Partner Scott Cairns, longtime counsel to CSX Transportation, commented in a Law360 article featuring CSX General Counsel Ellen Fitzsimmons among its 2016 list of Innovative Corporate Counsel. Under Fitzsimmons’ leadership, CSX’s legal department has cut pending litigation by 94 percent and significantly reduced the number of new cases filed against the railroad company each year.
Cairns credits the company’s success to Fitzsimmons’ multifaceted approach to address litigation and re-imagine CSX’s position as a corporate citizen.
“The thing that’s really unusual about her efforts here has been the holistic way in which she did this,” Cairns said. “She didn’t view it as just a litigation issue, or even just a law issue, but as a way in which the company dealt with all aspects of its interactions with the public and internally with its employees.”
The article details CSX’s focus on aggressively fighting frivolous litigation. The profile also discusses CSX’s tort reform efforts and safety and response measures to prevent incidents from occurring and support communities after incidents do occur.
The Dec. 5 article is available online to subscribers.