Mark Lanier Honored - Twice - By National Law Journal

25 June 2006

Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm, has been named one of the country's 100 Most Influential Lawyers, as well as one of 10 Winning Trial Lawyers by the prestigious National Law Journal.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060623/DAF008 )

The "Winning" designation was published in the NLJ's June 5 edition, and the "Most Influential" list was published in its June 19 edition.

In its selection, the publication cited two recent verdicts -- one for $253 million and one for $13.5 million -- against Merck & Co., the maker of Vioxx. The arthritis medication was taken off the market in 2004 because of links to heart failure.

The NLJ called Lanier "a Texan with a competitive streak as big as the Lone Star State" and said he "looks for an edge wherever he can find it."

"When closing the New Jersey (Vioxx) trial, he described the case like several episodes of the primetime soap Desperate Housewives, complete with a chart," the NLJ reported.

Lanier told the NLJ he's not trying to be "theatrical" (as his opponents sometime claim). He's just trying to connect with jurors.

"If you tell stories, jurors will remember it better, and relate to it better," Lanier told the NLJ.

Lisa Blue, a close friend of Lanier's, praised his style.

"He is passionate. He's funny without being inappropriate, and the whole time he's trying a case, it's as if he's just having a conversation," she said. "He talks to a witness as if he's talking to a friend at a cocktail party. It's a very relaxed and real style for him."

In selecting its list of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America, editors focused on "attorneys outside the government with the clout to make big things happen."

In selecting its list of 10 Winning trial lawyers, the NLJ set out the following criteria: that nominees have at least one significant win -- either bench or trial -- within the last 18 months, and a track record of significant wins over many years. Other factors that piqued the publication's interest were instances where a win altered case precedent or occurred in a hostile jurisdiction.

For more information about The Lanier Law Firm, visit http://www.lanierlawfirm.com . The National Law Journal can be found at http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/index.jsp

CONTACT:

Mike Androvett

214-559-4630

Source: prnewswire

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