Board Members

Co-Founders

Ben Crump, recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, is referred to as Black America’s Attorney General.

Through his steadfast dedication to justice and service, Ben has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost advocates for social justice, winning a number of record settlements and verdicts for victims and families that have faced injustice. His representations include the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River, and the family of Henrietta Lacks in a landmark reparations case. In 2021, St. Thomas University College of Law announced the creation of the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice for minority students pursuing law degrees.

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Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmerman, nationally recognized as a powerhouse in mass torts, class actions, products liability, workplace discrimination, and sexual assault claims, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in client damages from defective medical devices or drugs, environmental contamination, corporate misconduct, and civil rights abuse.

Managing partner of DiCello Levitt’s Birmingham office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Mass Tort division, Fu serves on numerous plaintiffs’ executive and steering committees in national multidistrict litigations, in addition to representing municipalities. She’s the recipient of many industry awards, including Birmingham Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Law and Women to Watch; The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and Top 40 Under 40; The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys: Top 10 Under 40 in Alabama; and America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®. Fu is fluent in French and Haitian Creole, and is conversant in Spanish.

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Executive Committee

Gregory Cade has over 20 years of scientific legal experience and experience representing individuals harmed by environmental and occupational exposures, often where complex legacy pollution has resulted in catastrophic harm to communities of color.

His background in industrial hygiene and toxicology gives him the necessary knowledge to understand the science behind complex mass tort litigation with multiple multimillion dollar recoveries for governments, communities, and individuals whose natural resources, groundwater, and air were damaged by pollution.

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LaRuby Z. May, born in Pensacola, Florida, to Reverend Theophilus May and Mary J. May, has been a vessel for change for over 30 years. The inspirational lawyer, entrepreneur, developer, teacher and strategist founded the May Jung law firm alongside longtime friend and business partner Je Yon Jung. May Jung’s mission is to unapologetically advocate for people of color and empower them to be whole and active participants in the civil justice system. Before establishing May Jung, LaRuby served as a founding member of May Lightfoot, PLLC. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters from worker’s compensation to complex litigation.

She is committed to making sure that her clients receive outstanding representation. LaRuby is a founding board member of Shades of Mass, an organization that aims to rectify inequity and achieve diversity in mass tort and complex litigation case leadership. Her trailblazing does not stop there. LaRuby is a member of the National Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association, National Conference of Black Lawyers, an Eckerd College program series speaker, and a member of the University of the District of Columbia, David Clark School of Law Hall of Fame.

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Larry Taylor oversees the Mass Torts, Criminal, Employment, and Civil Rights practices of his Texas-based law firm, and leads its community involvement efforts. He currently serves as one of the lead attorneys representing Dallas County in the first Texas opioid multidistrict bellwether trial.

From the urban American client seeking to be heard to the small town American wanting fairness, these challenges resonate with Larry’s need and desire to fight for their rights. Between growing up in Duval County, Florida, and Harris County, Texas, and raising his kids in rural Texas, Larry has gained an appreciation for those struggling for a sense of fairness. Having once needed a lawyer to represent him against a goliath corporation, he understands the complexities and care needed to make sure his clients are informed and comfortable during this most vulnerable time. Admitted to practice in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, Larry sits on the boards of a number of diverse community stakeholder entities.

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Navan Ward has litigated defective pharmaceutical drug and device state and multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) cases for over 20 years and has served on multiple MDL leadership committees, recovering billions of dollars for victims.

Navan is a Principal at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles, P.C. and assisted with the opening of the firm’s new Atlanta office location. He is on the PEC for the Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) MDL litigation, which involves thousands of victims who ingested defective prescription and over-the-counter medicine for acid reflux, which resulted in users suffering kidney damage. Navan is also serving as Co-Lead Counsel for one, and Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for two, of the various Metal-on-Metal hip implant litigations involving thousands of victims who have defective hip implants causing severe pain, metal poisoning, revision surgery, and in some cases, permanent injury. Additionally, Navan serves as the President for the American Association for Justice (AAJ).