Law360, New York ( January 28, 2013, 2:27 PM EST) -- It is a pleasure to introduce: "And Now a Word from the Panel ..." In this bi-monthly column, we will "ride the circuit" with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (or simply the "Panel," for short), which meets on a bi-monthly basis at venues around the country — most often, on the last Thursday of that month. Like a traveling "Panel press corps" of sorts, we will journey together through the thicket of thorny issues that practitioners and their clients face as the Panel decides whether multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceedings should be created before a single federal district judge to efficiently and effectively manage separate cases that would otherwise clog numerous federal dockets around the country. This is, understandably, a critical issue to any company that may be facing lawsuits in any number of areas, including product liability, mass torts or large-scale accidents. The resolution of this multiple versus single venue issue can significantly impact:...