LAS VEGAS, Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame has announced the induction of four distinguished trial attorneys into its 2026 class: Christopher M. Placitella, Daniel E. Rosner, Robert T. Eglet, and Thomas R. Kline.
The inductees will be formally honored during the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon at MTMP Spring 2026, a mass torts conference founded by Levin Papantonio, held April 15 to 17 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Established by The National Trial Lawyers Association, the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame recognizes exceptional trial lawyers who have made significant and lasting contributions to the legal profession. The Hall of Fame opened on September 10, 2014, at Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia. As a nonprofit organization funded exclusively through tax-deductible donations, it honors past and present leaders who have advanced the civil justice system and served the American public.
About the Inductees
The 2026 inductees reflect decades of courtroom excellence, institutional impact, and unwavering service to clients and the trial bar.
Christopher M. Placitella has built a national reputation trying complex environmental, asbestos, and mass tort cases. As president of the New Jersey Trial Lawyers (NJAJ), Placitella partnered with the American Association for Justice following September 11 to create Trial Lawyers Care to represent families before the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. It was the largest pro bono legal effort in American history. “That experience grounded me; it reinforced that we are at our best when we ‘Champion People,’” Placitella said in a recent interview for the spring 2026 issue of MTMP Magazine.
Daniel E. Rosner is known for his quiet credibility and client-centered practice. Over decades of litigation, he has earned record-setting verdicts while establishing a reputation built on meticulous preparation and candor. “Being inducted into the Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame is not just a recognition of verdicts, cases, or titles. It is a reminder of why I became a trial lawyer in the first place: to give a voice to those who would otherwise go unheard,” Rosner told MTMP Magazine.
Robert T. Eglet has tried more than 200 civil jury trials to verdict with a success rate of approximately 98 percent and has secured more than $7 billion in verdicts and settlements. His work has led to nationwide safety reforms, including changes in medical protocols and product design. In his MTMP Magazine interview, Eglet said, “Verdicts matter because they create accountability and can drive change,” Eglet said. “The civil justice system depends on lawyers willing to take risks, prepare relentlessly, and trust juries.”
Thomas R. Kline’s career spans more than four decades and includes landmark verdicts and record-setting settlements in mass torts, transportation disasters, medical device cases, and constitutional litigation. He has achieved a jury verdict exceeding seven figures in five consecutive decades. “The right to trial by jury, embedded in the federal Constitution and in every state constitution, is the right of the citizenry to protect the citizenry,” Kline said.
About MTMP
MTMP Spring 2026 will once again bring together plaintiff attorneys and paralegals from across the country for three days of networking, collaboration, and education on the most significant mass torts in the nation. Held twice annually, MTMP is recognized as the largest mass tort conference in the country and serves as a central gathering place for leaders in the plaintiffs’ bar.
The Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame induction ceremony and awards luncheon will serve as a highlight of the Spring 2026 seminar, celebrating four careers defined by courtroom courage, professional integrity, and unwavering commitment to the civil justice system.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c5ca6c2-3ec7-448b-be73-fb8af60389ff
