Ford Motor Co.’s lead counsel in a contentious roof crush case that ended in a mistrial has hired his own lawyer for dealing with sanctions issued by Gwinnett County State Court Judge Shawn Bratton.

Patrick T. O’Connor, managing partner of Oliver Maner in Savannah and a past president of the State Bar of Georgia, has entered an appearance as counsel for D. Alan Thomas of Huie Fernambucq & Stewart in Birmingham, Alabama.