#46. Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney – So says the Daily Meal.
In the last several days since my father died, I have been putting things in the context of what he would think or say. “As one friend put it, once your parents are gone, you are ‘on deck.’ Another the other day said, ’I’m suddenly realizing, I’m running out of runway.’” Frankly, I am not sure what my dad would say, but I bet he would think “when is Bill going to go after the No. 1 spot.” Not, because he would not be satisfied, but that I would not be. Here is what the Daily Meal had to say:
This accomplished personal injury and products liability attorney has been litigating foodborne illness cases since 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, creating a Washington state record for an individual personal injury action ($15.6 million). More than a lawyer, Marler has become an advocate for a safer food supply, petitioning the USDA to better regulate pathogenic E. coli, working with nonprofit food safety and foodborne illness victims’ organizations, and helping spur the passage of the 2010-2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
Read more about the other 49 far more impressive, or at least powerful, people.