J. Mark Lawless is managing partner of the Austin office. His practice concentrates on matters relating to insurance law, litigation and appeals. He provides counsel to corporate policyholders in all types of first- and third-party coverage disputes, including general and products liability, directors & officers, employment practices, construction, contractual indemnity, advertising injury, property, business interruption, and environmental, asbestos, and other “long-tail” claims.
Mark served as director of the Natural Resources Division of the Texas Energy and Natural Resources Advisor Council from 1980-1983. He practiced environmental law until the late 1980s, after which he devoted his practice to insurance recovery for his corporate clients.
A frequent lecturer and author on insurance law, he helped form and is a past-chair of the Insurance Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. He also is a founding Fellow and a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel (ACCEC).
EXPERIENCE :
- Representation of food producer seeking coverage from multiple liability insurers for numerous nuisance claims. Coverage suits pending in Missouri.
- Representation of energy company seeking coverage from its liability insurers for environmental contamination. Coverage suits pending in Clark County, Washington and Bexar County, Texas.
- Representation of oil company seeking coverage from its liability insurers for numerous MTBE-related product liability claims. Coverage suit pending in Harris County, Texas.
- Representation of office warehouses seeking coverage from their property insurer for losses resulting from a hurricane. Settled before trial.
Education :
- Baylor Law School, JD, 1980
- Baylor University, BA, 1976
Admissions :
- Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Affiliations :
- Founding Fellow and Regent, American College of Coverage and Extrancontractual Counsel, 2014-2017
- Co-Chair, Environmental Coverage Subcommittee, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Litigation Section, American Bar Association, 1999-2000
- Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 1992-2017
- Founding Fellow, Austin Bar Foundation, 2004-2017
- Member, Leadership Austin, 1991-2017
Cost
Rate : $$$