Attorney Profiles

Biography

“I have always wanted to fight for the underdog, having at many times in my life felt like the underdog,” says John Spillane, a Baron & Budd shareholder who heads the firm’s asbestos litigation practice in several jurisdictions. “My legal career has been my best opportunity to do just that.”

John has certainly demonstrated during his tenure at Baron & Budd his ability to overcome the odds and achieve justice for his clients, whose voices might have otherwise gone unheard. After starting his career with a defense firm where he gained strong litigation experience and, in his words, “some insight into how corporations think,” John joined Baron & Budd in 2000 to represent people with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure.

John has served hundreds of clients, and achieved vindication for them, during his Baron & Budd career. For example, he successfully argued at the trial court level that changes to Georgia law eliminating certain rights of asbestos victims was unconstitutional, a decision that was affirmed in 2006 by the Georgia Supreme Court. He also testified to the Texas Legislature in 2006 about the status of the Texas Multi-District Litigation (MDL) system and its affect on Texas asbestos victims, recommending improvements to it. He played a key role in three significant hearings in Texas and Delaware involving the application of scientific evidence in asbestos cases, resulting in trial court decisions considered among the most important in asbestos cases in recent years. He has handled major hearings before courts in several states on important issues potentially impacting the lives and families of thousands of current and future of asbestos claimants, and has taken asbestos victims’ cases to trial. In recognition of his career accomplishments, he was named a “Texas Super Lawyer” in 2004, 2005, and 2006. He is also AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, the publication’s highest.

John completed his law degree at Southern Methodist University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity University, where he played college basketball and in 1986 was named the Division III Academic All-Region for the Western Region and Academic All-American. He is a frequent speaker on issues involving mass torts, asbestos litigation, and trial advocacy.

When reflecting on all of his many accomplishments and the highlights of his legal career, John stills finds the best part of his work is his interaction with his clients. “I want our clients – the underdogs – to have no fear, because we are here to protect them against corporate wrongdoers,” he says.