Tanner G.M. Franklin

Reid Martin is an experienced trial attorney with more than 30 years of taking cases in front of a jury. He has been Board Certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1997. Reid is unique in that he is one of very few lawyers who handle medical malpractice cases. When you bring your case to Martin Walker, Reid will personally meet with you and review your medical records with appropriate experts to determine if you have a case to pursue. In one of h...

Wesley Hill has spent more than 20 years as a primary player in arguably the busiest complex litigation docket in the country - the Eastern District of Texas. Over those years, Mr. Hill made his reputation as an effective trial lawyer in more than 30 trials to verdict, earning fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Associate rank in the American Board of Trial Advocates, and numerous other legal industry accolades as evidence of his trial skills. To accumulate those trial number...

Having served as a trial attorney in more than 40 jury trials involving a variety of challenging legal issues, Johnny Ward is one of the most distinguished trial lawyers in East Texas. Mr. Ward has successfully tried a wide variety of complex cases to verdict, including numerous patent infringement, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, consumer dispute, personal injury, wrongful death and survival claim, and civil rights cases. In the process, Mr. Ward has secured a string of major courtroo...

With 36 years’ experience in civil litigation, Bruce Smith offers mediation services and represents clients in cases involving auto accidents, business torts, breach of contract, commercial disputes, products liability, insurance claims, and deceptive trade practices. Since 1986, Mr. Smith has tried more than 60 cases to verdict. In 1992, Mr. Smith earned Board Certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. He has been re-certified in 1997, 2002...

For 15 years, Claire Abernathy Henry has handled matters in complex commercial litigation and patent litigation. In addition to her experience in Texas courts, Ms. Henry has extensive knowledge of federal court practice and patent litigation in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. She has represented plaintiffs and defendants in commercial disputes, securities litigation, False Claims Act cases, anti-trust litigation, class actions and high-stakes patent litigation. Before joining Ward...

Jack Walker focuses his practice on medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases in which people have been hurt due to the negligence of others. As a trial lawyer, he understands the complexity and the difficulty inherent in these types of cases. Over the years, Mr. Walker has come to understand that thorough and hard work can make the difference between a favorable and unfavorable verdict. In 2018, Mr. Walker was instrumental in winning a $43.32 million medical malpractice verdict again...

Judge Ward served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas for 12 years from September 24, 1999 until his retirement on October 1, 2011. During his 12-year tenure, Judge Ward presided over cases in the Marshall, Tyler, and Texarkana divisions and had one of the heaviest intellectual property dockets in the country. Judge Ward conducted over 150 jury trials, presided over hundreds of patent cases, including Hatch-Waxman cases, and held in excess of 150 claim construc...

Dan Sorey is an attorney at Sorey & Hoover, LLP, a firm that provides legal practice with personal, client-centered legal services that address the specific needs of accident victims and injured parties. He has combined his 10 years of service as a law enforcement officer with his legal training and professional experience as a plaintiff personal injury attorney to provide in- depth legal advice to a variety of clients. While the firm is based out of Longview, TX, Dan still travels across...

Mrs. Allen clerked for the Tenth Court of Appeals in Waco, Texas, under Chief Justice Rex Davis. Since that time, she has practiced civil appellate law and civil litigation. Mrs. Allen currently serves as the Smith County Bar Association President. Additionally, she served as co-chair of the President’s Circle for the Smith County Bar Foundation in 2024-2025. Mrs. Allen is a presidential appointee to the American Board of Trial Advocates, and currently serves as the Secretary for the Ea...

Andrea Fair wanted to get out of the city and into the courtroom in 2016, after several years of practice at a major Houston-based law firm. Moving to Ward, Smith & Hill was the perfect opportunity to advance her professional career and achieve an enhanced work-life balance for her family. With a focus on intellectual property litigation, Andrea thrives in developing trial strategies and presentations that assemble the facts to tell a story that properly reflects the importance of each ca...