Attorney Profiles
Biography
John Yates joined Baron & Budd Of Counsel in 2005, with over 30 years experience as a successful civil trial lawyer. “The reasons for my move to Baron & Budd were the firm’s reputation for excellence and the opportunity to work with a group a highly talented and dedicated people who are committed to achieving the best results for their clients,” he says. John works in the firm’s water contamination litigation section, representing communities seeking to recover clean-up costs for water supplies impacted by industrial contamination.
For over a decade, John ran his own law firm in Fort Worth, representing individuals in catastrophic personal injury cases, insurance disputes, and commercial matters. He also has extensive experience in litigation involving construction-related and industrial accidents, railroad accidents, and products liability. Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law since 1992 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he is also “AV’-rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates. Additionally, John served for several years on the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee.
For John, a legal career was the logical progression after receiving his B.A. in history and government at the University of Texas. John is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. He also served in the United States Army. Outside of his busy law practice, John enjoys golf, history–especially the Civil War and World War I–architecture, and art.
Education
University of Texas (J.D. 1973; B.A. 1969)
Bar & Court Admissions
Texas
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Texas
Professional Associations
American Board of Trial Advocates
American Association for Justice
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Dallas Bar Association
Tarrant County Bar Association
Reported Cases
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company v. Brown, 750 S.W.2d 332 (Tex.App.–Eastland 1988).
Amoco Chemicals Corp. v. Stafford, 663 S.W.2d 147 (Tex.App.–Houston [1st Dist.] 1983).
Reyes v. Vantage Steamship Company, et al., 609 F.2d 140 (5th Cir. 1980).
Reyes v. Vantage Steamship Company, et al., 558 F.2d 238 (5th Cir. 1977).
Witco Chemical Corp. v. M/V MISS CAROLYN, et al., 426 F.Supp. 373 (W.D. La. 1977).
Blackwell v. Cities Service Oil Co., 532 F.2d 1006 (5th Cir. 1976).
Presley v. Tinsley Maintenance Service, et al., 529 F.2d 433 (5th Cir. 1976).
Significant Trials
Windham v. Sherwin-Williams, 249th Tex. Dist. Ct. (Johnson County).
Newsrss
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
