Dozens of lawyers filed into a federal courtroom for a first pre-trial hearing in the federal Vioxx liability case, the start of a legal process expected to be complex, years-long and costly for the painkiller's maker, Merck & Co.

Over the years, class action lawsuits have netted consumers $13 rebates on computer monitors, coupons for free movie rentals, $30 discounts on cruise vacations, and free boxes of cereal. But the lawyers who spearheaded those cases were the real winners, typically walking away with millions of dollars in fees.

The Vioxx litigation has attracted big names from the mass tort bar. And, though he's not among plaintiffs counsel, per se, the lineup now includes Mr. Civil Action. That, of course, is Jan Schlichtmann.

Most of the 250 lawyers listened intently as fellow attorney Barry Hill showed off an extensive collection of trinkets and product samples emblazoned with the logo of the now-withdrawn drug Vioxx.

Andy Birchfield, got a jump start on the Vioxx litigation, he began filing cases in 2001, three years before Merck & Co., Inc., pulled its prescription painkiller from the shelf.

Merck & Co.'s chief executive for 10 years, Gilmartin withdrew the painkiller Vioxx in the biggest prescription-drug recall ever, prompting at least 475 lawsuits against the No. 2 U.S. drugmaker by Vioxx users.

Attorneys representing 39 U.S. law firms met at a New Orleans restaurant and chose two lawyers-one of them from Alabama-to lead federal lawsuits targeting Merck & Co.’s Vioxx painkiller.

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley said he wants to find out why the Food and Drug Administration didn’t pursue safety concerns about Merck & Co.’s painkiller Vioxx, the biggest drug ever recalled.

Andy Birchfield, a Shareholder with the Montgomery law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles, P.C. will appear on 60 minutes on Sunday, November 14th.

Attorneys representing 39 U.S. law firms met at a New Orleans restaurant and chose two lawyers to lead federal lawsuits against Merck & Co. on behalf of people claiming injuries because of the company’s Vioxx painkiller.