Find A Board Certified Lawyer
Steven C Laird
| Location: 1824 Eighth Avenue Fort Worth TX 76110 |
Contact Information: Phone: (817) 531-3000 Fax: (817) 923-2228 |
Profile :
April 2009 to Present:
Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.
1824 8th Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas, 76110, (817) 531-3000.
Practice focuses on civil litigation.
January 2007 – April 2009:
Laird & Cummings, P.C.
Practice focused on civil litigation.
September 2001 – January 2007:
Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.
Practice focused on civil litigation.
February 2000 – August 2001:
Laird & Jones, LLP
Practice focuses on significant personal injury and wrongful death cases and select contingency commercial cases
June 1982 – February 2000:
Russell, Turner, Laird & Jones, LLP
Fort Worth, Texas. Practice focused on general litigation initially, both criminal and civil. Practice eventually focused on civil litigation, with emphasis on tort law.
March 1980 - June 1982:
Groce, Locke & Hebdon
San Antonio, Texas. Responsibilities included all areas of trial and appellate practice relating to personal injury and corporate defense litigation.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Business Administration - Texas Tech University - 1976.
Master of Business Administration - Texas Christian University - 1977.
Doctor of Jurisprudence - South Texas College of Law – 1979; Law Review.
SPECIALIZATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS
Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization - 1986.
Board Certified Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy - 1989.
Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization - 1990.
(Included in the one-percent of attorneys in Texas who are triple board certified)
HONORS/AWARDS/ACHIEVEMENTS
American Law Institute, 2007 (Elected to membership through invitation only. This organization of judges, law professors and attorneys from across the nation help formulate rules of law in various legal areas and produce Restatements of Law.)
American Board of Trial Advocates, Fort Worth Chapter, Past President (2005); Advocate Status, 2005 (Requires a minimum of 50 jury trials) (invitation only organization of plaintiff and defense attorneys dedicated to preserving the right to trial by jury under the United States Constitution).
Tex-ABOTA, President (2010); President-Elect (2009); Secretary (2008); Treasurer (2006-2007).
Inn of Court, Fort Worth Chapter No. 184, (Eldon Mahon Chapter) Founding Member since 1992 and Past President (2002-2003) (invitation only organization established to promote civility, education and mentoring in the legal profession). Recipient of Sergeant Award in 2007 (given periodically to an Inn member for recognition of special service and leadership).
Voted as one of the Top 100 “Texas Super Lawyers” for the entire State of Texas as published in Texas Monthly Magazine (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).
Recognized as a “2006 Mentor” in the Fort Worth, Texas community by the Fort Worth Business Press.
Selected as an “Attorney of Influence” as published in the Fort Worth Business Press (2003, 2004, 2005).
Selected as a “Power Attorney” as published in the Fort Worth Business Press (2008).
Voted as a “Top Personal Injury Attorney” in Tarrant County, Texas, as published in the Fort Worth, Texas Magazine (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009).
Voted as the “Top Medical Malpractice Attorney” in Tarrant County, Texas as published in the Fort Worth, Texas Magazine (2001, 2002).
Recipient of second annual “Professionalism Award” given by the College of the State Bar of Texas, 1995.
Selected as Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas, 1988, by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Selection was made from approximately 20,000 practicing lawyers thirty-five (35) years of age or under throughout the State based on achievements and leadership in the legal and community service areas.
Selected as Outstanding Young Lawyer of Tarrant County, 1988, by the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association. Selection was made from all practicing lawyers in the County based on achievements and leadership in the legal and community service areas.
Chair of Settlement Week of Tarrant County for 1988; Member of Initial Settlement Week Committee in 1987. Tarrant County was the first county in Texas to adopt this program of setting aside one full week for voluntary submission of cases to be mediated by a trained mediator. The State of Texas adopted this program and created a State law requiring Settlement Week for all metropolitan counties.
Awarded U. S. Army (1973-74) Commendation Medal, 1974; Honorable Discharge.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS, BOARDS AND COMMITTEES
State Bar of Texas: Jury Service Committee 1990 - 1993. Pattern Jury Charges - Volume I Committee, 1994 - 1995. Advertising Review Committee, 1995 – 1997 (Chair, 1996-1997).
Member of College of State Bar of Texas since 1988.
