Biography
Tim Gearin, leader of the firm’s award-winning Mass Tort and Catastrophic Loss practice area, is one of the most sought after defense litigators in the Midwest with broad experience in business litigation, catastrophic and personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, complex litigation involving antitrust, and qui tam cases. Tim primarily represents clients in the health care, agribusiness and manufacturing industries.
In recognition of his advocacy skills, Tim has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also serves on the College’s National Trial Competition Committee.
Tim has tried more than 75 cases throughout the United States on behalf of some of the nation’s largest hospitals and health systems, Fortune 500 companies, physician’s groups, and ag and biotech companies. His successful defense verdicts have ranked among Missouri’s highest for more than 15 years.
For his health care clients, Tim counsels on compliance related matters, including the Stark Law, HIPAA, Unfair Merchandising Practices Act and best practices for electronic medical records. His cases often involve catastrophic injuries and wrongful death claims that expose clients to millions of dollars in damages. He’s litigated all levels of cases from individual client matters to public health threats. He has also represented clients in matters involving internal investigations and whistleblower actions.
Further, Tim’s practice encompasses risk management and he counsels clients on how to structure their business operations in order to avoid problems and minimize liability.
Education
- Saint Louis University School of Law (J.D., 1993)
- University of Missouri-St. Louis (B.S.N., cum laude, 1985)
- Jewish Hospital School of Nursing (1982)
- Registered Nurse
Admissions
Professional Activities
- American College of Trial Lawyers (National Trial Competition Committee, 2016-2018; Missouri State Committee, 2017-2019, 2021-2022)
- The Missouri Bar
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Tennessee Bar Association
- The District of Columbia Bar
- Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
Accolades
- American College of Trial Lawyers (Inducted in 2014)
- Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star, Health care (2021-present); Product Liability (2022-present)
- The Best Lawyers in America®; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants (2007-present); Lawyer of the Year (2019, 2025)
- Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers® (2007-present); Super Lawyers®, Business Edition (2011-2014)
- Selected as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Healthcare by Martindale-Hubbell and American Lawyer Media (ALM)
- The Best Lawyers in America®; Lawyer of the Year, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants (2013)
- AV® Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Background
In addition to being an experienced litigator, Tim is a registered nurse and spent 12 years working in intensive care, surgical and cardiac areas. This experience gives him the ability to understand how the body works; medical terminology and procedures; and the ways in which hospitals and other health care providers operate. As a result, he is better able to defend clients against medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death claims.
He worked at another law firm before joining Armstrong Teasdale in 1997.