Cari K. Dawson
Partner – Alston & Bird
Description of field of expertise
Cari Dawson is a creative problem solver, legal strategist, and committed advocate. She has practiced complex commercial litigation for 30 years at Alston & Bird, where she began her legal career after clerking for the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Cari co-chairs Alston & Bird’s Class Action & Multidistrict Litigation Practice Team and has a winning track record representing Fortune 500 companies as lead counsel in high-profile enterprise litigation nationwide. Cari assists clients in the areas of commercial litigation, pre-litigation strategic counseling, and crisis management. Cari regularly serves as national coordinating counsel and lead settlement counsel for clients in bet-the-company matters and is often called in to serve as a strategic advisor for companies in crisis.
Cari’s litigation experience spans a variety of industries and practice areas. Cari represents insurers in the property and casualty, life, disability, accident, and health industries in a variety of complex litigation matters. And she regularly serves as lead class action defense counsel to automotive manufacturers and retailers involved in class action and multidistrict litigations nationwide. In addition to class actions involving product liability, consumer fraud, false advertising, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and contract claims, Cari’s practice also includes environmental, privacy, and data breach class actions as well as class actions arising out of the alleged improper use or management of artificial intelligence tools.
What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?
I would encourage new attorneys interested in class action and/or multidistrict litigation to (1) work on a variety of different types of class actions and MDLs in order to broaden and deepen your experience-base and knowledge of the legal theories and strategies; (2) observe top practitioners on both the defense and plaintiff side, not just in court but also at CLEs and conferences where they share insights; (3) be willing to do all aspects of the work, including the tasks that no one wants to do; (4) understand the client’s business and industry, including the importance of protecting their brand and aligning the legal strategy with business objectives; and (5) commit yourself to continuous improvement, have a growth mindset, and play well in the sandbox with others, as this area of the law involves working on teams and requires the ability to collaborate well with others.
Additional Information…
Cari served on Alston & Bird’s Diversity Steering Committee since its inception and acted as co-chair for over five years. Cari is a long-time member of the NBA-CLS, served on the Executive Committee for 8 years, and received the Section’s Cora T. Walker Award in 2024.