Trent focuses on defending complex toxic tort and products liability cases with an emphasis on public and private nuisance litigation, environmental contamination suits, and food safety issues. His experience includes defending clients in class actions, MDL coordinated proceedings, nationwide mass tort litigation, and appellate cases involving complex scientific and medical issues. His practice in recent years has been concentrated in the defense of novel claims brought by plaintiffs, including public nuisance, civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment, and deceptive trade practices.

He is nationally-recognized commentator on legal issues and has had articles published in numerous national publications including the National Law Journal, the Toxics Law Reporter, Law360.com and POWER Magazine. In addition he has been interviewed and quoted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, American Lawyer, the National Law Journal, Compliance Week Inside Counsel, Business Insurance, Electric Power Daily, Electric Utility Week, Global Power Report, Platts Coal Outlook, Coal Trader, Inside Energy Extra, The legal Intelligencer, Law360.com, PowerGen Worldwide, and numerous influential legal blogs, among others. He was interviewed on NPR's "All Things Considered" on June 8, 2010, to discuss appellate issues. Furthermore, he is currently co-authoring the first-ever comprehensive treatise devoted entirely to nuisance and trespass law that will be published by a prominent academic press soon.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Trent was an associate in an international firm and a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Wellford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.