HOUSTON – Lanier Law Firm founder Mark Lanier, together with the firm’s Dara Hegar and Alex Brown, have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America for 2020.
One of the most respected guides to the legal profession, honorees for the 15th edition of the annual list were selected from a combination of editorial research by Lawdragon staff, submissions from law firms, and nominations through the publication’s online portal.
“It’s quite an accomplishment for a firm of our size to claim three attorneys among the top 500 in the nation,” said Mr. Lanier. “This honor is really a tribute to everyone at the firm who work so hard every day to achieve justice for our clients.”
This marks the 11th year for Mr. Lanier to be included in the Lawdragon 500. In addition to this record of recognition, Mr. Lanier has been named as one of the Most Influential Attorneys of the Decade by the National Law Journal; as one of the 25 Greatest Lawyers of the Past Quarter Century by Texas Lawyer; and is a recipient of the American Association of Justice’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2018, Mr. Lanier led a trial team that won a record $4.69 billion verdict from Johnson & Johnson for 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s talcum powder products. In 2016 and 2017, the firm won two judgments totaling nearly $2 billion against J&J and its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics for injuries caused by defective hip implants.
He is currently co-lead counsel for plaintiffs pursuing claims against manufacturers, distributors and retailers of dangerous opioid-based medications in federal multidistrict litigation. In addition, the firm is actively fighting for consumers by pursuing other claims involving other potentially dangerous products, including victims of mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure and users of JUUL and similar e-cigarette products.
Ms. Hegar is the Managing Attorney for the firm’s offices in Houston, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and New York. Her work spans all the firm’s practice areas, including product and pharmaceutical liability, personal injury and business litigation. She plays a key role in coordinating the firm’s trial strategies, managing complex litigation and providing specific insights at trials that have resulted in significant verdicts and settlements, including in the nation’s first Vioxx trial, which resulted in a $253 million verdict. She is currently a member of the plaintiffs’ steering committee in consolidated litigation in Texas against opioid manufacturers.
Ms. Hegar was named to the list of Texas Super Lawyers in 2018 and 2019, and she was recognized on the list of Texas Rising Stars seven times.
Mr. Brown is the Managing Attorney of the firm’s Business Litigation section. He has represented multinational corporations in complex commercial disputes involving international project development, partnerships, oil and gas ventures, corporate governance and shareholder’s rights, real estate development and mass tort litigation.
His extensive courtroom experience has allowed him to work with large groups of clients in national/multi-district product liability litigation, including service on the Talc MDL trial committee and as lead counsel for the trial committee of a joint venture organized to pursue environmental litigation on behalf of the state of New Jersey.
In 2019, Mr. Brown earned a place on Thomson Reuters’ Texas Super Lawyers list for the third consecutive year. He has been named on the list of Texas Rising Star multiple times and has been named among the nation’s Top-Rated Lawyers for International Law & International Trade by The American Lawyer.
The complete listing of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America can be found here.
For more than 30 years, the men and women at the Lanier Law Firm have worked tirelessly, throughout the United States, to find unique and effective solutions for their clients. More than 60 skilled attorneys practice law in a broad array of areas, including business litigation, pharmaceutical litigation, asbestos exposure, oil and gas litigation, personal injury, and defective and dangerous products, among others. Named an Elite Trial Law Firm by The National Law Journal, the Lanier Law Firm has offices in Houston, New York, and Los Angeles.
