Martin is a veteran trial lawyer who has dedicated his practice to defending clients in mass tort and catastrophic injury, aviation, pharmaceutical, professional liability, and general business and commercial litigation. Over the course of his career, he has led or served as primary counsel in some of the most important aviation cases in history, defending several major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines and Continental Airlines.

Beyond his own practice, Martin has also devoted his career to improving the defense bar and civil justice system around the world. He previously served as President of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, an international 22,000-member organization of defense lawyers and corporate counsel. He also served as President of Lawyers for Civil Justice, a national organization of defense lawyers and corporate counsel dedicated to fairness and improvements within the civil justice system. In addition, In addition, he served as president of the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that addresses legal policy issues affecting the law and civil justice system, including by providing education to state court appellate judges.

The legal profession is constantly evolving and that evolution only seems to have accelerated in recent years. What's the biggest change you've seen in the profession during your career?

By far the biggest change has been the use of technology in the practice.  When I started with the firm all the typing was done by secretaries using typewriters and carbon paper.  There was no storage capability so if a young associate needed to make a minor change in a document the secretary would be most unhappy! Courtroom demonstrative aids consisted of a blackboard and a flipchart.  Correspondence was entirely by letter sent by US Mail or hand delivery.

What is one thing about the profession that has remained unchanged over the years? 

For trial lawyers thorough preparation is still the most important key to success.  Skilled advocacy techniques and detailed factual and legal research are important but those are less useful in the absence of preparation.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone entering into the profession that you wish you had as a young lawyer? 

Spend non-billable time watching the best of the best in the courtroom.  While there are far fewer trials today there are still opportunities to watch some of the great trial lawyers perform in high stakes cases and young lawyers can learn much by observation.

An awards ceremony will be held on Sept. 18 at the Belo Mansion in Dallas. The Attorney of the Year award winner will be announced at the ceremony.

Click here for booking information. For information about sponsoring the event, contact Andre Sutton at 757-721-9020 or email [email protected].