David L. Plaut

David L. Plaut is the co-founder of Austin, Texas-based Hanna & Plaut, L.L.P. Focusing his practice exclusively on insurance company defense, he provides representation to area insurers in cases involving bad faith, coverage disputes and similar matters at both the trial and appellate levels. He also has experience in personal injury defense, trucking litigation, general commercial litigation and business law. 

Mr. Plaut has lectured and written extensively on subjects related to his practice area. Some of the topics that he has covered have included the duty to defend, residential foundation claims, avoiding summary judgment in bad faith litigation, and hot topics in homeowner's insurance. Admitted to practice in Texas, Mr. Plaut is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Mr. Plaut received a Bachelor of Arts in political science with honors from Johns Hopkins University in 1985. He then pursued his legal education at The University of Texas School of Law and was awarded his Juris Doctor in 1989. While in law school, Mr. Plaut served as an articles editor on the Texas Law Review. After graduation, Mr. Plaut clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit for two years before entering private practice. He co-founded his current firm in February 1998.

Mr. Plaut is highly regarded by his fellow attorneys for his excellent track record and high degree of ethics. This has been evidenced by his receipt of an AV Preeminent* peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell. His professional memberships include the Austin Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the Defense Research Institute.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.