Jan M. Conlin, Ciresi Conlin LLP

Ciresi Conlin LLP is in the trial business as a boutique trial firm that extends from shareholder disputes to medical malpractice, and that is available to consult with other lawyers. “We get pulled in [to cases] a lot,” said Jan Conlin, a founding partner.

Conlin is one reason why. Her resume includes multiple nine-figure patent infringement and business litigation including a $520.6 million verdict against Microsoft in 2004, a $400 million settlement for Pitney Bowes Inc. in a patent dispute against Hewlett Packard in 2001, and the 2009 defeat of a $100 million breach of licensing claim, where she earned a unanimous defense verdict as well as an award of attorney’s fees for her client.

And it also includes State of Alaska v. Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc., et al., where she was trial counsel along with Matt Korte against former operator of refinery concerning statutory and contractual liability related to groundwater contamination in the City of North Pole, Alaska.

A two-month trial resulted in judgment in favor of her client, Flint Hills Resources Alaska and the State of Alaska against Williams Alaska Petroleum, Inc. and The Williams Companies, Inc. 

Williams sold the oil refinery to Flint Hills without disclosing or remediating sulfolane contamination in the water that rendered it undrinkable. The defense said sulfolane was not considered a hazardous chemical by the state and was not a regulated chemical at the time of the spill. It said neither Williams Petroleum nor Flint Hills Resources was under obligation to clean the spill because the state had not set a cleanup standard. Conlin said a chemical not being on a hazardous list is no excuse for contamination.

At the end, the Williams entities were determined liable to pay for over $80 million in past damages plus interest along with future liability for 100% of costs related to contamination at the North Pole Refinery and the majority of remediation costs for sulfolane contamination.  However, there is a $32 million damage cap in the parties’ contract, Conlin said.