosecutor for the City of St. Louis, where he successfully handled numerous felony jury trials.  This experience gave him valuable courtroom exposure and a strong foundation in trial work. However, in 2010, Greg chose to redirect his career path by joining the Gori Law Firm, a nationally recognized firm known for its work in asbestos litigation.

Today, Greg is a partner at the Gori Law Firm. He is deeply committed to helping victims of asbestos exposure and their families pursue justice and compensation. He guides clients through the complexities of legal claims while they face the challenges of a terminal illness. His work often involves identifying potential sources of exposure, including in workplaces and military service, and supporting both the victims and their loved ones during incredibly difficult times.

Greg has become an expert in asbestos litigation, mesothelioma resources, and veterans’ legal assistance. His comprehensive approach ensures clients receive not only legal representation but also compassionate support. Outside of the courtroom, Greg lives in Edwardsville, Illinois, with his wife and three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching his kids play sports, and playing golf. His personal and professional lives reflect a strong commitment to service, both in the community and in the courtroom.

Brent Kynoch — Session Moderator 

Brent Kynoch is the Managing Director of the Environmental Information Association, headquartered just outside of Washington, DC in Chevy Chase, MD. He has been the Managing Director of the Association since 1996, but previously had served EIA in other volunteer roles on the Board of Directors as an officer, and ultimately as the President of EIA in 1988 and 1989. EIA has spent 40 years at the forefront in providing its members with the information needed to remain knowledgeable, responsible and competitive in the environmental health and safety industry.

When Mr. Kynoch changes his hat to his “paying job,” he is the President of Kynoch Environmental Management, Inc., (KEM) an environmental engineering and industrial hygiene firm and he is the CEO of Clearity Environmental – a firm specializing in moisture control and mold prevention during multi-family construction.

Mr. Kynoch is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering. He is called upon frequently as a speaker, as a writer and as an expert regarding environmental contaminants. He has testified before both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate regarding asbestos, and has written numerous articles on asbestos, lead and mold. Most recently, Mr. Kynoch was presented with the Snider Lifetime Achievement Award by EIA.

 

Register today and join the movement towards an asbestos-free future. 

 

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