Committee on Professional Ethics (Appointed unanimously by the Supreme Court of Texas), 1994 - 1995.
Supreme Court of Texas Task Force Committee Member on Advertising and Referral Fees (2005).
Tarrant County Bar Association: Board of Directors, 1988 - 1990. Tarrant County Civil Bench/Bar Conference, Founding Co-Chair 1993-1994, and Co-Chair 1994-1995 and 1995-1996; Charter Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation.
American Association for Justice: Sustaining Member, 1982-2007; Member since 1982. Continuing Legal Education Presenter since 1992. Law Student Services Committee (1993-1999). Fellow, Roscoe Pound Foundation. Fellow, National College of Advocacy since 1994. Designated as Diplomate, National College of Advocacy, 1996.
Texas Trial Lawyers Association: Board of Directors, 1988 - 2007. Statewide Membership Director, 1988 - 1990. Statewide Political Communications Committee Chair, 1990 - 1991. Fundraising Committee, 1994. Amicus Curiae Committee, 1993 - 1994. Long Range Planning Committee Chairman, 1996.
Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association: President 1987-1988. Board of Directors 1985- 1986 and 1988-1990.
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association: Board of Directors, 1986-1987.
Texas Bar Foundation: Member since 1988; Fellow since 1989.
Director, Tarrant County Bar Association, 1995-96 and 2008-2010.
Director, Tarrant County Bar Foundation, 2003, 2004.
American Bar Association: Member since 1980.
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (now Public Justice): Member since 1993.
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas: Member since 1992.
Texas Supreme Court Historical Society: Charter Member since 1992.
Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity: Member since 1977.
Sigma Chi Fraternity: Member since 1972.
PARTIAL LIST OF ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS
1. State Bar of Texas – Nuts and Bolts Seminar - “Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation” – 1987
2. Texas Trial Lawyers Association– Winning Trial Techniques - “Principles of Voir Dire Examination” and “Principles of Opening Statement” September 12, 1990
3. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, “Protecting the Record for Appeal” November 8-9, 1990 – Houston, Texas
4. State Bar of Texas – Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course -“Deposition Practice” 1990 – Dallas, Texas
5. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Galaxy of Rising Stars, “Invasion of Privacy” Apr. 25th thru 27th, 1991 – New Orleans, Louisiana
6. State Bar of Texas – 7th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course - “Deposition Practice” July 17-19, 1991 – Dallas, Texas
7. Georgia, Alabama & Florida Trial Lawyers Associations - “Invasion of Privacy” November 1991
8. Association of Trial Lawyers of America –Annual Convention and Seminar - “Direct Examination” July 1992 - Washington DC
9. Association of Trial Lawyers of America –Annual Convention and Seminar - “Cross Examination” July 1992 - Washington DC
10. Association of Trial Lawyers of America –Annual Convention and Seminar - “Opening Remarks” and “Synopsis of Fact Pattern” July 1992 - Washington DC
11. Texas Trial Lawyers Association- Quarterly Meeting, “Proving Up Medical Evidence” August 1992
12. State Bar of Texas – 15th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course - “Expert Testimony” Sept. 2-4, 1992 - San Antonio, Texas; Sept. 16-18, 1992 – Dallas, Texas
13. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Quarterly Meeting - “Rule 76a and Protective Orders” May 1993
14. Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association – Practicing Law in Tarrant County Seminar, “Proving Up Medical” June 1993 - Fort Worth, Texas
15. State Bar of Texas – 16th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course – “Expert Testimony” Sept. 1-3, 1993 - San Antonio, Texas; Oct. 6-8, 1993 – Dallas, Texas; and Dec. 8-10, 1993 – Houston, Texas
16. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Mid-Winter Convention and Seminar, Law Students Section “Drafting Pleadings, Complaints & Discovery” Jan. 8, 1994 - San Diego, California
17. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Advanced Personal Injury Law Seminar - “Expert Testimony” February 1994
18. Tarrant County Young Lawyers – Law School for Non-Lawyers, “Torts, Personal Injury and DTPA” May 31, 1994 - Fort Worth, Texas
19. Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association – Practicing Law In Tarrant County Seminar - “Proving Up Medical” June 17, 1994 - Fort Worth, Texas
20. Dallas Trial Lawyers Association – Trial Lawyers and Paralegals - “The Role of the Paralegal in Trial” July 21, 1994, Dallas, Texas
21. State Bar of Texas – 17th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, “Expert Testimony”, September, October, and November 1994 - San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, Texas
22. Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association - “Expert Testimony” November 29, 1994 - Fort Worth, Texas
23. Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Advanced Personal Injury Course – “Proving Medical Damages”, April and May, 1995, Dallas, Texas
24. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Annual Convention and Seminar, Law Students Section - “Closing Argument” July 15, 1995 - New York City, New York
25. Professional Education Seminars, Inc. - “Texas Premises Liability” – November 1995, Houston, Texas
26. Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Advanced Personal injury Course - “Damages Update”, April and May, 1996 - Houston and Dallas, Texas
27. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Annual Convention and Seminar, Law Students Section, “The 10 Dos and Don’ts of Taking a Deposition”, July 1996 - Boston, Massachusetts
28. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Annual Convention and Seminar, Inadequate Security Litigation Group, “Top 10 Premises for Inadequate Security Cases - Condominiums/Apartment Buildings”, July 1996 - Boston, Massachusetts
29. State Bar of Texas – 19th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course -“Depositions”, August, September, and October 1996 - San Antonio, Fort Worth and Houston, Texas
30. Texas Trial Lawyers Association - Hot Tips for Hot Times - “Damages” August 10, 1996 - South Padre Island, Texas
31. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Premises Liability Seminar - “Preparing your Client for Trial,” February 24, 1997, Las Vegas, Nevada
32. Texas Trial Lawyers Association- Premises Liability Seminar - “Client Preparation: How to Present Your Client at Trial” February 27, 1997, Houston, Texas
33. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Advanced Product Liability Seminar – “Physical Restraints Including Airbags and Seat Belts” January 1997
34. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Advanced Personal Injury Course - “Ethics, Barratry and Advertising” April 4, 1997 - Houston, Texas; April 25, 1997 - Houston, Texas
35. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Annual Convention and Seminar - “Crashworthiness in the ‘90s and the New Millennium: Air Bags and Passive Restraints” – 1997 - San Diego, California
36. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Annual Convention and Seminar - “Unique Problems and Approaches to Specific Premises: Malls and Shopping Centers” – 1997 - San Diego, California
37. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - “Air Bags: A Dangerous Way to Save Lives”, ATLA Trial Magazine, 1998.
38. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Annual Convention and Seminar- “Discovery and Rambo Litigation in Inadequate Security Cases” – 1998 - Washington DC
39. Texas Trial Lawyers Association - Hot Tips for Hot Times - “Medical Malpractice Update” July 24 - 25, 1998, South Padre Island, Texas
40. Texas Trial Lawyers Association – Medical Malpractice Conference – “New Mediation Techniques”, September 17-18, 1998 – Houston, Texas
41. Fort Worth/Tarrant County Young Lawyers – “Experts: Choosing, Using, and Presenting” – November 19, 1998 – Fort Worth, Texas
42. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Annual Convention and Seminar – Inadequate Security Litigation Group – “Ditch Digging: Finding Treasure in the Muddy Pit of Discovery To Prove Foreseeability” – 1999 – San Francisco, Calif.
