Frederick Baron

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Frederick Martin Baron, one of America’s most prominent trial lawyers, was born in 1947 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. Baron is founder of Baron & Budd, P.C., a Dallas, Texas law firm and a former president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America ^[1]

1 Career
2 Criticism
3 Accomplishments
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Career

Fred Baron represented his first client with an asbestos-related illness in 1973, as a young lawyer just two years out of law school. ^[1] Since then, his firm has become one of the largest firms in the country representing victims of toxic and chemical exposure. ^[1] Baron was one of the lawyers who discovered documents proving that asbestos manufacturers hid evidence of the dangers of asbestos. In the asbestos litigation, Baron successfully convinced the United States Supreme Court to de-certify nationwide class action settlements involving the “future claims” of asbestos-related injuries, or claims that might someday be brought by people who develop asbestos-related illnesses in the future.^[1] The decertification addressed the problem that asbestos-related illnesses, like mesothelioma (a fatal cancer of the lining of the lung), have a latency period of 20-40 years from the date of exposure.^[2]^[3]

Fred Baron has been honored as a lawyer who helped shape Texas law during the 20th century in Legal Legends: A Century of Texas Law and Lawyering (Texas Lawyer commemorative publication, June 2000). He also was named as one of the nation's top plaintiff's lawyers by Forbes Magazine (2001), and one of Dallas' top lawyers by D Magazine (May 2001 and May 2005).^[4]^[5] The University of Texas School of Law has also honored him by establishing the Frederick M. Baron Chair in Law, which is held by a senior professor of the law school engaged in original research on lawyering and the civil justice system.^[1]

[edit] Criticism

As a result of his litigation of asbestos claims, Baron has been the subject of criticism by "tort reform" advocates. His litigation tactics were criticized when a memo showing he coached witnesses was produced by his firm. The memo discussed what witnesses needed to know in preparing for their testimony, including stressing the importance of confidence in responses.^[6] In response to the criticism, Baron cited four ethics opinions: William Hodes, a legal ethics specialist from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Steven McCormick, general counsel of the State Bar of Texas, as well as two two University of Texas legal-ethics professors. All concluded the client instructions were appropriate. A Texas state bar grievance committee also found the ethics charges without merit, and dismissed them. ^[7]

[edit] Accomplishments

Past President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA)
A member of the Board of Governors of ATLA, as Chairman of the Public Affairs Committee on the Board of Governors, and Chairman of its Section on Toxic, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Torts
Past president of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
A member of the Board of Directors of The American Constitution Society
A member of the American Law Institute, serving on the Products Liability sub-committee
Vice-Chairman of the Toxic and Hazardous Substances and Environmental Law Subcommittee for the American Bar Association and
Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates
Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and Dallas Bar Foundation
Former member of the Board of Advisors to the Toxic Law Reporter (B.N.A.)
Former Trustee for the Civil Justice Foundation
Member of the Advisory Board of Texas Citizen Action
Director of the Texas Law Review Association
Director of the Irving Selikoff Foundation (Charitable Trust)
Trustee of the Manville Victims Special Trust (Charitable Trust)
Trustee of the Democratic National Committee
On the Texas Advisory Board of the Environmental Defense Fund^[1]
Ranked as one of nation's top plaintiff's lawyers in Forbe's Magazine, in 2001^[4]