Attorney Profiles
Biography
Russell W. Budd is an acclaimed lawyer who has parlayed his aptitude for cool-headed negotiations into calm yet decisive management of the more than 250 staff and attorneys at Baron & Budd. As a shareholder for over 20 years and managing shareholder and president of the firm since 2002, Russell has successfully navigated the growth and diversification of Baron & Budd’s many practice areas. In doing so he has readied the firm for the future, receiving acclaim from industry peers such as The National Law Journal, which recognized Baron & Budd in 2006 as one of eleven national plaintiffs’ firms that “managed impressive feats of lawyering.”
Russell was drawn to do plaintiffs’ work since his law school days when he was struck by inequities in the system. Sadly, he realized that people who were severely and sometimes fatally harmed by the negligence of a large company’s actions often stood no chance for retribution. The average person simply didn’t have the knowledge or the resources to demand fair compensation or to even draw attention to the problem. Seeing this, Russell determined to use his legal skills to help those who could not help themselves, embarking on a career that would ultimately help many more people than he ever imagined.
Prior to devoting his time to management, Russell was a major force in asbestos litigation, helping to build Baron & Budd into one of the largest trial firms in the country. Russell was a chief negotiator of a national settlement with Halliburton Co. which allocated the company’s assets to asbestos victims. As chair and member of several asbestos creditors’ bankruptcy committees, Russell successfully resolved over 100,000 victims’ claims with some of Wall Street’s biggest companies. Not only has he repeatedly been named to the D Magazine list of “Best Lawyers in Dallas” and a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Media, but he made that publication’s list of the Top Ten Texas Lawyers in 2006. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and previously served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA).
In addition to his work at Baron & Budd, Russell is active in his community. One of the causes closest to Russell’s heart is Habitat for Humanity, which gives hardworking Dallas families a chance at first-time home ownership. Russell and his wife have personally contributed generously over the past several years. to housing initiatives in Dallas including Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, they have contributed to the “Building on Faith” project, a collaborative initiative between the Dallas Faith Communities Coalition (DFCC), the City of Dallas, and Habitat for Humanity to build 100 affordable single-family homes in West Dallas.
A father of two, Russell is active in his church and in his children’s many activities.
Education
University of Texas (J.D. 1979)
Trinity University (B.A., cum laude, 1976)
Bar & Court Admissions
Texas
Michigan
United States Supreme Court
United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits
United States District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas
Awards
Texas Super Lawyer (Law & Politics Media, Inc. and Texas Monthly, 2003-2007)
Top 100 Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers (Law & Politics Media, Inc. and Texas Monthly, November 2003 and October 2004)
Best Lawyers in Dallas (D Magazine, May 2003 and May 2005)
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
American Board of Trial Advocates
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Dallas Bar Foundation – Life Fellow
Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Trial Lawyers Care, Inc.
Presentations
Speaker, "Multidistrict Litigation in Texas," Texas Bar Association's 28th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, September 28, 2005
Panelist, "Anatomy of a Successful Asbestos Bankruptcy," Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, June 10, 2005
Speaker, Andrews' Asbestos Litigation 2005 Conference, April 28, 2005
Panelist, "Overview of 2004 and Anticipating 2005 on State and Federal Legislation Front," Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, December 6, 2004.
Co-Chair, “Wall Street Forum: Asbestos,” Mealey Publications & Conferences Group, April 20, 2004.
Panelist, “Critical Issues in Mass Tort Litigation,” Law.com, April 9, 2003.
Reported Cases
Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. Malone, 972 S.W.2d 35 (Tex. 1998).
Pace v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc., 578 So.2d 281 (Ala. 1991).
McCleary v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc., 913 F.2d 257 (5th Cir. 1990).
Dow Chemical Co. v. Alfaro, 786 S.W.2d 674 (Tex. 1990) cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1024 (1991).
Brisboy v. Fibreboard Corp., 418 N.W.2d 650 (Mich. 1988).
Gibson v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc., 648 F.Supp. 1538 (D. Colo. 1986).
Larson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 427 Mich. 301, 399 N.W.2d 1 (Mich. 1986).
Ridling v. Armstrong World Indus., et al., 627 F.Supp. 1057 (S.D. Ala. 1986).
Pittsburgh Corning Corp. v. Thomas, 668 S.W.2d 876 (Tex. App. Houston [14th Dist.] 1984, no writ).
Myers v. John-Manville Sales Corp., 600 F. Supp. 977 (D.Nev. 1984).
Privitt v. City of Irving, 666 S.W. 2d 541 (Tex. App. Corpus Christi 1983, writ ref'd n.r.e.).
Significant Trials
Oliver D. Smith & Peggy Ann Bowen Smith v. Crane Co. et al., No. 06CV1393 (122nd Jud. Dist. Ct., Galveston County, Texas)
Martin, et al. v. Owens-Corning Fibreglas Corp., No. 91-08017-H (160th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Texas).
Stone v. Owens-Corning Fibreglas Corp., No. 92-16996A (201st Jud. Dist. Ct., Travis County, Texas).
Hurley, et al. v. Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp., No. 92-09252-A (200th Jud. Dist. Ct., Travis County, Texas).
Wasiak, et al. v. Owens Corning Fibreglas Corp., No. 92-02238-A (200th Jud. Dist. Ct., Travis County, Texas).
Mason, et al. v. Keene Corp., No. 88-9327-A, 88-11246-A, 89-09636-A, (14th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas, County, Texas).
Yeager, et al. v. Keene Corp. and Owens Illinois, Inc., No. 88-11287-G (134th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Texas),
consolidated with Sigler, et al. v. Keene Corp., No. 89-04989-G (134th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Texas).
Gardner v. Keene Corp., No. 89-10242-H (160th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Texas),
consolidated with Sykes, et al. v. Keene Corp., No. 89-10326-H (160th Jud. Dist. Ct., Dallas County, Texas).
Newsrss
Baron & Budd Principals Named to Public Justice Board of Directors
Russell Budd and Scott Summy To Play Key Advisory Roles in “America’s Public Interest Law Firm”
(Dallas, TX) July 16, 2008 – Russell Budd, president and managing shareholder of Dallas-based law firm Baron & Budd, P.C., and fellow shareholder Scott Summy were named today to the Board of Directors of Public Justice at the organization’s annual meeting. Read More
Prestigious Legal 500 Legal Directory Again Recognizes Baron & Budd as a Leading Mass Tort/Class Action Firm in the U.S.
DALLAS, Texas – Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C. has again been selected by The Legal 500 as one of the country's premier law firms in mass tort claims and class action litigation for the firm’s work on toxic tort claims. The directory describes mass tort firms as those who “have the gall to take on corporate America.” Read More
MTBE Water Contamination Suit Results in Historic Settlement
Dallas, TX – (May 7, 2008) – Representing 153 public water providers, which includes municipalities, water agencies and private water companies, from 17 states, the national law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. today announced the largest settlement to date with many of America’s leading oil companies over drinking water contamination caused by the gasoline additive Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE). The settlement stems from cases pending in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) court in New York established to hear MTBE cases nationwide. Read More
