In Honor of John H. Martin

Congratulations to John H. Martin for being named the 2015 recipient of the DRI Louis B. Potter Lifetime Professional Service Award!

Mr. Martin has been a defense lawyer for over 40 years. A lifelong Dallas resident, he joined Thompson & Knight LLP immediately upon graduating, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in 1974, after serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy (1968•1971). His practice focuses on litigation in the areas of mass torts and catastrophic injury, aviation, professional liability, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage. He has served on the firm’s Management Committee and was head of its Trial Department from 1994 - 2004.

Mr. Martin has been an active member of DRI—The Voice of the Defense Bar since 1984 and was the DRI President in 2007 - 2008. Prior to becoming a DRI Officer, he served on the DRI Board as Southwest Region Director. He is also a former DRI Texas State Representative; past chair of the DRI Finance Committee; two-time chair of the Corporate Counsel Roundtable (2007, 2013); former chair of the Election Procedure Task Force; and has been active in numerous DRI substantive law committees, serving as a speaker at DRI seminars and as an author for DRI publications.

Mr. Martin has served as President and is currently Chair of the Board for the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence (NFJE). Earlier in 2015, he was awarded the Richard T. Boyette Award for Outstanding Contributions to the NFJE. He served as President of Lawyers for Civil Justice, as President of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, and as Chair of the Dallas Association of Defense Counsel. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.