CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — At age 11, Jessica Grant used to turn her bedroom into a courtroom and play
at being a lawyer.She’s not playing anymore.Atage 44, she led the state of New Hampshire to a $236 million
verdictlast week against Exxon Mobil Corp. in a case over groundwatercontamination by the gasoline additive
MTBE. It is the largest verdictby far in New Hampshire’s history and the largest of any MTBE
casenationwide."It was an extremely hard-fought case," Grant said. "It was like doing
hand-to-hand combat every day."It wasn’t her first dramatic courtroom victory.In2005, she secured a
$172 million verdict on behalf of more than 116,000Wal-Mart workers who challenged the retail giant’s
refusal to grantthem breaks. In 2008, she successfully defended Intel Corp. against a$450 million breach of
contract and patent claims case.Threeyears ago, she was recruited by the San Francisco law firm of Sher
Leffto try New Hampshire’s MTBE case. Sher Leff has been at the forefront ofmany of the high-profile MTBE
and water pollution cases in the country.Shetold The Associated Press she agreed to take the case on
twoconditions: She would bring in her own team of lawyers and paralegalsand be allowed to significantly
restructure the case."We had to make it simple," she said.Shepared the state’s lineup of expert
witnesses from 17 to six. Shenarrowed the focus of the case from all wells with traces of MTBE tothose at or
above the maximum contamination level of 13 parts perbillion. And she convinced a Superior Court judge it
could be tried on astatewide basis rather than piecemeal.For the past three years, Grant said, she has
worked seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day."The amount of prep to try a case like this is
Herculean," she said.In hailing the verdict, Attorney General Michael Delaney called Grant
"extraordinary."AssociateAttorney General Peter Head, who sat elbow to elbow with Grantthroughout
the trial, said her command of the facts and information was"remarkable, in terms of the quantity of
information that had to bedigested and presented."Jurors, who sat through the three-month trial and
delivered verdicts after just 90 minutes of deliberations, agreed."She was very straightforward and to
the point," said Bryan Dunagin. "She didn’t pull any punches.""You could tell she was
passionate about this case," Dunagin said.HanesQuinn, lead lawyer for Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil,
declined tocomment on Grant’s performance. Exxon Mobil has said it will appeal theverdict.American Bar
Association President Laurel Bellows saidFriday it’s rare nationwide to see a woman as lead counsel in a
majorcase, "and it’s not getting a lot better.""She is unusual," Bellows said of
Grant.Grantgrew up in Orinda, Calif. Her father is an architect and founder of hisown firm. Her mother
taught English and Latin and wouldn’t let Grant goout to play in the summer until she completed an essay
assignment. Sheplayed on sports teams, including the Junior Olympics volleyball team."I’m extremely
competitive," Grant said. "I love to win, and I hate to lose."Grantreceived a bachelor of
arts degree in rhetoric from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley in 1990 and her law degree from the
University ofSan Francisco School of Law in 1995.At age 11, she set threegoals for herself: She wanted to be
one of the top trial lawyers in thecountry. She wanted to adopt a fawn-colored greyhound and name herMaggie.
And she wanted to adopt a child."I’m pretty precise," she said.Sherescued Maggie four years ago
and calls her the trial team’s "secretweapon." The dog flew out with her from San Francisco four
months agoand spent days and much of the evenings in the team’s rented officeacross from the
courthouse."She was an emotional lift for me and the rest of the team," Grant said.As for adopting
a child, Grant concedes that part of her game plan is on hold for the time being."I really love what I
do," Grant said. "For now it’s just me and Maggs."Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.