Taylor Kerns

Attorney Taylor Kerns is a shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy who focuses his practice on asbestos litigation. He oversees a team of attorneys and legal staff, who represent individuals across the country suffering from asbestos-related diseases. He has helped secure millions of dollars on behalf of individuals and families impacted by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.As a trial team leader, Taylor is responsible for directing the legal strategy necessary for each case. He and his team take great pride in their individualized approach to the unique circumstances that each case presents.

"There is no such thing as a ‘typical client,'" Taylor said. "Our clients are not just names on a lawsuit-they are human beings to whom dignity and respect is due. The more we get to know our clients, the better advocates we can be for them."

Taylor often handles cases involving asbestos exposures on Naval ships, in shipyards and in manufacturing industries. He also represents railroad workers suffering from asbestos-related diseases in FELA (Federal Employers' Liability Act) cases throughout the country. Over the course of his career, he has conducted numerous depositions of percipient and expert witnesses in the pursuit of justice for his clients.

Taylor is proud to represent hard-working people who have been terribly wronged and are now suffering from asbestos-related diseases.

"Regardless of their background, the common link between our clients is that they all worked their entire lives to support their families," Taylor said. "At no point were they told of the dangers of the asbestos-containing materials with which they were working."

Taylor earned a bachelor's degree in Health Administration and Policy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his juris doctor degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, graduating cum laude and obtaining certificates in both Health Law and International and Comparative Law.

Taylor is a member of several professional legal organizations: American Association for Justice, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Minnesota Bar Association and the Madison County Bar Association.

"I work hard to ensure my clients receive the best legal care possible," Taylor said. "Being able to help them, after they've gone through so much, is why I wake up every day excited to come to work."