Dawson is Assistant General Counsel at Altria and has been with Altria for five years. His primary responsibilities have been in the areas of product liability and civil RICO litigation. Dawson has recently managed Altria's defense in the multi-billion dollar RICO lawsuit by the DOJ against the major U.S. cigarette companies. He is also involved in government affairs activities. Prior to joining Altria, Dawson worked as an in-house attorney for the Dannon Companies, UnitedAuto Group, Campbell Soup Company and Scott Paper Company. He began his career as a litigation associate with Pepper Hamilton & Scheetz. These experiences have given him an extensive background in transactional and litigation matters.