Simon Greenstone Panatier, P.C., is proud to announce that founding partner Jeffrey Simon has been selected as a 2020 Texas Trailblazer by Texas Lawyer magazine. Simon has been recognized for the leadership role he’s played in the state’s ongoing opioid litigation, serving as chairman of the Texas Opioid MDL Plaintiffs Steering Committee.

As chairman, Simon is working to hold drug manufacturers and distributors responsible for flooding Texas communities with dangerous opioids, which has led to thousands of deaths. In 2017, Simon filed the state’s first opioid-related lawsuit on behalf of a governmental body. He currently represents more than 40 Texas counties in the state MDL.

“The opioid epidemic grew unchecked for far too long,” Simon said. “I’m thankful to Texas Lawyer for recognizing the work that’s being done on behalf of taxpayers drained of precious resources to fight this epidemic and for those whose lives have been taken or ripped apart by this industry-created scourge.”

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, Simon was selected as one of the lead attorneys to represent Dallas County in the state’s first scheduled opioid trial. That trial is currently scheduled for September 2021.

Simon is a frequent speaker on opioid topics and for three consecutive years has co-chaired the Opioid Litigation Conference, which brings experts in medicine, the law, and law enforcement together to discuss how to address the social and economic devastation the crisis has caused.