W. Mark Lanier
W. Mark Lanier is the founder of The Lanier Law Firm where he serves as the firm's lead litigation counsel. He is widely recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the United States. Recently, he was named by American Lawyer as one of the top 45 attorneys in the nation under the age of 45. And the publishers of Law & Politics Magazine and Texas Monthly named him as a "2003 Texas Super Lawyer" for being chosen by his peers as being among the best in his profession.
Mr. Lanier was also selected in 2002 by The Texas Lawyer as one of the top 5 "Go To" personal injury plaintiff attorneys in the state of Texas. He is frequently the subject of feature stories in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, national newspapers and legal periodicals. In 1998, The National Law Journal named Mr. Lanier as one of the top 10 trial attorneys in the United States. Previously, the same journal selected him as one of the 40 best lawyers in the nation under the age of 40.
He has successfully negotiated hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement in cases around the country. Mr. Lanier's $115 million verdict for 21 asbestos victims in February 1998 set a record for asbestos cases in the United States, and his $500 million win for a small oil company in a 1993 business fraud case also set a record. In addition to the people Mr. Lanier represents, his clients include corporations, associations and governmental entities. Mr. Lanier is frequently asked to teach other attorneys trial techniques at seminars around the United States.
Mr. Lanier is certified as a personal injury trial specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He practices law throughout the United States, and has a global client base. He maintains his office and active license in all Texas state and federal courts and the U. S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Lanier also is extremely involved in governmental and community activities outside the practice of law. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Committee for Economic Development, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that addresses critical economic and social issues facing today's society. Working closely with chairmen and women, presidents and senior executives of major American corporations and universities, Mr. Lanier is a respected business voice on national and international issues.
Mr. Lanier earned his law degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law in 1984. An avid Texas Tech supporter, he remains active with the university by serving on the Law School's Foundation Board. Mr. Lanier also is the founder of the Christian Trial Lawyer Association, a nonprofit organization which maintains the goal of creating a network of principled attorneys to minister to others through civic-minded endeavors. Mr. Lanier lives in Houston with his wife Becky and their five children.