Lanier Law Firm issued the following announcement on Jan. 22.
Members of the invitation-only National Trial Lawyers have selected Mark Lanier as the group’s 2018 Trial Lawyer of the Year for plaintiff litigation and have also included him among the 50 Most Influential Lawyers in the U.S.
The founder of The Lanier Law Firm received the accolades based upon his recent record jury verdicts and his career-long commitment to upholding the legal profession’s highest standards. In July 2018, Mr. Lanier led a trial team advocating for 22 women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after long-term use of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum products including Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. The jury awarded a record $4.69 billion, including $4.14 billion in punitive damages after finding that J&J had failed to warn consumers that cancer-causing asbestos had been detected in its talcum powder.
“It is a true privilege to perform the important work of protecting individuals and businesses from corporate abuse,” said Mr. Lanier. “I am extremely proud of our team’s commitment to our clients. To be recognized by my peers in this way makes it even better.”
Mr. Lanier will be honored during the organization’s Jan. 20-23 Trial Lawyers Summit in South Beach, Florida.
The J&J verdict is just the latest standout jury award for Mr. Lanier. In 2016 and 2017, the firm won two verdicts totaling nearly $2 billion against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics for injuries caused by defective metal-on-metal hip implants.
In addition to the National Trial Lawyers honors, Mr. Lanier has been recognized as one of the Most Influential Attorneys of the Decade by the National Law Journal; named 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.