Howard L. Nations of Houston has been selected as one of five 2017 recipients of the Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. The award recognizes attorneys whose practice has spanned 50 years or more and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and service to the public.
Howard Nations has been at the forefront of civil and personal injury litigation for 50 years and has a national practice that focuses on mass tort pharmaceuticals and medical devices, individual catastrophic injuries, and complex business litigation. He has four trial board certifications and has tried countless civil and criminal cases, including representation of the accused in more than 300 pro bono criminal cases.
As a pioneer in courtroom technology, Nations was the first attorney to create and introduce computer-generated liability reenactments and medical animations into evidence at trial. As one of the most sought-after speakers in legal education, he has lectured to lawyers in all 50 states, twelve foreign countries and six Canadian provinces. Nations pioneered the use of forensic psychological and neurolinguistics programming principles in trial and the use of focus groups in trial practice.
Nations’ professional recognitions include induction into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for Justice and induction into the National Trial Lawyers Round Table as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers.
He is past president of The National Trial Lawyers, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, The Melvin M. Belli Society, and the Aletheia Institute. Nations is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
The Bar Foundation commissioned an oral history to recognize and preserve the accomplishments of Mr. Nations’ legal career. Additionally, he will be publicly recognized at the Texas Bar Foundation Annual Dinner held on June 23, 2017 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Founded in 1965 by attorneys determined to assist the public and improve the profession, the Texas Bar Foundation has become the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. The Texas Bar Foundation relies on the contributions of its Fellows to improve the lives of Texans. To-date, through the generosity of the Fellows, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $17 million in grants to numerous organizations across the state.
Election to the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of the State Bar of Texas, representing the top one-third of one percent of Texas attorneys. Selection is based on an outstanding record in the legal profession as well as proven commitment to support the community at large. For more information about the Texas Bar Foundation, please visit www.txbf.org.