43. South Texas College of Law – Personal Injury Law Conference – “Expert Witness: Selection and Accessibility” – April 2000
44. South Texas College of Law– “Statute of Limitations Update – Medical Malpractice” – March 1, 2001, Houston, Texas
45. South Texas College of Law – “Discovery Issues: Privileges and How to Overcome Them”, March 29, 2001 – Houston, Texas; April 5, 2001 – Dallas, Texas
46. Texas Trial Lawyers Association– 13th Annual Medical Malpractice Conference “When Life Expectancy, Trusts, Structures and Other Self Interests Collide”, September 2002
47. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – “Weekend with the Stars” – National College of Advocacy, New York City, New York, December, 2002
48. Tarrant County Bar Association – “A Quick Cruise Through Personal Injury Causes of Action in Texas” – February 2003
49. 14th Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, “Should We Fear HIPPA Upon Us”- Sept. 25-26, 2003, Houston, Texas
50. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – “Negligence in the OR”– Paper: “Laminectomy & Fusion Surgery”, October 2003, New Orleans, Louisiana
51. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Mid-Winter Convention, “Court-Ordered ADR: How to Use this Opportunity to Your Advantage”, February 2004, Orlando, Florida
52. Florida Trial Lawyers Seminar - “Jury Selection: Products Liability Fact Pattern - Client/Employee Altered Product Foreseeable Misuse”, April 2004, Tampa, Florida
53. Colorado Trial Lawyers Seminar - “Case Evaluation and Damages for Settlement or Trial”, Steamboat Springs, CO, June, 2004
54. Arlington Bar Association, Young Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, Probate Bar Association, Family Bar Association - “Outline of State Bar of Texas Referral Fee Task Force Final Report and Recommendations”, June, July, August, September 2005
55. Association of Trial Lawyers of America – Trial Workshop – Faculty Member, September 2005, Pennsylvania
56. Irving Baylor Hospital Medical Staff – “Prevention and Treatment of Acute Lawyerosis- Practical Tips For Staying Out of Court”, February 2006
57. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - “Use of Medical Literature and Learned Treatises on Direct and Cross Examination”, February 2006, Hawaii
58. Corpus Christi Bar Association, “Thinking Outside the Box – Negotiations and Settlements”, April 2006, Corpus Christi, Texas
59. Grand Prairie Bar Association, “Texas Trucking Update”, April 2006,
Grand Prairie, Texas
60. Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association, “Mediation v. Trial”, June 2006
61. Fort Worth Paralegals Association, “Mediation v. Trial”, July 2006, Fort Worth, Texas
62. Tarrant County Bar Brown Bag Seminar, “Mediation v. Trial”, September 2006, Fort Worth, Texas
63. Tarrant County Probate Bar Seminar – “Offering and Excluding Evidence”, September 2006, Fort Worth, Texas
64. Association of Trial Lawyers of America - “Focus Groups and Jury Selection” – October 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada
65. Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, “Texas Referral Fee Rules and Advertising Rules”, January 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
66. Texas Wesleyan School of Law Seminar, “Trying Your Case”, January 30-31, 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
67. Texas Wesleyan School of Law, Panel Member “Voir Dire”, February 8, 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
68. Tarrant County Bar Association, Brown Bag CLE Seminar, “Summary Judgments”, February 22, 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
69. Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association, “Voir Dire”, February 2008
70. Corpus Christi Bar Association – “Direct and Cross-Examination” – March 2008, Corpus Christi, Texas
71. Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar – “Voir Dire in Texas – An Aerial View” – April 11, 2008, Corpus Christi, Texas
72. Fort Worth Paralegals Association, “De-Selection of a Jury,” May 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
73. Texas State Bar CLE Seminar, “The Disappearing Jury”, July 18, 2008
74. Parker County Bar Association, “Voir Dire and Opening Statements,” July 25, 2008, Weatherford, Texas
75. Erath County Bar Association, “Voir Dire and Opening Statements,” August 8, 2008, Stephenville, Texas
76. Johnson County Bar Association, “Voir Dire and Opening Statements,” September 12, 2008, Cleburne, Texas
77. Plano Regional Medical Center Medical Staff Monthly Presentation, “Why Bad Doctors Are Sued”, September 17, 2008, Plano, Texas
78. State Bar of Texas, “Structured Settlements from the Plaintiff’s Perspective”, February 2009, Dallas, Texas
79. Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, “Your Reputation and Your Practice”, July 21, 2009, Fort Worth, Texas
Additionally, I have co-authored a book chapter. Laird, Steven C. and Leighton, John E., “Medical Experts: Coordination of Witnesses”, Chapter 10 of Legal Guide to Spinal Cord Injuries and Expert Testimony, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - 1995.
I was also on the faculty for AAJ’s (formerly known as ATLA) Ultimate Trial Advocacy College at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001.
Personal:
Born in Dallas, Texas, on October 2, 1952.
United States Army, 1973-74; Honorable Discharge
Married to Patricia Calabria Laird, D.D.S.
Children: Kristin, Mark and Shannon
For further information:
Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.
1824 8th Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76110
Telephone 817531-3000
Facsimile 817923-2228
E-mail address: laird@texlawyers.com
Web site: www.texlawyers.com