Best Lawyers in Texas, United States for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Mark Lanier is recognized as one of the top civil trial lawyers in America. He has earned that standing one jury at a time, representing people harmed by the most powerful companies in the world and turning complex scientific evidence and corporate record-keeping into a clear, relatable story that jurors understand and believe. Over more than 35 years, Mark has taken on some of the most difficult legal challenges and won some of the largest verdicts in U.S. history. His cases have confronted ...
Cory Itkin has established a reputation as one of the most aggressive and prepared trial lawyers in the country. His experience includes maritime accidents, trucking accidents, plant explosions, and other high-stakes personal injury cases. Mr. Itkin has won verdicts and settlements for clients in more than two dozen states. He also obtained favorable results in the high-profile litigation involving families who lost loved ones or workers who were injured in the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion ...
Bruce W. Steckler is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Bruce W. practices law in Dallas, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Bruce W. Steckler since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the prof...
Andrew Payne graduated at the top of his class in law school and started his career working for a prestigious international firm representing large insurers and corporations. But it did not take long for Andy to realize that he wanted to help people who had suffered harm through no fault of their own, not protect negligent corporations whose actions harmed people. Andy’s passion for handling significant personal injury cases stems from this desire to help people who truly need justice. ...
Jason is one of the nation's top trial lawyers for one reason: when he represents a client, he's all in. No matter how tough the fight. No matter how big the challenge. When it matters most, he's there for people who have been wronged. He takes every case personally, treating each client like family while he fights to rebuild their lives. When people need to win, they call Jason. He's won several verdicts and settlements worth more than $100 million, dozens of results worth more than $10 mill...
Justin Presnal is a partner and seasoned trial and appellate lawyer with more than 30 years of experience representing plaintiffs in complex product liability, mass tort, and multi-district litigation (MDL). He brings a deep command of legal strategy, a passion for writing, and a national reputation for helping clients win high-stakes cases. Justin has served on leadership committees in some of the country’s largest MDLs, including litigation involving prescription opioids, defective hi...
J. Todd Kale , a shareholder in the Dallas offices of Baron & Budd, has dedicated his career to fighting the companies that knowingly exposed people to the deadly carcinogen known as asbestos. He enjoys partnering with patients and families to help them navigate the legal process during the most difficult time in their lives. Mr. Kale works on the front lines with the firm’s Asbestos Litigation Team. He meets with mesothelioma patients and their families across the country to gather...
Kurt Arnold is a relentless advocate for his clients, having obtained billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. One of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers, Kurt prepares every case for trial. Of course, many cases resolve before trial, but defendants and insurance companies only pay the largest settlements when he gives them no alternative. Kurt finds helping individuals defeat companies that have continuously denied his clients justice to be one of the most rewarding pa...
Steve Baron, a Baron & Budd shareholder, is an accomplished litigator known for his tenacity in pursuing justice for victims of corporate misconduct. He currently heads Baron & Budd’s mesothelioma and asbestos practice. As lead of one of the nation’s most aggressive litigation teams, Mr. Baron represents clients in cases that have resulted in some of the largest verdicts and settlements for people with mesothelioma and asbestos diseases, as well as clients who have been ha...
C.L. Mike Schmidt has been practicing law for 50 years. For 25 years he was recognized as one of Dallas’ top defense attorneys and is known today as the founder of The Schmidt Firm, PLLC – one of Dallas’ top personal injury plaintiff’s firms. Schmidt is Board Certified in Civil and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He was admitted to the New Mexico b...
Attorney Robert Hilliard has been practicing law in the state of Texas for nearly 40 years, gaining national recognition for his work on many high-profile cases. With his partners, he established Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales LLP in 1985, which became Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP in 2017. In 2023, HMG became Hilliard Law. Hilliard Law represents clients in mass torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation and wrongful death matters. For 40 years Bob Hilliar...
Over the past 20+ years of practice, Lyons has tried cases to juries, judges, and arbitrators throughout the state of Texas and all over the country. In the process, Lyons has obtained verdicts, awards, and settlements totaling over a billion dollars on behalf of his clients—many involving high profile, high exposure matters . Lyons has extensive trial experience in cases involving catastrophic personal injuries , wrongful death , product liability , business disputes , construction def...
Prior to joining The Lanier Law Firm, Ms. Ayachi represented clients in a variety of public interest cases, including public and private housing, construction liability, public access, contractor and insurance fraud, and medical benefits claims, which gives her a well-rounded and unique ability of viewing her client’s cases. Ms. Ayachi earned her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Harvard College with a major in Comparative Religion, focusing on early Christianity and Buddhism, and a...
Lars Berg represents individuals, corporations, and other institutional clients as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil litigation matters, including business and commercial disputes, product liability claims, trade-secret litigation, trademark disputes, personal injury claims, employment law, and civil rights litigation. Mr. Berg also has broad experience in professional malpractice claims and disputes among business partners and shareholders of privately held entities. His e...
Jeffrey B. Simon is a founding shareholder of Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC. Mr. Simon was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1993, and is licensed to practice law in Texas, California and New York. An experienced and skilled trial attorney, Jeffrey has excelled at litigating toxic tort and pharmaceutical injury cases for many years after graduating from The University of Texas School of Law in 1993. Prior to law school, Jeffrey graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude in 1990 from Col...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
